Kellogg's is marketing a product that has earned the sad title of a recycler's nightmare. According to the independent British Recycling Association, Pringles snack cake tubes have many problems that make them impossible to recycle.
But the good news is that three years after being pointed out for this packaging, the food group has decided to tackle the problem head on.
"Pringles is testing a new box made from largely recycled paper in the UK." proudly announced on social networks Miranda Prins-Visscher, Vice President Pringles Europe.
The group explains that the tests launched in three Tesco stores from 9 September are expected to last six weeks. "We will study the reactions of the buyers. The information we collect will help us understand if people like it and if it works on the shelf and at home, and that will help us create the Pringles tube of the future."
The packaging tested consists of 90% paper and 10% plastic film, according to the BBC. And two versions of the lid are reportedly under consideration: one made of recyclable plastic and one made of recyclable paper.
If the tests are conclusive, the new container will be deployed in all markets. This will be the first change in packaging since its creation in 1967.
Currently, Pringles are marketed in a metal-lined cardboard tube closed with a plastic lid and a detachable aluminium cover. It is made of so many different materials that it is impossible to separate them for efficient recycling.
In 2018, Kellogg's announced that it had improved the recyclability of these packages, but the Recycling Association castigated the solution. The association felt that turning them into plastic granules for outdoor furniture was not an improvement in recyclability. "In addition, Kellogg's doesn't mention what happens to the paper and metals that make up the majority of packaging, had bitterly regretted the Recycling Association. Is this going to be recycled as part of this processus??" .
Like Nestlé, Kellogg's is committed to having all of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the end of 2025.
