Nestlé is to start testing a new paper tub for its Quality Street brand as part of the manufacturer’s drive to reduce the use of plastic.
More than 200,000 of the paper tubs will be stocked in selected Tesco stores over the festive season, carrying around 150 tonnes of the sweets in total. Quality Street’s traditional plastic tubs, tins, pouches, and cartons will remain available.
The paper tub, which comes in the signature Quality Street purple, is embellished with gold foil and has an integrated re-close feature. Once empty, it can be put in household recycling.
Nestlé noted that the tub has been subjected to significant testing to ensure food quality and freshness while being transported and stored. It plans to evaluate the tub’s popularity with shoppers, supply chain teams, and Tesco’s in-store staff before considering a wider roll-out.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what Quality Street fans make of the paper tub,” said Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street.
“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 that they know and love inside.”
Cheryl Allen, Head of Sustainability – Confectionery Europe at Nestlé, added: “The Quality Street paper tub is an exciting innovation that we’re really proud of here at Nestlé Confectionery. We’re committed to making our packaging more sustainable, keeping in mind the changing needs of shoppers and advancements in technology. Of course, with all potential packaging changes, we want to get it right, so this trial will bring us valuable information to inform our next steps as we keep pushing to reduce our use of virgin plastic.”
In 2022, Quality Street moved to recyclable paper packaging for its twist-wrapped sweets. By replacing the double layer of foil and cellulose with a single paper wrap, the brand removed almost two billion pieces of packaging material from its supply chain.
