Nestlé Smarties’ Paper Packaging

The full Smarties paper-based packaging range / Source: Nestlé

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5 MINUTE READ

Nadine Smith

WHAT WE SAY:

Of the 280 million packs of Smarties products made each year, 250 million are plastic. That was until 2021, when Nestlé’s Smarties made the bold decision to become the first global confectionery brand to switch wholesale to recyclable paper packaging.

Changing the packaging for 90% of its SKUs was no mean feat, but Nestlé only needed to look to the past at its original paperboard packaging for inspiration. There are still some questions to be answered around the exact composition of the new coated paper material, but we think this signals a new era in confectionery packaging.

KEY FACTS:

In 2021, Nestlé transitioned its entire global portfolio of Smarties confectionery to Paper-based packaging, potentially removing 250 million plastic packs annually.
Tubes, sharing pouches, multipacks and even trays for seasonal hollow figures have all been transitioned to paper-based materials.
A EUR 10 million (USD 10.2 million) investment in its factory in Hamburg, Germany, has seen the introduction of new production lines and the adaptation of existing processes to support the change.
Packaging can be thermoformed, printed and finished with either heat or cold-seal adhesive. A proprietary water-based coating protects the product.
Developed over two years of R&D, the packaging uses a “special coating, which can be easily separated from cellulose.” Nestlé claims the resulting waste can be used for further recycling or to power the recycling plants.
Nestlé claims its packaging is 100% traceable back to the country of harvest and that a minimum of 90% of the fibre volume is responsibly sourced, according to its in-house definition. Criteria for the definition includes being FSC or PEFC-certified, sourced from a low-risk country of harvest, and classified as being at low risk of deforestation.
All Smarties packaging is now 100% recyclable through kerbside household recycling in the paper and card waste streams.

DIVE DEEPER:

Confectionery items like chocolate require high barrier packaging to keep out moisture and oxygen, prolonging shelf life and preserving freshness. But that barrier is often provided by plastic.
Nestlé’s total plastics packaging usage in 2021 was one million tonnes. Prior to the switch, Smarties was creating over 400 tonnes of plastic packaging annually, including plastic lids and stickers.
Plastic packaging from confectionery is notoriously difficult to recycle. The lightweight flexible packaging is often not collected with household recycling, and the typically multi-layered composite materials require separation for material recovery to be successful.
Paper, which is porous, does not have the same functional properties as plastic, but Nestlé’s innovative, coated, paper-based packaging ensures both product safety and recyclability.
The Smarties Sharing Block was launched in a recyclable paper wrapper in June 2020, before the remaining 419 SKUs were switched in the first half of 2021.
The new packaging is manufactured at the Nestlé factory in Hamburg, Germany, where 20,000 tonnes of Smarties are produced each year. New production lines were added for the manufacture of the giant Smarties tube, while some existing equipment was suitable for a like-for-like material exchange.
The visual communication of the branded packaging has been updated to express the recyclability of the pack in a child-friendly manner, ensuring end-user behaviour modification for an otherwise familiar product.
The transition of Smarties’ packaging aligns with Nestlé’s wider 2025 packaging commitment to make sure all packaging can be recycled or reused alongside reducing plastic by one third. Nestlé is a European Plastics Pact signatory.
While Nestlé is taking a step forward environmentally, it was criticised for continuing to operate in Russia during the war on Ukraine. The company claims it has suspended the shipment of non-essential products, halted advertising and suspended capital investment in the country. Currently, it is only selling infant food and medical and hospital nutrition within the country.

"It is a further step in realising Nestlé’s ambition to make all of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce our use of virgin plastics by one third in the same period."

Alexander von Maillot – Global Head of Confectionery, Nestlé

Key Design Considerations:

Plastic-free from top to bottom

While the barrier coating for the paper and board packages is ‘water-based’, it is unclear what its composition is. You should ensure any barriers and coatings are plastic-free to align with your materials goals.

Not all changes need to be materials based

A lack of innovation can be just as much of a barrier as a lack of alternative materials. The standard sized Smarties tube has been plastic-free since 2005, but multipacks were still delivered in plastic pouches. New generation multipacks are made from ‘tear-and-share’ style paperboard tubes connected by a perforated paper label. Carlsberg’s Snap Pack is another example of a recyclable product freed from plastic multi-pack packaging.

Behaviour change needs careful thought

Nestlé explored compostable options but landed on paper due to a higher likelihood of it being recycled. To further increase the likelihood of recycling, it incorporated child-friendly recycling messaging and illustrations on its new-look packaging. How can your design promote consumer behaviour that will maximise impact?

Seek responsible feedstocks

Traceability to country of harvest leaves a lot of unknowns. While paper is a wonderfully natural, recyclable resource, the paper and pulp industry, like many others, is open to exploitation. Certified forests and robust human rights measures are a must when sourcing.

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Nestlé Smarties’ Paper Packaging

WHAT WE SAY:

Of the 280 million packs of Smarties products made each year, 250 million are plastic. That was until 2021, when Nestlé’s Smarties made the bold decision to become the first global confectionery brand to switch wholesale to recyclable paper packaging.

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

Confectionery items like chocolate require high barrier packaging to keep out moisture and oxygen, prolonging shelf life and preserving freshness. But that barrier is often provided by plastic.

Nestlé’s total plastics packaging usage in 2021 was one million tonnes. Prior to the switch, Smarties was creating over 400 tonnes of plastic packaging annually, including plastic lids and stickers.

Plastic packaging from confectionery is notoriously difficult to recycle. The lightweight flexible packaging is often not collected with household recycling, and the typically multi-layered composite materials require separation for material recovery to be successful.

Paper, which is porous, does not have the same functional properties as plastic, but Nestlé’s innovative, coated, paper-based packaging ensures both product safety and recyclability.

The Smarties Sharing Block was launched in a recyclable paper wrapper in June 2020, before the remaining 419 SKUs were switched in the first half of 2021.

The new packaging is manufactured at the Nestlé factory in Hamburg, Germany, where 20,000 tonnes of Smarties are produced each year. New production lines were added for the manufacture of the giant Smarties tube, while some existing equipment was suitable for a like-for-like material exchange.

The visual communication of the branded packaging has been updated to express the recyclability of the pack in a child-friendly manner, ensuring end-user behaviour modification for an otherwise familiar product.

The transition of Smarties’ packaging aligns with Nestlé’s wider 2025 packaging commitment to make sure all packaging can be recycled or reused alongside reducing plastic by one third. Nestlé is a European Plastics Pact signatory.