Featured Image Credit: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Food and Drink, Shopping, Life, Environment, UK News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Food and Drink, Shopping, Life, Environment, UK News
Babybel cheese has some of the most easily-recognisable packaging out there.
In order to crack open the delicious mini wheel of Edam, which is made from pasteurised milk, vegetarian rennet, lactic ferments, and salt, you've first got to peel back a bright red wax peel.
Once covered, the Babybel was wrapped in cellophane.
However, as you could imagine, having countless bits of cellophane knocking back isn't exactly ideal for the planet, which is why the company, the Bel Group, is switching up its packaging strategy altogether with a goal of making it more environmentally friendly.
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The company has decided to replace the cellophane wrapper with fully recyclable paper.
Fromage fiends will still find the wax encased-Babybels with the cellophane wrapper on shelves for a few months now, with the change to start being rolled out from mid-2026 in the UK, Europe, the US, and Canada.
And, by 2027, 100 per cent of Babybels will use responsibly sourced paper packaging, including in Australia.
On top of this, 'responsibly sourced paper' will be used exclusively across the entire Babybel Group’s range, which includes Kiri and The Laughing Cow, by 2030.
The change was implemented in Tesco stores back in December 2025, with Justine de Monès, marketing manager at Bel UK, explaining: "Launching paper wrappers with Tesco is an important milestone in our commitment to making all Babybel packaging recyclable.
"Moving to recyclable paper packaging is a decisive milestone in Babybel’s sustainable transformation."
She added: "It also reflects the wider work across the Bel portfolio to actively improve packaging."
Delphine Chatelin, Director of RID at the Bel Group, added that the decision wasn't simply about 'replacing one material with another', but instead 'rethinking the entire protection system to ensure product quality and safety from production to consumption'.
"Our objective is to offer consumers the same iconic and enjoyable experience while meeting their expectations for sustainability and convenience, with packaging that is environmentally responsible and perfectly adapted to the product's lifecycle," she said, as per Honey Kitchen.
And that's not all, as we may see Babybel's iconic red wax casing as we know it scrapped. too.
"Every day we’re striving to be more and more sustainable! We’re looking beyond the net for fully-recyclable packaging solutions and reimagining our red wax by finding ways to use materials that are better for the environment, like plant-based wax. Stay tuned," Babybel's UK website notes.
Well, I guess we'll simply have to wait and see!