With the move, Mondelez said that up to 50% of the plastic in the bag-in-box liner films for Triscuit will be sourced from an advanced platform — known as chemical or molecular recycling — employing the ISCC PLUS-certified mass balance approach, which supports a more circular pack economy through the use of renewable materials and energy.
Triscuit products with the new packaging are now on shelves at US and Canadian supermarkets, said Chicago-based Mondelez, which has a North American operations facility in East Hanover, NJ. For the more sustainable in-the-box packaging, Mondelez partnered with circular packaging specialist Berry Global Group Inc. and sustainable chemicals firm LyondellBasell, whose manufacturing sites are ISCC PLUS-certified.
International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is an independent, multi-stakeholder initiative and standards system supporting sustainable and traceable supply chains.
“We believe that sourcing material linked to advanced recycling technologies (mass balance) helps send a signal to the broader industry and can help to drive collection, sortation and processing of more plastic waste,” said Lou Fenech, research fellow for packaging sustainability at Mondelez International. “We strive to continually enhance our packaging with the aim of supporting a more circular economy for packaging. We do this through reducing and evolving packaging, improving systems and leveraging innovative partnerships.”
Through the investment, Mondelez expects to divert more than 1 million lbs of Triscuit products’ plastic waste from landfills annually, furthering the company’s goal of reaching 5% recycled plastic content by 2025. In the past, soft plastic packaging was considered single-use material, whereas the more advanced recycling platform cuts plastic waste via reuse, Mondelez noted.
“We are excited to implement this innovative technology for Triscuit cracker packaging,” said Caitlin Schell, marketing director for Triscuit. “The Triscuit brand supports Mondelez International’s strategic focus of working toward driving change where the world needs it most. By embracing advanced recycling technology for our product, we are not only helping to reduce reliance on fossil materials but also helping to support the company’s longer-term aim for a more circular economy for packaging at large.”
For the outer box in Triscuit packaging, Mondelez said it uses 100% recycled paperboard containing 35% post-consumer recycled content. Wheat used in Triscuit crackers also is sourced more sustainably. For example, the company said it has worked to collect on-farm data to sharpen the measurement of environmental metrics like water and greenhouse gas emissions and to identify areas for improvement in precision and conservation agriculture.
