In its latest initiative toward fulfilling a global commitment to make 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, Nestlé Philippines is switching from plastic to paper straws for its ready-to-drink (RTD) products, the first packaged beverage manufacturer in the country to do so.
With completion expected by yearend, the shift to paper straws will eliminate 160 metric tons of plastic straws that Nestlé Philippines has been using for its RTD products.
“Our broader vision at Nestlé, as the world’s largest food and beverage company, is to achieve a waste-free future in which none of our packaging, particularly plastic, ends up in landfills, the oceans, or as litter. The transition from plastic to paper straws for our RTD products is one concrete milestone toward realizing that vision,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki.
The newly developed, bended paper straws are of food-grade quality and composed without plastic nor wax, which makes them fully recyclable. In transitioning to paper straws, the company has in place a responsible sourcing program that ensures there will be no new deforestation and that suppliers practice good forest management.
“In developing alternative materials, in this case papers straws, we are reducing our use of plastics, particularly components that are hard to recycle and are litter-prone,” said Nestlé Philippines SVP and Business Executive Officer for Lifestyle Beverages and Confectionary Joey Uy, “At the same time, we want to see to it that our consumers continue to have great product experiences and are assured the RTD products they enjoy are packaged safely and sustainably.”
RTD brands BEAR BRAND and NESCAFÉ variants for adults already feature the paper straws, with MILO. YOGU and CHUCKIE brands to follow.
Nestlé Philippines aims to educate consumers to keep straws inside cartons to prevent them from ending up as litter and for ease of recycling through its Push-the-straw-back campaign. The campaign is in partnership with Tetra Pak for the implementation of joint RTD package recovery and recycling programs. In addition, under Project GivePak, used beverage cartons are collected and recycled into other products such as craft paper, notebooks or desk calendars.
“We are committed to look at every option to solve the complex challenges of plastic wastes and embrace multiple solutions that can have an impact now and in the future. Our approach focuses on three areas of work: developing the packaging for the future; helping to shape a waste-free future; and driving new behavior and understanding.
“A waste-free future can be realized and we are determined to do our share, to lead the way in shaping that future,” Mr. Marzouki said.
