When most people think of Kit Kats, they’re typically more interested in the chocolate than the wrapping. While it’s undoubtedly a crucial part of the whole experience, packaging normally has the disadvantage of being significantly less delicious than what it contains. However, thanks to an extra emphasis on environmental conscientiousness, Kit Kat and their parent company Nestle have decided that it’s time their wrappers took centre stage.
As part of their commitment to use 100% recyclable packaging for all candy by 2025, Nestle’s Japanese branch have unveiled plans to start converting their plastic Kit Kat wrappers into paper by the end of this month. In addition to changing the packaging material, the company are also including instructions on how to fold the paper into an origami crane. The roll out will begin with the most popular Kit Kat flavours - original, matcha and dark chocolate.
While Kit-Kats are a popular candy around the world, Japan gets through more of the chocolate bars than anywhere else on earth. Around 4 million Kit Kats are sold every day across the country, which currently contributes to an estimated 380 tonnes of plastic annually. It’s hoped that the move to sustainable paper will help cut out this waste.
Speaking at the announcement of the pledge to move to recyclable packaging, Nestle CEO Mark Schneider said in a press release:
"We want to be a leader in developing the most sustainable packaging solutions for our food and beverage products. To achieve this, we are enhancing our research capabilities to develop new packaging materials and solutions. Through this, we hope to address the growing packaging waste problem, in particular plastics. We aim to minimize our impact on the natural environment while safely delivering to our consumers healthier and tastier products."
Everyone associated will be hoping that the origami chocolates are a step in the right direction.
This article originally appeared on twistedfood.co.uk