Pot Noodle piloting new recyclable paper pot

17 / 07 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

Pot Noodle, the UK’s biggest instant hot snack brand, is piloting a new recyclable paper pot,made with FSC-certified paper.

The trial will be used to gain shopper feedback and, if it’s successful, the aim is to switch the full Pot Noodle range to paper pots – a move which, once complete, could remove 4,000 tons of virgin plastic each year.

Insights from the trial will support the scale-up of the innovation at the Pot Noodle factory.

Innovating with alternative materials – like paper – will play an important role in delivering its commitment to halve its use of virgin plastic, alongside other innovations such as refillable bottles, increasing its use of recycled plastic, and moving to ultra-concentrated formulas which use smaller bottles.

The innovation process to develop and refine the paper pot – which took over three years – was led by our R&D teams at Hive, Unilever’s Global Foods Innovation Center in the Netherlands, working closely with packaging experts in the UK.

The challenge was to identify the most effective way to reduce the plastic used in each pot, while also ensuring the packaging still holds its distinctive shape and delivers the same quality eating experience that fans of the brand – affectionately known as Noodlers – have come to love.

“We’re always challenging ways to make our products and packaging better,”Andre Burger, General Manager Foods (Nutrition), UK & Ireland, said.

Burger said “Pot Noodle has been a much-loved British brand for over 40 years, and while our great taste will never change, we’re always challenging ways to make our products and packaging better.”

“From material development and testing through to new manufacturing processes and capabilities, big packaging innovations require the investment of time and expertise across many teams and partners. There have been plenty of challenges along the way, but we are committed to reducing the plastic in our packaging and to a paper-based future for our pots, without compromising on the Pot Noodle experience our shoppers know and love. We are now excited to learn from this initial trial with the ambition of bringing our paper pots to more shoppers across the UK soon.”

The new pots can be recycled at home with other cardboard and paper and include on-pack recycling labels to provide clear guidance to UK shoppers on how to dispose of the packaging. A single layer of ultra-thin plastic film is used to provide barrier protection, which ensures ingredients remain fresh and protects the paper when water is added but doesn’t inhibit the recyclability of the pot.

This new pack marks the latest step in Pot Noodle’s strategy of driving innovation within the category, whether that’s flavors or formats. And it’s a strategy that’s proved successful. The brand has delivered consistent double-digit growth over the last three years.

“It’s not just our pots we’re investing in. Pot Noodle has continued its Stir It Up campaign, which supports young people entering the job market by offering alternative internships that align with their career passions.”