Egging on the circular economy: Aldi, Waitrose and Mondelēz scrap plastic from Easter packaging

02 Apr 2021 --- Just as the Easter holiday celebrates rebirth, Aldi, Waitrose and Mondelēz International are bringing their respective holiday-themed packaging more in line with the circular economy.

PackagingInsights investigates how the three companies are aligning their environmental sustainability packaging goals with the Easter holiday.

“An absolute priority”
Greenpeace UK’s Checking Out on Plastics III report found that Waitrose is leading the UK supermarket plastic reduction race but falling short on the recycled content front.

“Our efforts to reduce packaging and increase recycled content is an on-going business priority. We are on-track to making all our own-label packaging widely recycled, reusable or home compostable by 2023,” a Waitrose spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

Along these lines, thousands of Waitrose’s own brand Easter eggs will contain nearly half (44 percent) the amount of plastic, and 18 percent less card, meaning a quarter less packaging overall for the Easter confectionery range.Aldi targets halving the amount of plastic packaging it uses by the end of 2025 (Credit: Aldi).

Much of the Easter egg packaging will also be made from recycled materials, including the Waitrose Squiggle Eggs and Milk Chocolate Hen with Speckled Eggs, made from 80 percent recycled content. Overall, 99.7 percent of the Easter range packaging is now widely recycled, Waitrose states. 

Not only is Waitrose’s investment in eliminating single-use plastic essential to its business, but also its customers, partners and staff. “Customers can expect us to continue slashing single-use plastic. This is an absolute priority,” they detail.

Alt-pack shapes and materials
Similarly to Waitrose, Aldi UK scored high on Greenpeace UK’s 2020 report concerning commitments to plastic reduction, but less so on recyclability and recycled content.

This year, Aldi is removing 29 metric tons of throwaway plastic from its seasonal confectionery range. The supermarket is giving some of its Easter eggs a square-shaped bottom so they no longer need to be supported with inner plastic packaging, eliminating the need for plastic entirely. 

Slashing single-use plastic is an “absolute priority” for Waitrose (Credit: Waitrose).Other plastic-saving changes include replacing plastic windows on the outer packaging of several products with compostable cellulose film made from wood fibers. Aldi will also launch a fully-sustainable chocolate box, with an insert made from recycled potato skins.

Richard Gorman, Aldi UK plastics and packaging director, tells PackagingInsights the retailer is committed to eliminating plastic “wherever possible.” The company targets halving the amount of plastic packaging it uses by the end of 2025.

The reduction of plastic in Aldi’s Easter range follows the supermarket’s removal of more than 5.5 million pieces of plastic last year, including successful changes to its Christmas range.

“The recent changes to both our Christmas and Easter ranges to remove unnecessary plastic have been incredibly well received,” notes Gorman.

Rethinking paper as well
On the confectionery supply side, Mondelēz is removing over 6.4 million plastic windows from its chocolate eggs this Easter, taking 5.4 metric tons of plastic out of circulation while improving recyclability.

Spanning Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Bournville, Fry’s, Green & Black’s, Maynard’s Bassets and Oreo brands, the change means the full Mondelēz Easter egg range is plastic window-free. 

The company also reviewed the cardboard cartons for its shell egg range and removed a further 108 metric tons of cardboard using sustainably-sourced cardboard. 

“Increasing the recyclability of our products and reducing the amount of packaging we use overall are important steps in contributing to the creation of a circular economy,” says Louise Stigant, UK managing director at Mondelēz.Removing the plastic windows from Mondelēz’s assortment has taken 5.4 tons of plastic out of circulation (Credit: Mondelēz).

Mondelēz has committed to global goals of making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable and labeled with clear consumer recycling information by 2025. The company says 93.3 percent of its total packaging is already recyclable-by-design.

PackagingInsights previously discussed UK supermarkets’ waste reduction moves for Christmas-themed packaging with environmentalists.

The pandemic has further forced limited edition packaging surrounding Lunar New Year, Halloween and Pride Month to find new interpretations and consumer connection points.

Our sister platform FoodIngredientsFirst has also explored this year’s trends in Easter-themed NPD, with other ethical choices on the rise.

By Anni Schleicher