Mondelēz reports virgin plastic reductions in UK circular economy boost
03 Jun 2024 --- Mondelēz International claims to have reduced its virgin plastic use by over 1000 tons in the UK last year after implementing changes to its packaging across several products, including two iconic Cadbury Christmas gifts.
The multinational confectionery giant says its selected Christmas selection boxes and Milk Tray products now include trays made with 80% recycled PET (rPET), which is widely collected as part of household recycling.
Additionally, Cadbury Milk Tray has removed the cellophane plastic wrapping from the outside of the product.
Mondelēz aims to reduce virgin plastic in rigid plastic packaging by at least 25% and in all plastic packaging by 5% by 2025 as part of its “Pack Light and Right” sustainable packaging strategy.
Of the 123 businesses that contributed data to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2023 Global Commitment Progress Report, Mondelēz was singled out as the brand that reported the highest tonnage elimination of plastic packaging — over 12,000 metric tons.
Packaging changes
The news comes following previous packaging developments made to the Cadbury Dairy Milk (110 g) bar, which now includes 30% certified recycled plastic within its packaging. The packaging uses the mass balance approach — certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.
Later this year, Mondelēz will initiate the next phase of its packaging strategy as it plans to replace the rPET used in Christmas Selection Box Trays with cardboard.
Joanna Dias, UK sustainability lead at Mondelēz, says: “We want to accelerate the impact and meaningful change we can make as a business, and projects such as this to reduce the amount of virgin plastic in a number of our products demonstrates just that.”
Mondelēz says its guiding principle is to make packaging “light and right,” with less packaging, better packaging and improved systems supporting the development of UK recycling infrastructure — especially for flexible plastics.
Mondelēz wants to make packaging “light and right,” including using less material and recycled material.
UK household collection
Mondelēz is a founding partner of Flex Collect — the UK’s biggest flexible plastic household collection and recycling pilot, which released its Interim Report earlier this year.
The report showcases positive findings from the curbside flexible plastic collection pilots currently running across seven local authorities, spanning nearly 30,000 households in the UK. Working in partnership with Suez UK, Recoup, Wrap, Zero Waste Scotland and Ecosurety, Mondelēz says this report and the pilots will provide many valuable insights ahead of mandatory kerbside flexible plastic collections in March 2027.
Mondelēz’s packaging sustainability project is highlighted in the company’s latest Snacking Made Right report, showcasing progress in 2023 against Environmental, Social and Governance priorities.
Edited by Joshua Poole
