Mondelez partnership to create 80% recycled plastic packaging

Mondelēz International has announced that its Cadbury core sharing bars, manufactured in Bournville and Coolock and sold in the UK&I, will be wrapped in 80% certified recycled plastic packaging

The packaging can be attributed to plastic sourced from advanced recycling technology, a move resulting from a collaboration with Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing more sustainable packaging solutions, and Jindal Films, an industry leader in the development and manufacture of recyclable films designed for flexible packaging.

Starting from 2025, in a phased approach, the project aims to cover approximately 300 million sharing bars across the UK&I Cadbury core tablet portfolio. The move will see the highest percentage of recycled flexible plastic used within the Cadbury brand globally. As part of this effort, 80% of the plastic used in the packaging can be attributed to recycled plastic through mass balance and ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS certification.

Amcor’s AmFiniti™ solution converts post-consumer plastic waste into new products, an innovative process that uses advanced recycling material (ARM) suitable for food-grade applications.

“Mondelēz International’s implementation of the AmFiniti™ solution is a major step towards further advancing recycled plastic packaging across the global confectionery market. Amcor continues to work alongside our partners – such as Mondelēz – to enable brands to meet rising consumer demand for more responsible packaging, advance sustainability goals, and comply with upcoming EU regulations”, said Kyra Chavalés, global key account manager at Amcor.

Consumers can also access a new platform via an on-pack QR code to find out more about the sustainable packaging journey the Cadbury brand is taking and a consumer-friendly explanation about mass balance. The platform also features the Recycle Now® locator from WRAP, enabling consumers to check local collection and recycling points for a wide range of packaging materials.

Helen Bird, head of material system transformation at WRAP, commented: “The biggest recycling challenge is plastic wrapping – collecting it at scale, sorting and recycling it into new things – ideally packaging. Recycling this type of plastic back into food packaging can only be achieved through advanced recycling technologies. WRAP is delighted to hear that UK Plastics Pact member Mondelēz is rolling out the use of certified recycled plastic in its Cadbury sharing bars. This is the future and must be scaled far and wide across other companies and products ranges.”

“This is the latest move in our journey to increase our use of post-consumer recycled plastic across our Cadbury tablets portfolio in the UK&I”, said Louise Stigant, SVP and UK&I Managing Director, Mondelēz International.

“We remain focused on our long-term aim to offer more sustainable packaging, in particular flexible plastic packaging using advanced recycling technologies. For us this is based around a three-part approach aimed at reducing our packaging, evolving, and designing our packaging to be recyclable and improving systems by supporting the development of UK infrastructure and capabilities to collect, sort and recycle it back into food contact packaging.”

Robbie Staniforth, director of innovation and policy at Ecosurety said: “We’re pleased to see Mondelēz taking this step towards increasing their use of recycled flexible plastic packaging and help lead the way to drive change right across the industry. The public wants to see full circularity for flexible plastic packaging and with this high-profile innovation, Mondelēz demonstrates what can be achieved when a company puts its mind to it. We look forward to more brands following their lead.”