LUXEMBOURG – As part of its commitment to make all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, the Ferrero Group will share regular updates on its activities to delivering this. Today, in its first update, Ferrero announces a new packaging development for Kinder Joy, the Group’s exploration of chemical recycling solutions, as well as its partnerships to develop common eco-design guidelines for packaging.
To achieve its challenging packaging commitment, Ferrero is engaging its entire group, suppliers and partners. Investments in R&D and Open Innovation, as well as working in partnerships, are driving the Ferrero strategy to ensure plastics never become waste, without compromising the quality and freshness of its products.
Introducing a new recyclable Kinder Joy paper spoon
Made from high-quality virgin paper, that comes from sustainable certified supply chain, the spoon was developed from the innovative design ideas of the Ferrero in-house R&D team and realized in collaboration with selected suppliers. An ultra-sonic sealing technology seals the new spoon to the plastic film without using any additional substances or additives.
In addition to passing third-party safety certifications and recyclability tests, the new Kinder Joy spoon also performed well in consumer research1; parents and children like the spoon and find it easy to use. The new Kinder Joy spoon will be phased to all EU countries early 2021, and globally starting in 2022.
Once the roll-out will be completed, the new paper spoon will deliver an estimated 45% reduction on the Kinder Joy spoon carbon footprint with a plastic reduction of over 1500 tonnes per year versus the current spoon.
Ferrero ‘s continuous approach to innovation in packaging
Ferrero has a long-standing history of innovation to improve the sustainability of its packaging. In line with this approach, Ferrero is exploring opportunities in the development of chemical recycling by partnering with the Reciplast project and suppliers.
Chemical recycling may be able to help recycle some complex structures used in plastic packaging where mechanical recycling is not an option. It also increases the availability of “clean” recycled plastic which can be used back in food packaging. In exploring the possibilities of chemical recycling, Ferrero is scouting future solutions that are not available today in practice and at scale.
Partnering to develop common eco-design guidelines
Making sure that every piece of packaging can be recyclable requires designers to choose and combine materials in a way that the final packaging can be successfully disposed, collected, sorted and fully recycled in practice and at scale.
To achieve this ambitious goal, Ferrero is partnering with multiple stakeholders, including CEFLEX and RecyClass, to develop common eco-design guidelines that would be uniform across the industry.
CEFLEX is a collaboration of EU companies and associations representing the entire flexible packaging value chain. This partnership will focus on the development and application of design guidelines for both flexible packaging and the infrastructures to collect, sort and recycle.
RecyClass is an initiative promoted by Plastics Recyclers Europe, aiming to help the plastics value chain find the correct way to approach and evaluate the design for recycling of packaging products. Through this partnership, RecyClass is providing a recyclability assessment tool, which can be used to identify potential issues and points of improvement for the end-of-life of packaging, with the goal of improving recyclability.
“In October 2019, Ferrero made a strong commitment to more sustainable packaging and signed The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Our most recent initiatives, including the 100% recyclable Kinder Joy spoon, our exploration of chemical recycling and our partnerships for eco-design guidelines, are important steps in that journey. We look forward to providing regular updates as we support the acceleration towards a circular economy,” said Fabio Mora, Global Packaging Director of the Ferrero Group.
The Ferrero Group will continue to share announcements on these future milestones as part of the journey to make all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
1 Source: Ipsos, February 2019
