Nestlé and Smurfit Westrock Design Paper Tub for Quality Street | Packaging World

The new paper-based carton for Quality Street sweets for Christmas offers the same shape and brand color, but is now 100% curbside recyclable.

Nestlé is doubling down on its move from plastic to paper with a new paper-based tub for its iconic Quality Street chocolates and toffees for the Christmas season. In 2020, the company debuted a world first for a global confectionery brand with the transition of 419 of its Smarties chocolate candies SKUs from plastic to paper packaging. In 2022, the company switched to paper twist wraps for its Quality Street sweets, resulting in over 2 billion plastic wrappers diverted from landfill. Now, with the new Quality Street carton, both the box and the wrappers can be put into household recycling at the end of use.

For the paperization of the Quality Streets tub, Nestlé worked with Smurfit Westrock to create the trial pack as part of its ongoing initiative to reduce virgin plastic. The redesign also enables more boxes to fit on a pallet and is said to have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions significantly. According to Smurfit Westrock, “The beautifully designed pack is the first of its kind to hit supermarket shelves.”

Shares Saverio Mayer, CEO of Europe, MEA & APAC at Smurfit Westrock, “The innovative new tub we created in collaboration with Nestlé is an excellent example of how a paper-based replacement can bring a host of benefits across design, functionality, and of course sustainability. We knew that this iconic brand needed a stand-out solution that would look the part on shelf as well as seamlessly integrate into consumers’ household recycling. It will hopefully appeal to the growing number of consumers who are seeking out more sustainable packaging for their favorite products.”

Beginning in mid-October, the new package, which retains the signature hexagonal shape and purple color, is being sold alongside the traditional plastic version in selected Tesco stores. Both products are the same size and contain the same weight of chocolates.

Says Jemma Handley, senior brand manager for Quality Street, “We’re looking forward to seeing what Quality Street fans make of the paper tub. A lot of care and hard work has gone into the trial, and we’re proud to be the first major manufacturer to trial a paper tub at Christmas. The beautiful design has been devised specifically for a paper product, and we love how it looks, and of course, shoppers can expect the same great-tasting Quality Street sweets they know and love inside.” PW