A little change can go a long way, but KitKat in Japan is about to make a huge difference by making their packaging eco-friendly in the cutest way possible.
Nestle Japan announced that it’s ditching its traditional plastic wrapping on KitKat bars in favour of recyclable origami paper. The chocolate bar giant explained the packaging will even come with instructions for how to create an origami crane.
Not only can chocolate enthusiasts have fun while getting their fix, but forgoing plastic will do wonders for the environment. Japan is currently the largest consumers of KitKats in the world. According to Unilad, 4 million of the bars are sold every day. By switching to a more environmentally conscious packaging, it’s expected this will cut down the use of 380 tons of plastic per year. The company will reportedly begin making the switch later this month.
The most popular KitKat mini flavours will be the first to launch with the reusable packaging- this includes the original flavour, matcha, and oton ano amasa (which is a dark, bitter chocolate whose name means ‘sweetness for adults’).
Even more impressive, by next fall, Nestle projects that they’ll be using paper packaging on all normal-sized KitKat multipacks. Then, by 2021, they will be using the origami paper for all individually packaged KitKats.
Tons of companies are taking steps to become more environmentally conscious. Earlier this month, for instance, TheThings reported that Carlsberg has replaced their plastic six-pack rings with a much eco-friendlier glue alternative. The brewery estimates that its efforts will reduce their plastic usage by up to 75% or by 1200 tons per year.
Similarly, American grocery store chain Kroger has promised to completely stop using plastic bags in their stores by 2025.
They plan on moving towards single-se reusable bags, which will reportedly save 123 million pounds of garbage from ending up in landfills each year.The store currently sells reusable bags for $1 each but will soon allow customers to request paper bags. They also hope to eventually get rid of plastic bags used for produce and meat in lieu of something more eco-conscious.
We love to see that companies are getting more serious about making environmentally conscious changes. What changes are you most excited to see, TheThings readers?