Amcor is locally producing the new packaging for Cadbury chocolate blocks, in a world first for the chocolate brand, with the recycled soft plastic material sourced by Mondelez’s partner Taghleef Industries.

Amcor said this equates to about 30 per cent of the required plastics needed to wrap these products.

The recycled plastic material will be used in Cadbury Dairy Milk family blocks range with the first recycled soft plastic in packaging available in Australian supermarkets from September 2022.

Amcor Flexibles Australia and New Zealand vice-president and general manager Simon Roy said Amcor was proud to be part of the solution, supporting the development of new technologies to help deliver local sustainable packaging.

“Our goal is to create safe, strong and secure packaging solutions partnering with our customers to help meet consumer needs. Reaffirming our commitment to ensuring all our packaging is designed to be recyclable or reusable by 2025,” Roy said.

Mondelez International president for Australia, New Zealand and Japan Darren O’Brien said the company’s investment in this emerging technology reflected the increased focus on waste and expectation for brands to lead sustainability solutions.

“Not only is this a world first for Cadbury, but Cadbury in Australia will be amongst the first anywhere in the world to buy recycled soft plastic packaging. We’re setting new ground in finding solutions to the global challenges presented by packaging waste,” he said.

The move was welcomed by Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans, who commented that the Australian Government is driving a $1 billion transformation of the country’s waste and recycling industry so that it can take care of its own waste and make the most of precious natural resources by recycling and remanufacturing them into valuable new products.

“In addition, the 2025 National Packaging Targets are propelling industry action to achieve 20 per cent average recycled content in plastic packaging by 2025. The result is that industry leaders across the global plastics supply chain, including Mondelēz International, are increasing the percentage of recycled content in their plastic products and packaging,” Evans said.