Smarties now in fully recyclable packaging
NESTLÉ, the world’s largest food and beverage company, yesterday unveiled a partnership between its popular confectionery brand Smarties and contemporary recycling artist Mbongani Buthelezi as it launched the brand’s 100 percent recyclable packaging.
Nestlé said it was the first confectionery brand to produce 100 percent recyclable packaging as “two iconic South African brands partner towards a better Earth”. Buthelezi, an artist who became known for “painting” in plastic, is promoting #SmartiesCreateWithPurpose and has designed a digital guide to creating fun origami pieces using the brand’s recyclable paper.
“We believe we need to move away from the idea of waste and apply circular economy principles of finding new use of ‘waste’ materials into the creation of new things. We are proud that Nestlé Smarties is a tangible proof point of this approach,” said Nestlé South Africa business executive officer for confectionery Alex Villela.
The move to 100 percent recyclable paper comes as the brand transforms its packaging to be more environmentally friendly and was in line with the “repurpose” pillar of Nestlé’s sustainability initiative.
Buthelezi said working with Nestlé Smarties was a great achievement for him as an artist. “The entire campaign narrative and mandate purely speaks to what my work and I stand for.”
The move by Nestlé Smarties to environmentally friendly packaging is part of a global trend.
The launch happened on the same day that Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy said in a speech that South Africa had seen significant initiatives by the Consumer Goods Council to eliminate single-use plastics, promote changes in product design to facilitate recycling, and invest in research and development to promote new products made from plastic.
The government was in the process of amending plastic bag regulations. She said, as a result, from the first of January all plastic bags must be made of a minimum of 50 percent post-recyclate material, 75 percent recycled materials from the start of 2025, and must be comprised of 100 percent post-consumer recyclate by 2027.
“These targets will be met by ensuring that post-consumer recyclate is made up of household, industrial and commercial waste diverted from landfills, thus further entrenching circularity in waste management and product development,” Creecy said.
A key departure from the previous waste management strategy is the strategic shift to accommodate waste reclaimers and the informal sector.
“In many towns and cities in South Africa, waste reclaimers are important actors in diverting recyclable material from landfill.
“There is now a strategic shift to accommodate waste reclaimers and the informal sector by addressing their role in the circular economy.
“Investment here will be focused on the economies associated with transporting of recyclables to waste processing facilities, separation at source, and addressing skills gaps.
“Central to our efforts is a commitment to ensuring we transition reclaimers from a precarious hand to mouth existence, to sustainable and dignified livelihoods,” she said.