Kit-Kat Japan Swaps Out Plastic Packaging For Paper Origami Wrappers

Guilt-free chocolate just took on a whole new meaning thanks to Nestlé’ Japan replacing the plastic packaging on their miniature Kit Kat bars. 

Back in January, the beloved candy company announced that it would only use reusable and 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 and it looks like they’re beginning to make good on that promise. 

If you purchase the original, matcha and dark chocolate flavors of Kit-Kat miniatures, you will find the usual plastic wrapper replaced with origami paper. Kit-Kat is a hot commodity in Japan, with over 4 million units sold each day. The company includes instructions on how to take the paper and turn it into a crane, in a move that makes packaging sustainable and interactive. The shift in the material is said to decrease the company’s plastic use by 380 tons per year, a decision that will likely fill up a lot of Halloween baskets.

“Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today,” said Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider back in 2018. “Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, re-use, and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025.”

No word on when the paper plastic wrappers will make their way to the U.S market, but I can’t wait to see all the craft projects that emerge from the company’s shift in materials. As for the Japan market, they continue to be ahead of the U.S in terms of sustainability, with full-sized paper Kit-Kat wrappers set to launch in 2021.