Amped-up Paper, Other Materials Make Inroads on Rigid Plastics

摘要

It's too soon to say if all the anti-virgin plastic rhetoric from environmental critics will have a lasting impact on the packaging materials mix. Still, it is interesting to note that recent market developments include a lot of high-profile moves away from plastic packaging. It's hard to say if the changes are being made strictly out of a sincere belief that plastic packages are not as good an environmental choice as other materials, fear of coming environmental anti-plastic regulatory prodding, or simply, economics. Nestle's transition to paper for its entire family of Smarties candies packaging formats certainly isn't a cost-cutting measure. Last year the company invested some $2 billion to "lead the shift from virgin plastics to food-grade recycled plastics and to accelerate the development of innovative sustainable packaging solutions." The move to recyclable paper candy wraps will help in achieving Nestle's commitment to make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. Among the Smarties packs getting a materials redo, the most dramatic is the brand's replacement of its iconic plastic tube by four hexagonal paper sleeves held together with a perforated paper label that permits the consumer to tear off one hex tube of candies at a time. The Smarties family move follows the conversion last year of Nestle's Yes! candy bar to recyclable paper wraps. "By 2025,100 percent of our packaging will be recyclable or reusable and we will reduce our use of virgin plastics by one third," says Nestle in a web post.