Mondelēz launches Cadbury Dairy Milk packs using certified recycled plastic

Mondelēz International has on Friday announced that its Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury Mini Snowballs 110g sharing bars, which are made in Bournville and sold in the UK and Ireland, are now wrapped in packaging with 30 per cent recycled plastic.

The company has started to roll out the packaging innovation on more than 28 million sharing bars.

Using the mass balance approach the post-consumer, recycled plastic packaging will be independently certified by ISCC and supplied in partnership with Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food and other industries.

Mondelēz said this world first for Cadbury is part of its wider global goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic material in its overall plastic packaging portfolio by 5 per cent by 2025, assuming constant portfolio mix.

The company is already using 75 per cent recycled plastic (RPET) content in its Dairylea Lunchables packaging in the UK and will also begin using certified plastic with recycled material using the mass balance approach in its Philadelphia tubs and lids from next year.

Dirk Van de Put, chief executive of Mondelēz International said the UK is leading the way in its use of recycled material and investing in solutions for a circular economy for packaging waste.

“Until recently, flexible plastic packaging has been considered a single use material. The development of advanced recycling technology and our significant investment in this material means it’s now possible for Cadbury fans to enjoy their favourite sharing bars more sustainably here in the UK,” he said.

“Most excitingly, this is just the beginning of our journey to use more recycled plastic in our packaging. We’re committed to using more recycled plastic in our packaging in the coming years, as access and availability of advanced recycling technology increases.”

Louise Stigant, UK managing director at Mondelēz International, added: “I am enormously proud to witness this important innovation to our iconic Cadbury packaging, made in Bournville – the heart and home of Cadbury.

“We are very keen to reduce our use of virgin plastic across our full range and this innovation signals our demand for this material and much needed investment into the UK recycling infrastructure to produce it.”

Earlier this year Mondelēz International again joined forces with industry to lead, finance and launch the UK’s biggest flexible plastic household collection and recycling pilot – Flex Collect. The pilot will inform the UK government how to incorporate flexible packaging into existing collection services across different geographies and demographics, developing best practice and giving confidence to the recycling and packaging supply chain to invest in advanced recycling facilities that can process this material.

Mondelēz International is also a member of the UK Plastics Pact and a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy Global Commitment.