Mondelez International has completed the replacement of rigid PET trays with FSC-certified paper alternatives across more than 115 biscuit products in Europe. The switch spans eight brands and over 25 markets, covering roughly 28,000 tonnes of biscuits produced annually, and is expected to remove about 2,200 tonnes of virgin plastic a year, an 80% cut versus the previous packaging.
Why this mattersShifting trays on 28,000 tonnes of annual biscuit output moves volume from thermoformers to fibre converters and sets a reference format for competing biscuit brands.
- More than 115 products across eight brands switched from rigid PET trays to FSC-certified paper trays
- Brands affected: LU, Milka, Granola, Cadbury, Marabou, Chips Ahoy!, Lacta and Freia
- Rollout covers more than 25 European markets including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain and the Nordics
- Affected products represent about 28,000 tonnes of biscuits produced annually
- Expected to cut virgin plastic use by about 2,200 tonnes a year, an approximately 80% reduction versus prior packaging
- Mondelez has also added recycled content to other trays and developed alternatives for other product formats
Mondelez International has replaced rigid PET plastic trays with FSC-certified paper trays for more than 115 cookie products sold in over 25 European markets, spanning brands including Cadbury, Milka, LU and Chips Ahoy!. The company says the switch cuts virgin plastic use by about 2,200 tonnes a year, roughly an 80% reduction versus the previous packaging.
Why this mattersA packaged-food group of this scale moving a major cookie range from rigid plastic to paper trays adds demand for fibre-tray converters and pressure on PET tray suppliers.
- Paper trays cover more than 115 cookie products across eight brands: LU, Milka, Granola, Cadbury, Marabou, Chips Ahoy!, Lacta and Freia.
- Rollout spans over 25 European markets including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the Nordics.
- The switch removes approximately 2,200 tonnes of virgin plastic annually, about an 80% reduction versus prior packaging.
- The affected range covers roughly 28,000 tonnes of cookies produced annually.
- The new trays are FSC-certified paper replacing rigid PET plastic.
- The move supports Mondelez's global target to cut virgin rigid plastic use 25% by 2030 versus a 2020 baseline.
Mondelez International, PepsiCo and Pladis have launched a nationwide Belgian trial of digital watermarking technology to improve sorting of flexible food packaging for recycling. The pilot, run under the HolyGrail 2030 consortium with Fost Plus, AIM and Ceflex, embeds Digimarc watermarks read by Pellenc ST optical sorting equipment, with sorted material processed at Hündgen Entsorgungs in Germany. The project aims to build data ahead of a 2030 EU requirement for 10% recycled content in certain contact-sensitive plastic food packaging.
Why this mattersReliable sorting of flexible film is the main technical barrier to closing the loop on food-contact plastics ahead of the EU's 2030 recycled-content mandate.
- Trial launched nationwide in Belgium by Mondelez International, PepsiCo and Pladis
- Participants include Fost Plus, AIM (European Brands Association) and Ceflex
- Part of HolyGrail 2030 consortium, which comprises about 79 organisations
- Uses Digimarc digital watermarks embedded during printing, read by Pellenc ST optical sorting cameras
- Sorted film bales move from Fost Plus in Belgium to Hündgen Entsorgungs' sorting centre in Germany
- EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation will require 10% recycled content in certain contact-sensitive plastic food packaging from 2030
Plastic Energy has transferred its stake in the TotalEnergies Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (TEPEAR) facility in Grandpuits, France, giving TotalEnergies full ownership. The plant will keep operating at industrial scale using Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC pyrolysis technology, with the divestment forming part of Plastic Energy's restructuring under returning CEO Carlos Monreal to focus on its Spanish plants and partnerships.
Why this mattersConsolidation of chemical recycling assets under oil majors signals technology licensors retreating from capital-heavy plant ownership toward asset-light licensing models.
- Plastic Energy transferred its stake in the TEPEAR facility in Grandpuits, France, to TotalEnergies.
- TotalEnergies now holds full ownership of TEPEAR.
- The plant continues to use Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC chemical recycling technology.
- Carlos Monreal, Plastic Energy founder, has returned as CEO and is leading a restructuring around core operations.
- Plastic Energy will continue operating chemical recycling plants in Almeria and Seville, Spain.
- Plastic Energy produced its first batch of pyrolysis oil, Tacoil, last year at a joint venture facility with Sabic.
