Nestlé Central America Turns Cheese Whey into Sustainable Packaging

​Ogilvy Colombia and Nestlé Central America present a ground breaking innovation - packaging made from cheese whey: 'Self-Packing Cheese'. For the first time in the mass consumption industry, cheese whey, a by-product with a low level of utilisation despite having similar properties to plastic, will be transformed into sustainable packaging. Double impact is guarantee: SPC reduce plastic waste and give discarded whey a second life.

​Gastón Potasz, chief creative officer of Ogilvy Colombia, commented, "In pursuit of our creative excellence goals, we open our Impact Lab -a pioneering initiative designed to craft advertising solutions that seamlessly blend sustainability, technology, and innovation. We are proud of delivering ideas that inspire meaningful change in society and deliver tangible results for our clients. And 'Self-Packing Cheese' stands as a clear testament to the significant accomplishments of the Impact Lab as we identified an extraordinary opportunity in cheese production: utilising the whey to produce its own bio packaging, drastically reducing plastic usage. The product serves as a complete solution on its own”

Self-packing cheese is being tested as a substitute for primary and secondary packaging of Nestlé ¡Qué Rico! cheeses distributed in Panama. Nestlé is set to produce 5.500 tons of ¡Qué rico! Cheese, and aim to replace packaging with a 100% biodegradable whey-based one. Under the FDA international standards, SPC maintains product nutrients properties, taste, and freshness. “This major impact on the environment and business could be reflected not just in cheese packaging but as a widely used solution. Imagine how powerful this discovery will be. Above all, we are committed to developing solutions that are not only impactful today but also sustainable for generations to come”, added Potasz

Kim Waigel, director of communications and corporate affairs for Nestlé Central America, said, " We are proud of 'Self-Packing Cheese', a project developed together with Ogilvy and a multidisciplinary team, to explore circular solutions, while strengthening our manufacturing processes and generating tangible benefits for the communities where we operate. This initiative reflects how innovation can become an engine for building a more sustainable future and represents an advance in our commitment to sustainability and Creating Shared Value "

​Fabio Quiroga, CEO of Ogilvy Andina, pointed out, " SPC is a ground breaking, real and tangible innovation, with a significant potential to revolutionise the future of packaging due to its scalability. I´m couldn´t be prouder of the team, and grateful with our client Nestlé for letting us make ideas with purpose come true”

How does whey become sustainable packaging?

The whey undergoes a biotechnological process that transforms its components into a biopolymer known as PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), along with other elements that contribute to the formation of a material with properties like conventional plastic. The result is a biodegradable material, with characteristics suitable for its application in food packaging.

SPC is one of its kind, for the first time:

1) The solution for replacing plastic comes from the product itself.

2) 100% of the Whey is transformed into bioplastic, 100% efficiently.

3) Bioplastic is 100% sustainable, aligned with the UN - Sustainable Development Goals.

4) Is an innovation perfectly suited to the manufacturing process

5) Impact on environment: no plastic nor whey waste.

6) Positive impact on consumers

7) Scalability enabled by FDA international standar

8) Diversification is possible.

See more work from Ogilvy Colombia here.