Cadbury wraps sharing bars in recycled plastic in UK and Ireland

Mondelēz International’s Cadbury started launching its sharing bars in recycled plastic. Among the affected categories are Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury Fruit & Nut, which are wrapped in packaging with 80% certified recycled material allocated through a mass balance approach. 

The recycled packaging will be used to wrap over 300 million bars annually while maintaining equal taste. 

Cadbury aims to wrap all its sharing bars made and sold in the UK and Ireland in recycled material by the end of this year, using 600 metric tons of post-consumer plastic each year. 

The British confectionery giant is sourcing its recycled material through advanced recycling technology. The recycling approach can be used to transform used plastic packaging into food-grade, flexible plastic packaging.

The initiative uses a mass balance approach, meaning that Cadbury has sourced and allocated an amount of recycled material that meets ISCC’s (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) requirements, to produce the new Cadbury tablets packaging wrapped in 80% recycled plastic.Cadbury’s new wrapping using 80% recycled plastic.

Responding to sustainability demands

Mass balancing can lead to varying amounts of recycled plastic in the packaging. Cadbury says it attributes an equivalent amount of 80% recycled plastic, but the physical amount of recycled plastic can vary per tablet.

The company has started its wrapping transition with bars including Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel 120 g, Cadbury Fruit and Nut 180 g, and Cadbury Dairy Milk 360 g, all available on-shelf in the new certified recycled packaging. 

Joanna Dias, Mondelez UK Sustainability Lead, says: “We’re proud to be taking this big next step with Cadbury. We know that sustainability is important to consumers, so by moving to 80% certified recycled plastic — and wrapping more than 300 million bars this year — we’re not only helping to give flexible plastic a second life, but also helping Cadbury fans enjoy their favorite snacks, knowing they’re doing something positive for the planet.”

The new bar packaging marks a step toward Cadbury’s long-term ambition of more sustainable snacking and is part of Mondelēz International’s global “Pack Light and Right” strategy.