Mondelēz said the eliminated material is equivalent to the weight of approximately 428 passenger vehicles, assuming an average of 1.3 metric tons per vehicle, or roughly 93 elephants weighing six metric tons each. The reduction also equals the combined weight of around 12.8 million standard Paleta Payaso units. The company emphasized that the redesign was implemented without altering the product’s size, taste, or visual identity, a factor it considers essential to maintaining consumer trust and brand equity.
“Within Mondelēz México, we are strengthening our commitment to innovation as a clear differentiator and a driver of transformation across our operations,” said Santiago Aguilera, senior director of Communications, Corporate and Government Affairs, Mondelēz International in Mexico and Latin America. He added that the initiative reflects the company’s mission of delivering snacks “made the right way,” which includes reducing environmental impact while upholding quality and safety standards.
Packaging Strategy Scaled Globally
The Paleta Payaso redesign aligns with a broader packaging strategy outlined in Mondelēz International’s 2024 sustainability report, which positions packaging as a core lever for advancing a circular economy. The company reported that approximately 96% of its global packaging was designed to be recyclable by the end of 2024, while overall virgin plastic use declined by about 4.6% compared with 2020 levels.
Mondelēz said it is advancing its packaging agenda through a three-part approach: reducing packaging, evolving packaging materials, and improving collection and recycling systems. Packaging reduction focuses on lightweighting and eliminating unnecessary components. Evolving packaging emphasizes designing materials for recyclability, phasing out problematic substances such as PVC and PVDC, and increasing recycled content where feasible. Improving systems involves supporting waste collection infrastructure, public policy development, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks to help ensure packaging is effectively collected and processed.
The company reported progress toward its 2025 packaging goals, which include a 5% reduction in virgin plastic compared with 2020 levels, at least 98% of packaging designed to be recyclable, and a 25% reduction in virgin rigid plastic. In 2024, recycled plastic content across the company’s portfolio reached 1.6%, up from 0.5% in 2021, according to company data.
Mondelēz also emphasized the importance of collaboration in advancing its sustainability objectives, citing its role as co-chair of the Consumer Goods Forum Plastic Waste Coalition of Action task force on flexible packaging, as well as its participation in global policy discussions, including advocacy for a legally binding United Nations plastics treaty. The company further supports waste collection and recycling infrastructure through investments such as the Circulate Capital Ocean Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Globally, Mondelēz reported total packaging use of approximately 875,800 metric tons in 2024, spanning corrugated materials, paper, flexible and rigid plastics, glass, and metals. The company added that an independent third party provided limited assurance on its plastics and packaging performance metrics.