Nestlé has made a major change to its iconic chocolate bar, and Australia is the first place in the world to have it available at Coles stores. The popular 45g four-finger bars will be offered only at Coles supermarkets in Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.

KitKat wrapped in the new paper packaging will be available for a limited time beginning in January. The company looks for new ways to satisfy Nestlé’s objective of lowering its usage of virgin plastics by a third by 2025. The goal is to use less plastic, recycle plastic, and discover alternatives to plastic packaging.

As a significant step toward lowering use of virgin plastic, we’re honored to be the first nation in the world to test KitKat in paper packaging, said Chris O’Donnell, general manager of confectionery and snacks for Nestlé Oceania. Our objective with all packaging developments is to give the same delicious KitKat with creamy chocolate and crisp wafer.

Consumers are encouraged to provide feedback on the new wrapper via a QR code featured on each block which will be used to help design the next stage in the company’s quest to become more environmentally friendly, said Mr. O’Donnell.

Coles general manager of grocery Leanne White said the store was thrilled to join with Nestlé on the trial, describing it as leading the charge in new solutions. As part of Coles Together to Zero Waste ambition, we are dedicated to eliminating plastic packaging in Cole’s supermarkets wherever possible, Ms. White said. The trial comes just seven months after Nestlé switched the packaging of its KitKat bars to a 30% recycled plastic wrapper.

Despite the fact that the soft plastic wrapper is intended to be recycled, the nationwide program has been discontinued as a result of the failure of REDcycle. The collection of soft plastics at nearly 2000 supermarkets was banned in November after the Sydney morning herald published images of garbage mounds in its facilities. Consumers have been instructed to dispose of soft plastics in landfills until a solution is discovered. But KitKat’s new paper wrappers may be recycled in your home recycling bins, with explicit instructions included to encourage consumers.