KITKAT is one of Nestlé’s key products. Transitioning from plastic to paper for the outer packaging of bags of snack-sized KITKAT was a landmark project and a step toward considering environmental impact and addressing the global challenge of marine plastic pollution. The move had particular meaning as the first such initiative in the Japanese confectionary market, where KITKAT sales are the highest in the world.
Unlike plastic, paper is foldable. The new KITKAT packaging takes full advantage of this: it is designed to be reused for origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper-folding.
The paper crane is an origami “standard” that has been beloved by the people of Japan for over 300 years. It is given as a lucky charm to express wishes for good fortune, long life, recovery from illness, and more. After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, people from all over Japan sent paper cranes to affected regions as a show of support.
The new package is designed to be a tool for communication: it can be folded into an origami crane with a message written on it. The design also expresses Nestlé’s desire to offer both a pleasant experience and an opportunity for consumers to reflect on environmental issues. The change in packaging is expected to reduce plastic waste by 380 tons per year.
The packaging design was created by epda member Bravis International.
