Bel moves from plastic to paper packaging for Babybel cheese snacks

Bel is replacing its plastic wrappers for Babybel with recyclable paper products. By 2027, all Babybel products will reportedly be offered in responsibly sourced paper. The group has set a goal to transition all packaging to fully recyclable or home-compostable formats by 2030.

The commercial rollout of Babybel’s paper packaging has begun in the UK. The US, Canada, and Northern Europe will follow in 2026, before a global expansion across all 50 markets starting in 2027. By then, the company says all of the Mini Babybel will use certified paper, ensuring full traceability.

Béatrice de Noray, executive vice president in charge of growth at the Bel Group, says: “Transforming our production and consumption models is one of the greatest challenges of our time. At Bel, we choose to put innovation at the service of more responsible and accessible food for all.”

“Babybel has been part of families’ lives for more than 70 years. Its uniqueness lies in its universal appeal and its ability to evolve with changing uses, food cultures, and societal expectations. Today, its packaging enters a new chapter, one that strengthens what makes Babybel iconic: a practical, convivial, and instantly recognizable portion.”

Responsible solutions

The company spent several years of R&D on paper packaging, prioritizing renewable and recyclable materials while guaranteeing food safety and quality. Babybel’s red wax shell remains unchanged during the transition, as it is important to product protection, integrity, and taste.

Through a test-and-learn approach, including factory trials and real-world validation, the paper packaging now meets the industrial performance requirements for large-scale production across all Babybel sites.

Delphine Chatelin, director of research, innovation, and development at the Bel Group, says: “Transitioning Babybel to paper packaging is a technical and industrial challenge. It is not simply about replacing one material with another, it requires rethinking the entire protection system to ensure product quality and safety from production to consumption.”

“Our objective is to offer consumers the same iconic and enjoyable experience while meeting their expectations for sustainability and convenience, with packaging that is environmentally responsible and perfectly adapted to the product’s lifecycle.”

Bel Group’s Kiri is also advancing its paper-based packaging tests, aiming to scale industrial deployment. The Laughing Cow and Materne compotes are now offered in bulk through the DéfiVrac Coalition, supported by a dispensing machine created for spreadable cheese, fruit purées, honey, or oils, currently tested in real conditions in three stores.