Nestlé is set to trial a first-of-its-kind paper tub for its iconic Christmas chocolate brand Quality Street.

More than 200,000 paper tubs will roll out to selected Tesco supermarkets this festive season, carrying around 150 tonnes of the sweets in total.

The new packaging, which marks another step in the confectionery giant’s journey to reduce virgin plastic, comes in the signature Quality Street purple and is embellished with gold foil.

The integrated re-close feature of the tub allows it to be securely closed once opened and, when empty, it can be put in household recycling.

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Quality Street will evaluate the tub’s popularity with shoppers, feedback from supply chain teams, and in-store teams at Tesco, as the brand continues to innovate and seek ways improve the sustainability of its packaging.

The tub has been subjected to significant testing to ensure food quality and freshness while being transported and stored, according to Nestlé.

Quality Street senior brand manager Jemma Handley said: “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.”

“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.”

As part of the brand’s sustainability journey, Quality Street moved to recyclable paper packaging for its twist-wrapped sweets in 2022.

By replacing the double layer of foil and cellulose with a single paper wrap, the brand removed almost 2bn pieces of packaging material from its supply chain.