Quality Street makes huge change as they say 'it's for a good reason' but fans may be split

Nestle has decided to ditch its purple plastic tubs and will be replacing them with paper tubs instead. The new paper tubs will have eight sides, and the background will feature a cartoon design of all the different chocolates from the Quality Street box.

Nestle is shaking things up for the festive season this year with a significant change to its Quality Street tubes. The confectionery giant has opted to scrap its traditional purple plastic tubs, replacing them with paper alternatives. The revamped paper tubs will sport eight sides and be adorned with a cartoon design showcasing all the different chocolates from the Quality Street selection.

The iconic Quality Street logo takes pride of place at the centre of the top. These fresh tubs are part of an experimental run and will hit the shelves next Monday in 60 Tesco supermarkets across the UK. If the trial proves successful, Nestle may consider a broader rollout.

The food behemoth described the tub as having a luxurious design and feel, enhanced by gold foil detailing. The tub also features a re-close function, and once it's empty, it can simply be tossed into regular household recycling, reports the Mirror.

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This initiative is aimed at reducing the company's reliance on virgin plastic. For those customers feeling a bit apprehensive about the new packaging, fear not - the classic plastic tub, tin, pouch, and carton will still be available for purchase nationwide this Christmas.

Jemma Handley, Senior Brand Manager for Quality Street, expressed excitement about the new initiative: "We're looking forward to seeing what Quality Street fans make of the paper tub. A lot of care and hard work has gone into the trial and we're proud to be the first major manufacturer to trial a paper tub at Christmas. The beautiful design has been devised specifically for a paper product and we love how it looks, and of course, shoppers can expect the same great tasting Quality Street sweets that they know and love inside."

She also addressed an unusual habit among some consumers: "We know there are some Quality Street fans who, controversially, like to put their wrappers back in the tub once they've eaten them - with the paper tub, they can put the paper wrappers back for a good reason - it can go straight into the recycling."

This change is part of a broader commitment to sustainability within the industry. Last year, Quality Street made headlines by swapping its iconic plastic wrappers for recyclable ones, a move that received a mixed response.

A TikTok user's rant against the change became a sensation after she branded it a "travesty" and asked: "Who wants to eat this piece of garbage? " Despite not winning universal praise, the switch to paper in 2022 has prevented approximately 2 billion wrappers annually from ending up in landfills.