Ferrero ramps up recycling drive with eco-friendly Rocher packaging
The Ferrero Group has stepped-up its efforts to make 100% of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 with new eco-designed boxes for its key Rocher range, writes Neill Barston.
As the company explained to Confectionery Production, the phased move will begin around the world from this month, starting with the 30-piece and 16-piece boxes.
The new Ferrero Rocher eco-designed boxes will be made from polypropylene (PP), which enables easier recycling globally. In addition to being easier to recycle the new innovation will reduce the use of plastic and the impact on the climate. For example, the new boxes use 38% less plastic for the 30-piece and 40% less plastic for the 16-piece1.Through the introduction of the new eco-designed 30-piece and 16-piece boxes in September 2021, Ferrero Rocher will save approximately 2,000 tonnes of plastics globally in its first year.
The R&D team at Ferrero have developed and trialed over 29 different plastic resins working with leading materials expert – Milliken. The result is a new eco-designed box which will progressively reduce the use of plastic and the impact on the climate, while maintaining the iconic box’s transparency, and guaranteeing the same high-quality product that our consumers know and love. The new eco designed T16 and T30 boxes also have at least 30% lower carbon footprint.
Fabio Mora, Global Packaging Director of The Ferrero Group, welcomed the development. He said: “The Ferrero Rocher eco-designed box is a clear example of our dedication to enhancing packaging circularity. Packaging is a complex issue that we are committed to working in close collaboration to build a more circular economy through packaging-related strategies, joining forces with governments, manufacturers, suppliers, waste disposal management companies, NGOs and others. In this instance, we worked in close partnership with Milliken who brought their innovative and critical thinking to help reduce the environmental impact through the use of a new polypropylene material for the Ferrero Rocher box.”
The new eco-designed Ferrero Rocher box is an important first step on the brand’s journey towards more sustainable packaging. All box formats and packaging components will evolve towards more sustainable packaging by 2025, in accordance with the Ferrero company commitment.
In the UK, as an interim solution Ferrero will continue with its TerraCycle partnerships to offer a free national recycling programme, which is an immediate option available to make all Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Collection and Kinder packaging recyclable across the UK. The programme will cover our products in these ranges and has been developed to address gaps in the UK’s recycling infrastructure, which currently cannot recycle all types of packaging.
