Project Overview

Accelerating Nestlé Japan's efforts to resolve plastic waste: In late September 2019, Kit Kat Japan switched all 5 main plastic packaging types to paper packaging that can be used to make origami.

Organisation

Nestl

Project Context

Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company, with operations in 190 countries around the world, is beginning the shift to paper product packaging materials. This decision comes as part of a company-wide commitment to be 100% recyclable or reusable by the year 2025.

Project Innovation

As a concrete action after the announcement of the commitment, the Japanese market, which sells the most "Kitkat" in the world, will be the first to sell paper-packaged products at a commercial scale.
Japanese KitKats have changed the outer bag of the five large bag type products, from the current plastic to a paper package. With this change, Nestlé Japan expects to reduce plastics by about 380 tons per year.

With the change to paper packaging comes a unique opportunity - the once discarded packaging is now intended to be used as origami, which consumers can write thoughts and wishes on. Nestlé hopes to start a new communication method unique to the KitKat brand that conveys thoughts to important people by creating symbolic paper cranes.

In response to the plastic waste problem, Nestleé seeks to expand their paper packaging to other brands and products. The goal is based on the “Creating Shared Value” principle of Nestlé's business strategy.