Packaging with purpose
Meet our new Whittaker’s packaging expert, helping us shape a more sustainable future, one wrapper at a time.
Whittaker’s packaging might be world class in design, quality and food safety, but we know there is room for improvement in the materials we use. That’s why we’ve welcomed Shae Adams into the team as our new Packaging Technologist, focused on helping us reduce the impact of our packaging while ensuring every block, bar, slab and square stays as fresh and delicious as ever.
Shae joined Whittaker’s in March 2025 after returning from London, bringing with her a background in engineering and a passion for food manufacturing and sustainability. And just six months into the role, Shae is already investigating various paper-based solutions that could improve the recyclability and the end-of-life outcomes of our packaging. We hope to share some more info with you very soon!
“Whittaker’s is such an iconic New Zealand brand, and I’ve always admired its commitment to making Good Honest Chocolate. I’m excited to be part of Whittaker’s sustainability journey,” says Shae.
Tackling packaging in a good honest way
Shae’s role involves exploring the use of more sustainable materials for our packaging, with a focus on recyclability, carbon reduction and circularity - and doing so without compromising on quality or function. That means looking beyond surface-level solutions and asking the tough questions.
“We want to ensure the packaging solutions we land on are truly honest and have real impact,” says Shae. “That means thinking not just what the materials are made of but also how far they travel, whether they come from ethical sources and how they’ll perform at the end of their life.
It’s not simple, but it matters
Packaging in the food industry is complex. The materials we use need to protect products through the entire supply chain, from production to supermarket shelves to home pantries. While materials like soft plastics and foil do a great job of protecting our products, their end-of-life outcomes often fall short.
“There’s a misconception that you can just swap plastic for paper, but unfortunately it’s not that simple,” says Shae. “That’s why we are tirelessly working to find a solution that is good for the planet, our product and our Chocolate Lovers. To date this has included Whittaker’s undertaking over 140 packaging trials in pursuit of a solution.”
Another challenge in New Zealand, is that there is a lack of clear government guidelines when it comes to what materials you can and can’t use for food packaging.
Whittaker’s chocolate is also available in countries around the world, so the material choices we make are often aimed at meeting the recycling standards of those markets, as well as New Zealand’s. That makes the challenge even greater, but it’s one we’re committed to solving.
Packaging for the future
At Whittaker’s, our primary goal is to achieve 100% circularity in our packaging as soon as possible.​
Circular packaging is a focus on products and materials being used over and over in a continuous loop, rather than discarded, to reduce waste.
Our secondary goal is to decrease the carbon footprint of our packaging.
This year we have been working on completing a life cycle analysis for each of our packaging materials to understand their carbon impact. This information has then been used to best prioritise our resource to make the most impactful changes first. ​
As at June 2025, our packaging is 80.74% recyclable by weight.
You can read more about our journey here.
“We want people to know our packaging does the right thing. It shouldn’t just look sustainable - it should be sustainable,” says Shae.
Holly Whittaker, Whittaker’s co-Chief Operating Officer says: “We’re proud to have Shae on board. Her experience and commitment to doing what’s right for both our product and the planet are a huge asset as we evolve our packaging story. We’re excited for what comes next.”
If you have any questions about our packaging journey, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!