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NestlΓ© Canada’s Smarties Pouch Moves from Plastic to Paper

The bag material converted into premade pouches for NestlΓ© Canada comprises Forest Stewardship Council-certified, surface-printed paper, a heat-resistant overlacquer, and a water-based dispersion coating.

The proprietary overlacquer, applied in-line on the press, adds heat-resistance and protects the surface-printed paper from rubbing and scuffing in use.
The proprietary overlacquer, applied in-line on the press, adds heat-resistance and protects the surface-printed paper from rubbing and scuffing in use.

In mid-2021, the big news from NestlΓ© Europe was its successful transition from flexible film to paper packaging for 419 SKUs of its popular Smarties brand chocolate candies. It was two years in the making and a first for the confectionery industry. At the same time, NestlΓ© Canada had the same ambitions for its bottom-gusseted, stand-up Smarties pouch. For this, it enlisted the help of American Packaging Corp. (APC). Given the paper used by NestlΓ© Europe did not have the required FDA approvals in the U.S. and Canada, APC needed to chart its own course in creating the paper replacement. Its development of a recyclable SUP made from paper with a plastic-free barrier earned APC two FPA Gold Awards, for Packaging Excellence and Technical Innovation, and a Silver Award for Sustainability. 


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Read about all of the other 2022 Flexible Packaging Award-winning innovations, all 14 Gold winners, by clicking here. 


APC Manager of Innovation & Sustainability Jeff Travis explains that the key goal of the project was to mimic the functionality of plastic-based packaging while maintaining speed on press. β€œDeveloping a paper structure to replace conventional plastic can be challenging, since there are key differences when it comes to printing, pouch-making, and package performance,” he says. 

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