Hey Choco Fans. Interested in hearing more about our tiny Tony's and why we made a decision to change the wrapper? Read all about it below:
Why did Tony’s change the wrapper of the Tiny Tony’s?
At Tony’s we are aiming to use as little plastic as possible, because plastic is very harmful for the environment. The previous Tiny’s wrapper was made of plastic and therefore we have changed it to a non-plastic alternative.
What material are the new Tiny Tony wrappers made from?
The new wrapper is made of a combination of aluminium and paper.
Why did Tony’s choose the combination of aluminium and paper as materials?
We chose to switch to a combination of aluminium and paper because these materials do not contain plastic but have the same necessary qualities that plastic has to protect our chocolate. The combination of aluminium and paper provides a barrier so the chocolate will not start to mould. In this way we can guarantee food safety and the expiration date.
Are the new wrappers an improvement compared to the plastic wrappers?
As Tony’s we want to use as little plastic as possible since plastic takes a long time to break down. This is due to the microplastics that are released into the environment during this process. Therefore, we wanted a better wrapper that does not contain plastic. When comparing plastic and aluminium, it shows that the production of 1KG plastic produces less CO2 than the production of 1KG of aluminium, but that plastic takes a lot longer to break down. As Tony’s we compensate our CO2 emission by working together with JustDiggit. JustDiggit performs land restoration projects that have a positive impact on climate change. Therefore, we would rather compensate the CO2 emissions of aluminium than use a plastic wrapping, where the effects it has on the environment cannot be compensated.
Why did Tony’s choose the combination of aluminium and paper as materials? We chose to switch to a combination of aluminium and paper because these materials do not contain plastic but have the same necessary qualities that plastic has to protect our chocolate. The combination of aluminium and paper provides a barrier so the chocolate will not start to mould. In this way we can guarantee food safety and the expiration date.
To what extent are the new Tiny’s wrappers more environmentally friendly than the previous wrappers?
The previous wrappers were recyclable, but consumer behaviour showed that consumers threw the wrapper into the regular rubbish rather than recycling it so there were no environmental benefits. We have therefore chosen a non-plastic alternative which has a less damaging effect when thrown away with regular rubbish.
Why did Tony’s choose to switch from a plastic foil that was recyclable to a combination of aluminium and paper which is not recyclable?
The plastic wrapper we previously used was the best from a recycling point of view since it was light mono-plastic material. But when taking consumer behaviour into account, it showed that consumers did not segregate this wrapper but threw it away with regular rubbish. This made it in practice not as recyclable as we hoped for. The new wrapper consists of paper and aluminium and is therefore unfortunately not recyclable, but both materials are natural materials and break down more readily than plastic in the ground.
Is Tony’s planning on using more sustainable wrappers in the future?
We are working on improving our products and wrappers constantly, which is why we decided to switch to this new wrapper. If the future brings solutions which can result in an even more positive impact, we will take these innovations very seriously. Since our primary mission is to make 100% slave free the norm chocolate, our focus lies on making the most delicious chocolate from fair cocoa. In this way we can support cocoa farmers to have a better future. Worldwide there are lots of innovations going on at the moment when it comes to sustainable packaging. We are following these innovations closely and are taking our responsibility, but since our primary focus is the cocoa industry, we will not be the first company to introduce sustainable wrappers.
What is the long(er) term vision of Tony’s concerning waste and packaging?
Tony’s wants to remove the use of plastic within the company. We are always working on improving our products and wrappers. By replacing the previous plastic wrapper with the new wrappers made of aluminium and paper, we are making a step towards this direction. The next step will be wrappers that are made 100% out of paper. Worldwide there are a lot of innovations going on in this area, which we are following closely. But, nevertheless, our primary focus continues to be creating an equal world, without forced and illegal child labour.
How could/can Tony’s work towards a circular economy with such a linear product?
Our future goal is to develop a wrapper that contains only 100% paper. A 100% paper wrapper contributes to a circular economy since it is recyclable. The new wrapper we are introducing at the moment is a step towards that direction, by combining aluminium and paper as an alternative for plastic. We are following the worldwide innovations in wrappings closely, but since our primary focus lies on the cocoa industry, we will not be the first one to develop this wrapper.