Mondelēz International states it has achieved its global goal of 5% recycled content and transitioned from rigid plastic trays to trays containing ~80% recycled plastic across several European brands, enabling an annual reduction of ~1,000 tonnes of virgin plastic across Europe in 2025
To continue reducing its virgin plastic use, Mondelēz says it is strategically investing in recycling technologies and circularity initiatives across Europe to achieve its packaging sustainability goals. The company is utilizing complementary recycling technologies throughout Europe, such as mechanical and chemical recycling.
The mechanical recycling process involves collecting, cleaning, and reprocessing used plastics into new packaging materials, which apparently enabled the company to incorporate ~1,000 tonnes of rPET into trays in 2025, for selected boxed chocolates (Milka, Marabou, Mirabelle and Suchard pralines) and biscuit products (Milka Choco Wafer, Chips Ahoy and Oreo). Mondelēz adds that Milka Pralines now use trays made with ~80% rPET and without colour to improve recyclability, a change soon to be rolled out across other brands in markets such as the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The company’s chemical recycling process breaks plastic down to molecular building blocks, to be reused in food-contact packaging. In the UK, Mondelēz’s Cadbury Dairy Milk introduced ~30% chemically recycled content in 2022, followed by Kvikk Lunsj in the Nordics in 2024. Cadbury tablets also adopted ~80% recycled plastic packaging in 2025.
Mondelēz is also investing in plastic packaging circularity pilots in Germany, Belgium, the Nordics and the UK. It partnered with HolyGrail 2030 for a pilot initiative in Germany on Philadelphia tubs. It aims to improve sorting accuracy and unlock additional future sources of food-grade recycled plastic through the use of digital watermarks.
Mondelēz International recently collaborated with Amcor to wrap Cadbury’s 31.9g, 74g and 256g Mini Eggs bags in 65% certified recycled plastic packaging for Easter, allocated through a mass balance approach. The new packaging uses Amcor’s AmFiniti Recycled Content, which converts post-consumer plastic waste into new packaging.
The company was a finalist in last year’s Sustainability Awards with its mono-paper packaging for LU’s Véritable Petit Beurre, aiming to reduce virgin plastic use and nominated in the Commercialized Recyclable Packaging category. Designed for recycling in the paper waste stream in Europe, the packaging was produced with FSC certified paper and cold sealing functionality.
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