Mondelēz to reduce packaging by 15% for Cadbury bags in major strategy review

Mondelēz International has confirmed it will reduce its packaging by 15% across key large Cadbury share bags, forming part of its major strategy to optimise product designs, reports Neill Barston.

The move follows other key initiatives for the global manufacturer including last year’s announcement of significant reduction in calories as part of part of portion control measures.

As the business explained, its savings are set to contribute towards its global target of eliminating 65,000 tonnes of packaging by the end of 2020.

According to the business, which also produces brands including Cadbury Dairy Milk, BelVita, Maynard’s Bassetts and OREO, explained that it will put in place an initiative known as  ‘pack light and pack right.’ This will be applied to its series including Cadbury Giant Buttons, Caramel Nibbles and Bitsa Wispa large sharing bags in the UK, which will also fall under the company’s new environmental drive.

Consequently, smaller bags also means fewer trucks are required to transport the same amount of product. As a result, the number of trucks needed for transportation will be reduced by 14%.

These new packs are now on shelves nationwide, and are the first in a series of moves planned in the UK to remove or reduce unnecessary packaging without compromising product safety or quality.

The optimised bags are a result of the company’s internal innovation competition, ‘Snackathon’. A team of passionate makers and bakers from Bournville realised that the barrier to removing the packaging was the pyramid shape that forms in the bag, as a result of the way in which the treats fall into them on the production line. The team found a solution to this manufacturing challenge by introducing a way to shake the bag on the line, then cutting the wrap to a shorter height.

This initiative is the latest move Mondelez International has made towards its vision of creating zero net waste packaging through its three-pronged ‘pack right and pack light’ strategy of; packing optimisation; addressing the collection and recycling of packaging and investing in post-consumer recycled material; and making it easier for consumers to recycle.

It has already eliminated over 64,000 tonnes of packaging globally since 2013, made 100% of its paper-based packaging sustainably sourced and is on track to reach its ambitious target to make all of its packaging designed to be recyclable by 2025.

The company is a member of the UK Plastics Pact and a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and has recently announced that Philadephia cream cheese sold in the UK and Europe will be made using recycled plastic packaging from 2022.

Louise Stigant, UK Managing Director, Mondelez International, said: “We’re committed to reducing the impact our products have on the environment and tackling packaging waste. One way in which we are delivering against that ambition is to either reduce or remove our packaging where we can without compromising food safety.

“I’m proud to say that cutting the plastic used in our iconic large share bags by 15%, whilst maintaining the amount of product, is just one step in our journey towards our strategic goal to use less packaging across our UK business, and demonstrates our innovative approach to reducing our environmental impact.”

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