What’s new with soft plastics? Our journey to sustainable packaging
Last updated 16/09/2022: It’s no secret that chocolate means the world to us, and so does our planet. That’s why we’re constantly working on ways to make our packaging more environmentally friendly. It’s all part of our commitment to meeting our goal of 100% sustainable packaging by 2025.
The good news, Chocolate Lovers, is that we’re well on the way. Over three-quarters of our packaging is already recyclable, and our dedicated team has been making great progress in finding sustainable alternatives where required.
But we know there is room for improvement when it comes to our consumer facing packaging – what you see on the supermarket shelf.
Much of it is already recyclable, like the outer wrappers of our 250g Classic blocks and 100g Artisan blocks. However, there are other materials such as soft plastics (flow-wrap) and our iconic gold foil for which we are currently exploring more sustainable alternatives.
What we’re currently doing about soft plastics
While we haven’t found a replacement for our soft plastic packaging yet, we’re committed to making sure there is a responsible end-of-life plan for it. That’s why we’re a member of the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, helping to support their collection service and the processing of soft plastics in New Zealand.
Although the soft plastic we use on our products has always been recyclable, there hasn’t always been the infrastructure in New Zealand for it to be collected and processed. However, the team at the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme have made great progress in this space to:
- make soft plastic collection bins more widely accessible, and
- support businesses processing the collected soft plastic to turn it into useable finished products like fence posts and garden edging.
Now the correct infrastructure is in place, we’re confident in directing our Chocolate Lovers to dispose of the packaging in this way, and we're making the change to communicate this on our packaging, by putting a new logo on pack to let you know what can be recycled in soft plastic collection bins.
What are soft plastics?
Soft plastics are a type of plastic that is thin and easy to scrunch in your hand. They’re used in a range of industries because they’re lightweight and durable. If you take a look around your home, you might notice a few examples – a bread bag, bubble wrap, or a confectionary packet.
Which Whittaker's wrappers are soft plastic recyclable?
We use soft plastic wrap for our:
- Bars
- Slabs
- Mini Slabs
- Super Slabs
- Multi-packs
- Squares
All wrap we use for these products are certified soft plastic recyclable. That means they're fully recyclable through the New Zealand Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme.
The soft plastics recycling logo on our products will begin to appear on shelves very soon! It may take a little bit of time before you see the logo appear on your favourite treat, as we want to use up all our existing packaging first as to ensure no waste.
In the meantime, because the packaging itself isn’t changing (just the logos on it), you can return any of our Bars, Slabs, Mini Slabs, Super Slabs, Multi-packs, and Squares wrappers to the soft plastics recycling bin at your local collection point.
3 tips for soft plastic recycling
It’s easy to get involved with soft plastic recycling, Chocolate Lovers! Here are three tips to help you get started:
- Look for the soft plastics recycling logo. Only wrappers with the special logo on pack are soft plastics recyclable. If they don’t have the logo, they are either paper and can be recycled in your usual kerbside recycling, or they are not yet recyclable.
- Make sure soft plastics are empty, clean and dry. If they’re dirty or have food stuck to them when you drop them in the soft plastic recycling bin, the whole lot might become contaminated and unable to be recycled!
- Place soft plastics in the correct bin. Soft plastic packaging needs special machines to be recycled. So they must go in the soft plastic recycling bin at your local supermarket (e.g. New World, Countdown, Pak'n'Save) or retail store (e.g. The Warehouse).
Find a soft plastic collection bin near you!
What else we’ve been doing
Soft plastics recycling isn’t the only thing we’ve been up to. Since March 2019, we’ve completed over 100 sustainable packaging trials in our Porirua factory.
We’ve also completed two successful compostable packaging trials, and are trialling a packaging replacement for the foil wrap used on our 250g range. What we’ve learned from these trials will help shape the future of Whittaker's sustainable packaging for years to come.
So what's next, Chocolate Lovers? In 2022 and beyond, we'll be working hard to meet our 2025 goal of 100% sustainable packaging. We'll keep you updated on our key learnings and milestones along the way!
Let us know what you think, Chocolate Lovers!
We’re proud of how far we’ve come on our sustainable packaging journey so far.
The road to true sustainability certainly has plenty of twists and turns. But you’ve been with us every step of the way, willing to jump in and get involved with our packaging trials or to give us tips and new ideas.
Thank you so much for standing by us Chocolate Lovers and, as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the latest wrap on our sustainable packaging journey.