 | Kraft Foods has shown itself to be a leader with it's new focus on long term sustainable packaging. Recently, Kraft redesigned it's PET-based bottles for Kraft's Crystal Light and Fruit20 brands. The bottles are now 18 percent lighter and when Kraft has completed the introduction phase of the new bottles, it will reduce its PET usage by 8.7 million pounds per year. |
In Europe, Kraft changed the packaging of its Milka 300 g milk chocolate tablet. No longer will the product be packaged in it's original foil wrap in a cardboard sleeve but will now be sold in a flexible film flow pack. This redesign reduced Kraft's packaging materials by more than 50 percent. But Kraft has not stopped there. In order to assist package designers to make informed decisions, Kraft has developed an Eco-Toolbox. The Eco-Toolbox compaires material type, material weight, recycle content, recyclable materials and other key facts when considering the increased sustainability of a package. “The toolbox is used in the package development process to help our packaging developers consider a range of parameters and understand the environmental impact across many different options,” says Roger Zellner, director-Sustainability Global Technology & Quality, Kraft Foods. The Eco-Toolbox has assisted Kraft in producing optimum packaging design scenarios which has allowed for a reduction in the amount of material Kraft uses, increased their recycled content and minimized environmental impact upon disposal. Even though the Eco-toolbox was developed initially for Kraft's European packaging center, it was subsequently adopted by the whole organization as it proved to be so successful. Kraft however maintains that their success in long term sustainable packaging is a joint venture with their partners and also the consumers. Zellner states that Kraft's “Supply chain partners have been critically important contributors to successful implementations,” and believes that the supply chain, packaged goods companies, and consumers must all be involved in order to successfully balance the environmental, social, and economic impacts of packaging.
|
