Nestlé and Packaging

Nestlé is firmly committed to continuing to find packaging solutions that will contribute to a better environment. Packaging is of course essential for both Nestlé and for the consumer. It ensures the safety and quality of products - from manufacture through to storage, distribution and consumption. In addition, packaging contributes to product appeal, provides convenience and communicates information, e.g. on nutrition and serving instructions. In any case, packaging includes tamper-evident features. Packaging can also help prevent or reduce product waste.

Nestlé utilises a wide variety of packaging materials to ensure that our products are delivered to our customers and consumers in the same way they left the factory.

Materials used in our packaging are:

• Plastic Laminates - made from a variety of structures containing the following materials. Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyethylene, Ionomers, Paper, Aluminium foils
• Paper Sacks
• Metal Cans - made from tinplate
• Cartons - made from virgin kraft and recycled fibres
• Rigid Plastic Packaging - made from Polypropylene, Polystyrene and Polyethylene
• Glass Packaging - Jars
• Corrugated Fibreboard Boxes - made from virgin kraft and recycled fibres

As stated in The Nestlé Policy on the Environment ( in .pdf format) Nestlé globally supports an integrated approach to packaging waste minimisation that favours reduction, reuse, recycling and energy recovery to minimise the impact of packaging on the environment. Since 1991, environmental considerations have become an important criterion in Nestlé's renovation and innovation of packages and packaging materials. Reducing the amount of packages and packaging materials needed for a product, whilst safeguarding safety and quality, is a continuing key objective and priority.

In Australia, the Nestlé Oceania Environmental Policy ( in .pdf format) commits the organisation to "constantly strive to identify new ways to reduce packaging, to minimise waste, to prevent pollution, to save energy and to conserve natural resources" and "to address these concerns early in the design stage for new products and processes". This is also reiterated in the Nestlé Oceania Packaging Policy. ( in .pdf format)

Recycling plays a significant role in packaging minimisation. It is important that consumers sort recyclable containers from their household waste and put these into their recycling services. To assist with this, Planet Ark have developed a website which allows you to search for local recycling information by council area or product type. Please follow the link to access the site: http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/

National Packaging Covenant

The National Packaging Covenant is Australia's framework for addressing the environmental impact of packaging across its life-cycle. Applicable to all players in the packaging supply chain, it establishes the 'rules of the road' for ensuring that packaging is used in an environmentally responsible manner.

Nestlé Australia Ltd became a signatory to the National Packaging Covenant on September 28th 2000 and is committed to the key Covenant principles of product stewardship and shared responsibility. These commitments are consistent with those which are evident in Nestlé's worldwide and Oceania environment policies and in Nestlé's demonstrated efforts over the past decade to reduce packaging waste worldwide.

To achieve the Covenant goals, industry, all levels of government and consumers must play their part in supporting the principles of 'product stewardship' and 'shared responsibility':

• "Shared responsibility" - all players in the life of a package (including the packaging manufacturers, fillers, retailers, consumers, recyclers and government) have a share of responsibility for its impact on the environment.
• "Product Stewardship" - a pro-active approach by producers of packaging and packaged products to minimise waste impacts of products where possible. Includes changes in product design and materials used, solid waste management and recycling in operations and distribution, appropriate product labelling, development of new markets for collected post-consumer materials, education campaigns, and key stakeholder engagement.

Click here to visit the National Packaging Covenant Website
Click here to download the Nestlé 2005-2008 Action Plan ( in .pdf format)
Click here to download the Nestlé 2006-2007 Progress Report ( in .pdf format)
Click here to download the Nestlé 2005-2006 Progress Report ( in .pdf format)

You will need Adobe Acrobat to open the document in .pdf ( ) format. To get Adobe Acrobat FREE, click here.

PIQET

Nestlé Australia Ltd is one of five company sponsors of a rapid life cycle assessment based tool, known as PIQET^©. The tool has been developed by the Sustainable Packaging Alliance, a joint initiative of the Centre for Design at RMIT University, Birubi Innovation, and Victoria University’s Plastics and Polymer Research Unit.

The aim of the tool is to provide the basis for development of more environmentally sustainable packaging, assessing packaging specifications against current life cycle assessment data, and Australian packaging recycling and waste management data. PIQET^© helps us meet the requirements of the Environmental Code of Practice for Packaging, (ECoPP) which is part of our responsibility as a signatory to the National Packaging Covenant.

Click here to visit the SPA website and find out more about PIQET^©