Nestlé trials reusable steel containers for Nesquick in Germany

Nestlé is trialing reusable stainless steel containers from Circolution for its Nesquick cocoa product in Germany.

The containers, known as "Anita in Steel", will be incorporated into Germany's deposit return scheme (DRS). Nestlé will pay a packaging-as-a-service fee to rent the containers from Circolution, which will handle the cleaning, inspection, and transport. The two companies claim that the DRS-compatible stainless steel containers will have a lower environmental impact than disposable glass or plastic packaging.

Circolution's product is said to work seamlessly with supermarket deposit machines. Once returned, containers are automatically cleaned, checked, and prepared for reuse. The packaging is digitally tracked at each station to improve logistical and ecological efficiency.

With around five reuse cycles, the environmental impact of the stainless steel cup is similar to that of non-returnable glass packaging. However, since the cup can be used for 75 cycles, 75 non-returnable glass packages are unnecessary. As a result, "Anita in Steel" can prevent around 36 kilograms of glass and five kilograms of plastic from being used.

Nestlé believes that Anita can help address the plastic waste problem and promote reusable options in the packaging industry.

In the second phase of the Nesquick launch, customer acceptance will be evaluated by monitoring reactions in Hessen, Germany. The companies will assess the response to both the product and the scheme.

Circolution intends to introduce more items in supermarkets from the broader coffee and cocoa category in the Rhine-Main region of Germany in the third quarter of 2023.