The Nestlé ITR travel-retail exclusive Smarties Music Creator is the first product to meet Nestlé’s ambition to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. guidelines, with all single-use plastic packaging replaced by a recyclable carton box.

The colorful, durable flute inside the recyclable carton box is plastic – but designed for use multiple times, and to increase its lifespan, it is now supported by online, digital content (via the www.nestletravelretail.com website) from this month [May 2020], as well as the included learn-to-play guide and music sheet.  Together, these are intended to help children learn how to read and play music and provide step-by-step guides to playing simple songs.

Aligned with NITR’s Learn Through Play framework, the Smarties Music Creator first appeared in 2019. and because it proved so popular Nestlé ITR decided to accelerate its move away from single-use plastics. Over the course of seven months, it worked with internal and external partners to get the improved product ready for release much sooner than its intended goal. The original, plastic packaging used on the first iteration of the product is no longer available.

The brand highlights that while paper packaging tends to be more expensive to produce than plastic, Nestlé ITR endeavored to keep any price increase as low as possible, also devising a clever outer, secondary container that can be used to transport the flute. As well as the musical instrument, the learn-to-play guide, and the new online content that can be accessed for free on the NITR website, the Smarties Music Creator comes with a 1 x 38g tube of Smarties.

Nestlé ITR General Manager Stewart Dryburgh said of the launch: “Clearly these are unprecedented times and the COVID 19 crisis will impact the immediate roll-out for the new Smarties Music Creator. In the mid-long term, however, the demand for recyclable and eco-friendly solutions will only increase and with Smarties we will be ready with these solutions.

“Sales for the first version of the Smarties Music Creator were incredibly positive and we have every reason to believe that this more sustainable version will be an even greater success. In 2019 Smarties set the ambitious target of being the first global children’s confectionery brand to remove single-use plastics. We look forward to continuing this journey in 2021 and the years to come,” he added.