Mondelēz International has met its global virgin plastic reduction target in Europe and is working on driving circular packaging solutions in its products
Mondelēz International, the company behind popular chocolate and snacking brands such as Cadbury, Oreo and Toblerone, has announced milestones in its sustainability journey.
Its Europe division has achieved the company’s global goal of 5% recycled content in its product packaging.
It has also shifted to more recycled plastic, enabling an annual reduction of around 1,000 tons of virgin plastic across Europe.
Mondelēz has completed the transition from rigid plastic trays to ones containing approximately 80% recycled plastic across several of its European flagship brands.
This achievement, alongside meeting its sustainable packaging goals, reflects the company’s commitment to scaling recyclable materials and piloting innovative circularity solutions.
It aims to deploy packaging improvements at scale across major European markets, including the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Mondelēz is investing in diverse recycling technologies and circularity initiatives across Europe, to further reduce its use of virgin plastic.
Catherine Burgeat, Sustainability Senior Director of Europe at Mondelēz International, says: “We are proud of these milestones, as we continue accelerating our sustainable packaging journey across Europe.
“Replacing PET plastic trays with rPET is a major step towards reducing our virgin plastic usage and contributing to a more circular packaging economy.”
Throughout Europe, Mondelēz International is working on advancing complementary recycling technologies.
One method is mechanical recycling, which involves collecting, cleaning and reprocessing used plastics into new packaging materials.
The company is using this to incorporate recycled PET (rPET) into its trays for its boxed chocolate brands – Milka, Marabou, Mirabelle and Suchard pralines – and its biscuit products – Milka Choco Wafer, Chips Ahoy and Oreo.
Milka Pralines are the company’s top example, with its trays incorporating around 80% rPET and eliminating colour to further enhance its recyclability.
This change will soon be rolled out across the company’s other brands, helping to meet its sustainability goals.
The other technology is chemical recycling, which involves breaking down plastic into molecular building blocks, which enables its reuse in food-contact packaging.
Mondelēz International has been one of the early adopters of chemical recycling in Europe.
In the UK, Cadbury Dairy Milk introduced approximately 30% chemically recycled content in 2022, followed by products in Nordic countries in 2024.
A broader adoption of 80% recycled plastic for Cadbury tablet packaging was rolled out in 2025.
Richard Akkermans, Packaging Sustainability Manager Europe at Mondelēz International, says: “Innovation in both mechanical and chemical recycling technologies is essential to increasing the availability of food-contact recycled plastic.
“By working closely with suppliers and value chain partners, we are turning sustainability ambition into practical action.”
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