Cookie Giant Cuts 2,200 Tons of Plastic With Paper Trays

Your favorite cookie brands just got a whole lot greener, and you'll see the difference next time you grab a pack off the shelf.

Mondelēz International completed a massive packaging overhaul this month, swapping rigid plastic trays for paper ones across 115 cookie products in Europe. The change affects beloved brands including Cadbury, Milka, LU, and Chips Ahoy! in 25 countries from the UK to the Nordics.

The numbers tell an impressive story. This single initiative removes 2,200 tons of virgin plastic annually, an 80% reduction compared to the old packaging. That's happening across 28,000 tons of cookies produced every year.

In the UK specifically, shoppers will notice paper trays in Cadbury Crunchy Melts, Cadbury Chocolate Chip Cookies, and LU Petit Cookies. Each package clearly labels the plastic reduction so customers can spot the change immediately.

The new trays use 100% FSC-certified paper, meaning the material comes from responsibly managed forests. Better yet, consumers can toss them straight into paper recycling bins without sorting through multiple materials.

This marks the largest packaging sustainability project Mondelēz has ever undertaken in its European bakery division. The company rethought everything from tray design to shipping logistics to pull off the transition across eight brands in just months.

The Ripple Effect

This shift demonstrates how corporate packaging changes can create environmental wins at scale. When a global food company eliminates thousands of tons of plastic, it reduces demand for virgin petroleum-based materials and keeps waste out of landfills and oceans.

The move builds on Mondelēz's earlier sustainability efforts. The company previously incorporated 80% recycled plastic into trays for brands like Oreo and tested paper tubs for Cadbury Heroes. They're working toward a 25% reduction in virgin rigid plastic globally by 2030.

Other major food manufacturers are watching closely. Successful large-scale transitions like this prove that paper alternatives can work for products previously thought to require plastic protection.

Olivier Kintzig, the company's Biscuits Packaging Director for Europe, called it "bold, systemic change" engineered from the ground up. The result speaks volumes: fewer materials, easier recycling, and the same great cookies people love.

Next time you reach for cookies and notice a paper tray instead of plastic, you're holding proof that big companies can make meaningful environmental progress when they commit to redesigning their systems.