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Nestlé has announced that it is reducing the amount of packaging used across its core cereal brands in the UK, as it aims to remove 618 tonnes of packaging in 2021. The packaging reduction will see the company’s Cheerios, Shreddies, Shredded Wheat Bitesize and Honey Nut Shredded Wheat packs use between 13% and 15% less packaging than before. As a result, the new on-shelf packs will on average save an estimated 618 tonnes of plastic and cardboard packaging every year, as well as 115,000 road miles and 180 tonnes of CO2 annually due to requiring less lorries to transport its products to stores. Next year, Nestlé Cereals plans to roll out the packaging reduction across a selection of other brands produced in its UK facilities. The move to transform its packaging portfolio is also a step towards Nestlé’s wider commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Gharry Eccles, VP of UK & Oceania at Cereal Partners Worldwide – a partnership between Nestlé and General Mills – said: “Our goal has been to create the ‘perfect box’ and I’m extremely proud we have achieved this huge milestone in our journey to reduce our impact on the planet. "This is all part of our mission to both reduce and improve our packaging and will complement our commitment to making 100% of our breakfast cereals’ packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, which we are already well on our way to achieving. While the dimensions of our packs might have changed slightly, consumers can continue to enjoy the same breakfast cereals they know and love, while knowing excess packaging has been removed too.” The news comes after Cereal Partners announced the launch of Organic Honey and Chocolate Cheerios. Nestlé Cereals’ new on-shelf packs are now available in Asda stores and will be available in Morrisons from February, followed by Sainsburys in March and Tesco in April.