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From next week (14 October), shoppers will see a first-of-its-kind Quality Street tub in select supermarkets, as Nestlé trials a new paper-based tub.

The brand’s paper tub will be trialled in collaboration with British supermarket Tesco, where more than 200,000 will be launched. The trial is part of Nestlé’s strategy to increase sustainability and reduce its use of virgin plastic.

The paper tub, which comes in the brand’s signature purple, has a an integrated re-close feature that allows it to be securely closed once opened, and, once empty, it can be put in household recycling.

Before being trialled in Tesco stores, the tub has undergone ‘significant’ testing to ensure food quality and freshness while being transported and stored. The trial will enable Quality Street to evaluate the tub’s popularity with shoppers, feedback from supply chain teams and in-store teams at Tesco, as the brand continues to innovate and seek ways improve the sustainability of its packaging.

Jemma Handley, senior brand manager for Quality Street, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing what Quality Street fans make of the paper tub. A lot of care and hard work has gone into the trial and we’re proud to be the first major manufacturer to trial a paper tub at Christmas. The design has been devised specifically for a paper product and we love how it looks, and of course, shoppers can expect the same great tasting Quality Street sweets that they know and love inside.”

Cheryl Allen, head of sustainability for confectionery in Europe at Nestlé, said: “The Quality Street paper tub is an exciting innovation that we’re really proud of here at Nestlé Confectionery. We’re committed to making our packaging more sustainable, keeping in mind the changing needs of shoppers and advancements in technology. Of course, with all potential packaging changes, we want to get it right, so this trial will bring us valuable information to inform our next steps as we keep pushing to reduce our use of virgin plastic.”

In 2022, Quality Street moved to recyclable paper packaging for its twist-wrapped sweets. By replacing the double layer of foil and cellulose with a single paper wrap, Quality Street removed almost two billion pieces of packaging material from the brand's supply chain.

Earlier this year, Nestle UK & Ireland announced that it would use traceable cocoa ingredients in all its UK-made chocolate. Quality Street now uses cocoa mass that has been specifically sourced from cocoa farming families that are part of Nestlé’s ‘Income Accelerator’ programme.

The news comes after a study published in April by journal Science Advances pinpointed Nestlé as one of the major brands responsible for plastic pollution across six continents.

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