NESTLÉ has announced a technical breakthrough by its York-based research experts in creating recyclable packaging for the company’s confectionery around the globe.

The sweet and chocolate manufacturer said most confectionery wrappers were not widely recyclable currently because the high speed flow wrapping process required a durable material, and standard paper would just tear in the machinery.

But a spokesman said experts based at the company’s confectionery R&D centre in Haxby Road had found a way to use a recyclable paper wrapper in a high-speed ‘flow wrap cold seal’ packaging line.

“It represents a world first for a process that, in the past, was only suitable for plastic films and laminates,” he said.

He added that Nestlé’s ‘YES!’ range of fruit-based and nut-based bars would become the first brand to convert to the new recyclable paper wrapper as it was rolled out from this month.

“The challenge for experts was to find a way to use paper on high speed production lines that have been designed for more durable plastic or laminate packaging,” he said.

“The new wrapper then had to be tested extensively to make sure it would keep YES! bars in perfect condition during production, transport and storage.”

Stefano Agostini, CEO for Nestlé in the UK and Ireland, said YES! represented exactly what more and more people were demanding from manufacturers like Nestlé.

“Last year we introduced YES! as an entirely new brand using wholesome ingredients and offering a healthier snacking option of tasty fruit and nut bars,” he said.

“Now we’ve turned our attention to the wrapper so that the packaging is sustainable and easy to recycle.”

He said the news was an important step as Nestlé worked to make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

The spokesman said YES! bar wrappers would now carry the message ‘carefully wrapped in paper’ to reflect the work that had been done in adapting production lines to handle the new packaging more gently.

“The new packaging is made of a coated paper that is widely recyclable with other paper,” he said.

“The paper itself comes from sustainable sources, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.”

He said the innovation had been a significant project for the York R&D centre, where a small team had worked independently and creatively to focus on finding the breakthrough required.

Jas Scott de Martinville, global confectionery R&D lead for Nestlé, said the launch was "the result of a lot of hard work at speed", with the company’s R&D teams delivering a recyclable paper solution for its YES! bars in less than 10 months.

“It is an incredible achievement and one that we are all very proud of,” he added.