Overview
- Two packaging lines at the Évron plant are already converted, with a goal of 100% paper by the end of 2027 across five sites producing about two billion portions annually.
- Bel estimates the shift will lower packaging emissions by roughly 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, a 62% reduction, and avoid about 850 tonnes of cellophane.
- The change follows five years of R&D, mini industrial runs and consumer panels to identify a recyclable paper that protects the cheese and handles on machines.
- The group has invested several million euros to modify or replace lines while maintaining output of roughly five million units per day in France.
- Sorting centers do not currently capture such small paper wrappers, and Zero Waste France argues the move merely substitutes one single-use format for another.