Fazer starts to use recycled bottles in the production of its cake packages – the first food packaging produced with 100% recycled plastic in Finland

Fazer is the first in Finland to introduce food packaging made of 100 per cent recycled plastic. The renewal of the cake roll packaging means that up to 1.2 million recycled bottles get a new life every year. Thanks to the change, the company will use 24,000 kilogrammes less new plastic every year. The packaging renewal is part of Fazer’s programme for responsible packaging.

Fazer ceases the use of new plastic in its cake roll packaging and is the first in Finland to implement food packaging made of 100 per cent recycled plastic.

From now on, packaging made of recycled plastic bottles will be used for Auringonpaiste, Marianne, Mansikkapaikka, Ihana hetki, Illan hehku and Taikayö products. So far, 100 per cent recycled plastic has been used in Finland only for producing bottles for the beverage industry and parts for other food packaging.

“We give a new life to 1.2 million bottles each year by reusing them in our cake packaging. It’s the first time we’ve used plastic obtained exclusively from recycled bottles in our packaging. Recycled plastic is a little more expensive than new plastic, but we also want to move in a more ecological direction in this respect. This packaging renewal is a significant step for us – we’re a forerunner and lead the way in the entire food industry sector, both in Finland and internationally,” says Piia Soininen-Tengvall, Fazer Group’s Packaging Development Director.

The new cake roll packaging is made of rPET plastic, i.e. recycled polyethylene terephthalate, obtained from returnable bottles after different kinds of separation, grinding, washing, and quality assurance processes. This process takes less energy than producing brand new plastic. Approximately two half-litre recycled bottles are used to produce one cake package, and no other material is required.

“The packaging has often been considered a necessary evil; a useless object that remains after the consumer has enjoyed the product itself. However, without the package, the food wouldn’t keep as well, and that would generate a lot more food waste.”

Even though the material has changed, the cake roll packaging’s plastic box looks the same as before. An image of a bottle on the packaging label is what shows it is a new material. It states that the packaging material is 100 per cent recycled plastic which can be disposed of in the plastic recycling bin. At the beginning of the launch, the packaging will also have a sticker on it with the text: “Previously, I was a beverage bottle; now I’m a cake box.” The new packaging will be in stores from 25 October.

The reduction in the use of plastic is equivalent to more than 52 million bread bags

Fazer started a programme for responsible packaging in 2018, and thanks to this, the amount of plastic packaging that has been cut down at Fazer Bakery is the equivalent of more than 52 million bread bags.

“During the programme, we’ve gone through every Fazer Bakery product and analysed the packaging piece by piece. We’ve reduced the plastic and made it thinner whenever possible. In three years, we’ve cut down on the amount of plastic by 131,000 kilograms,” says Soininen-Tengvall.

Thanks to the development work, 99 per cent of the packaging can currently be sorted for recycling.

“I hope we can produce bread bags with recycled plastic in the future. A good example is the system developed for returning bottles, which ensures safe use of the recycled material.  There are pilot studies for chemical recycling in other countries. If such recycling becomes reality, it would also enable the legal use of recycled plastic in the production of bread bags,” says Soininen-Tengvall.

“We encourage everybody to sort the packaging for recycling. The Fazer Bakery packaging contains easy-to-understand recycling instructions in Finnish and Swedish. We’re increasing the use of LDPE plastic, which has a good recycling value, to ensure our bread bags can be utilised in the best possible way during recycling.”

For more information and interview requests:
Anniina Niemistö, Communications Director, Fazer Bakery Finland, anniina.niemisto@fazer.com, tel. +358 40 674 4672

Interviewees:
Piia Soininen-Tengvall, Packaging Development Director, Fazer Group

Images:
https://fast.fazer.com
Public Image Bank > Media_Press > Finland > Kakkurasiat 100 % kierrätysmuovista

Fazer’s new cake roll packaging

• Fazer is the first in Finland to implement food packaging made of 100 per cent recycled plastic.

• From now on, plastic packaging made of recycled bottles will be used for Auringonpaiste, Marianne, Mansikkapaikka, Ihana hetki, Illan hehku and Taikayö products.

• Up to 1.2 million recycled bottles will get a new life every year thanks to the renewal of the Fazer cake roll packaging.

• Thanks to the change, Fazer will use 24,000 kilogrammes less new plastic every year.

• The new packaging is made of rPET plastic (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) obtained from returnable bottles.

• Approximately two half-litre returnable bottles are used to produce one cake package, and no other material is required. It also takes less energy to produce the packaging.

• The new packaging will be in stores from 25 October.

Fazer Bakery’s programme for responsible packaging

• The bakery product packaging has been renewed since 2018 as part of Fazer’s programme for responsible packaging: the plastic used in packaging has been reduced by 131,000 kilograms in three years, the equivalent amount of more than 52 million bread bags. 

• The recyclability of packaging has been improved, and currently 99 per cent of the materials can be sorted for recycling.

• The use of more environmentally friendly recycled materials has been increased: for example, all metallic bake-proof moulds have been replaced by moulds made of paper of cardboard.

• Fazer is also developing completely new kinds of ecological packaging materials. In the winter of 2021, the company launched a bread bag made partly from oat hulls, which are derived as a side stream of the oat milling process.

• Fazer encourages all consumers to recycle. Each bakery product package indicates in easy-to-understand language how it should be sorted.

Fazer Bakery Finland
Fazer is the bakery industry market leader in Finland. Fazer’s large bakeries are located in Vantaa, Lahti and Lappeenranta, Finland. The company has 116 in-store bakeries within grocery shops where artisanal bakers make bread by hand in the shop premises using Finnish flour. In Finland, Fazer Bakeries employs approximately 1,600 people. In the manufacturing of the bakery products, approximately 92 per cent of the ingredients are Finnish.

Fazer Group
Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. In 1891, the young Karl Fazer opened his first café with a mission to make food with a purpose – and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. Shaping the next tastes, traditions and food experiences, Fazer’s vision is Towards Perfect Days. Fazer wants people to experience the Northern Magic it creates and builds on its strong heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. The Group focuses on fast-moving consumer goods, operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. In 2020, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros and almost 8,500 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
Northern Magic. Made Real.