Update on the Cadbury Easter egg packaging saga April 5, 2010

Cadbury's Easter bestseller- The medium Creme Egg Easter Egg

So, I’ve just submitted an article for Birmingham Recycled concerned with Cadbury’s Easter egg packaging.

It’s Easter weekend and Cadbury have been promoting their eco-friendly chocolate ‘Treasure Eggs‘ which won a ‘Green Award‘ back in 2008 for ‘Best Packaging‘.

But have Cadbury done anything else in working towards an eco-friendly Easter since then?

In my previous post about Cadbury’s Easter Egg packaging, I outlined some information I received from the company about the Purple Goes Green initiative and what this means for Cadbury’s Easter products- mainly hailing the magnificant wonder product that is the ‘Treasure Egg’.

I found that it was unclear as to whether plastic used in their Easter products was recycled- even that used to house the Treasure Eggs.

I managed to track down a Cadbury employee who worked in the Easter egg plant, who was able to tell me that,

‘The plant runs all year round. As far as I know everything is recycled- cardboard, plastic and the chocolate!”The plant has now shut down for three months, as approximately £5 million is being spent on new machinery. The packing of the eggs will now mostly be done by robot, and automated machinery.’

She also told me that,

‘When up and running, next year’s eggs will contain no plastic at all inside the box. I know Cadbury do their best to keep packaging to a minimum’

Good news.

This follows Cadbury gaining a special mention in Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson‘s fourth-annual Easter Egg packaging report.

Cadbury were recognised for their efforts in reducing Easter egg packaging and their future plans, along with other confectionary companies such as Nestlé and Sainsbury’s own-branded eggs.

However, News Editor of Packaging News, Josh Brooks provides some interesting counter points to mull over in his article looking at Easter egg packaging and Jo Swinson’s report.

One such view, is his point that Easter eggs are gifts- and are packaged as such.

Jo Swinson criticises chocolate brands Lindt and Guylian as the worst packaging offenders. Take a look at these pictures:

On their websites, both Lindt and Guylian describe these particular Easter products as ‘gifts’. Guylian even describes the ‘gift wrapping’ (essentially packaging) as ‘sumptuous’ and ‘luxury’.

So, if we consider Easter Eggs as gifts, should we allow for gift-style packaging?

I mean, if you received your birthday presents unwrapped I’m sure you wouldn’t be a happy ‘Easter’ (sorry couldn’t resist) bunny!

Extra info from Cadbury March 25, 2010

After a small nugget of information was gained from Cadbury about their green initiatives following my last post; Cadbury have finally returned my emails for more information.

At first, all the company could tell me, regarding the Kraft takeover and ‘green’ goals previously set by Cadbury, was:

‘Kraft has committed to maintaining our environmental pledges so there is no difference to the timetable or targets.’

I have now been sent a generic fact-sheet about Cadbury’s Easter products and their place within the ‘Purple Goes Green’ campaign.

This is the information I was given:

‘Purple Goes Green sets out Cadbury’s strategy for shrinking our environmental footprint. By cutting our energy and water use, as well as reducing excess packaging, we aim to reduce our net carbon emissions by 50% by 2020.’
‘Overall Cadbury have committed to a 25% reduction in weight in seasonal and gift packaging and have announced that 60% of our packaging is now biodegradable. We have also reduced our giant shell egg cartons by an average of 35% in 2010.’

‘Cadbury continues to invest in our ‘eco egg’ range, which includes Cadbury Treasure Eggs and Cadbury Egg Heads. These yummy Easter eggs are simply wrapped in foil, reducing plastic waster by 75% and cardboard waste by 65%. Cadbury’s Easter packaging reductions across the range to date have enabled us to remove over 2290 Cadbury lorry loads from the road.’

All very well one might say; however take a look at this picture of the miraculous ‘Treasure Eggs’

Cadbury Treasure Eggs use a questionably neccessary plastic tray for display on supermarket shelves

Yes, by the eggs not being packaged in their own individual boxes, Cadbury are certainly saving cardboard. I wonder however, why a plastic tray is used to house the eggs? Surely a paper/cardboard one would do the same job but would be far easier to recycle.

What are YOUR thoughts on this?

Cadbury’s Easter produce, eco or not so much? March 17, 2010

Cadbury's 'Treasure Eggs' at my local Tesco

After the last post, I tracked down the elusive Cadbury ‘Treasure Eggs’ in my local Tesco. Only a couple of varieties were found, but still, there they were.

The tagline boasting the reduction in packaging is clear to see as they are displayed on the shelf. A good idea, I’m sure many of you would agree?

However, my attention then turned to a Cadbury product sitting next to the hailed and praised ‘eco’ eggs. A product which was very similar, but somehow oh so different- the ‘Easter Egg Trail Pack‘

Take a look at this picture of said product. Why does Cadbury feel the need to wrap the eggs in more packaging than that necklace in Love Actually (you know the one)?

The over-packaged Easter Egg Trail Packs

The eggs do the same job as the ‘Treasure Eggs’, they are for Easter Egg hunts. So why the unneccessary packaging?

I emailed Cadbury to get some answers:

‘It came to my attention that Cabury won a ‘Green Award’ in 2008 for Best Packaging, in regard to the ecological ‘Treasure Eggs’ distributed for Easter. I have also looked in the Fairtrade aspects of the company and the ‘Purple Goes Green campaign’.

I am looking for some comment and information about Kraft’s position following Cadbury’s good work. Cadbury set some goals to reduce its global impact as a brand and I’d like to know if Kraft will carry these goals on under the Cadbury name. Will these be carried out in the timeframe that Cadbury set? Are there any new ecological ventures that Kraft aim to carry out, unstated by Cadbury?

I also would like to know more about the ‘Treasure Eggs’. I think that these are a great idea, however I feel that there would be greater benefits if some other products followed suit. I came accross other Cadbury Easter ‘Treasure Hunt’-style eggs surrounded in lots of unneccessary packaging- Will packaging of these sorts of products reduce in the near future?’

Let’s hope they get back to me soon; I’m intrigued.

Cadbury ‘Eco’ Eggs- Where are they now? March 14, 2010

I have just come across a ‘past-winners’ case study on the 2010 Green Awards website for Cadbury‘s ‘Eco’ Eggs.

Cadbury apparently won the ‘Best Packaging’ Category in 2008 for the eggs which were foil wrapped and placed on ‘egg trays’ for the supermarket shelves rather in than individual boxes.

With Easter on the way, and taking Kraft’s recent takeover of the company into account, one wonders whether the eco-friendly chocolate eggs still exist?

From what I can see on Cadbury’s website, the eggs were called ‘Treasure Eggs’. All I have found so far is a product called ‘Eggheads‘ and these don’t carry the packaging claim on the wrapper so I am dubious as to whether these are so eco-friendly.

I must investigate further…

Have YOU seen this egg?