Müller UK & Ireland has introduced revised packaging for its Müller Light six-pack yoghurt format, reducing the amount of plastic used in the multipack by 30% compared with the previous version.
Featured in ThePackHub’s Innovation Zone, the redesign replaces part of the secondary plastic packaging with a cardboard sleeve while retaining the individual 140g yoghurt pots. The change focuses on the packaging used to group and present the pots rather than altering the primary yoghurt containers themselves.
According to Müller, the new six-pack packaging is fully recyclable at home. As a mixed-material format, however, the cardboard and plastic components need to be separated and placed in the appropriate recycling streams.
Reducing Plastic in Secondary Packaging
The redesign uses cardboard to perform some of the grouping and presentation functions previously requiring a greater quantity of plastic.
This approach reduces polymer use without removing plastic from areas of the pack where its properties continue to serve a packaging function. The individual yoghurt pots remain in place, while the fibre-based sleeve provides the additional structure needed for the six-pack configuration.
Müller states that the change results in 30% less plastic than the previous packaging. The development therefore represents a targeted material reduction rather than a complete transition from plastic to fibre-based packaging.
That distinction is important. Material substitution does not automatically establish the overall environmental impact of a packaging system, but reducing unnecessary material can be one element of a broader packaging reduction strategy.
Managing a Mixed-Material Format
Introducing cardboard alongside plastic also places greater emphasis on what happens to the different components after use.
Consumers need to separate the materials and place them into the appropriate recycling streams. The effectiveness of that process will depend on local collection and recycling systems as well as correct disposal by households.
The revised Müller Light format reflects a wider approach to packaging design in which fibre-based components can be introduced selectively while plastic is retained where its barrier, sealing or structural characteristics remain useful.
For yoghurt multipacks in particular, secondary packaging presents an opportunity to examine whether the amount of material used for grouping, handling and presentation can be reduced without changing the primary containers.
Rethinking the Role of the Multipack
The Müller Light redesign demonstrates how material reduction can focus on the packaging surrounding a product rather than the product container itself.
The individual 140g pots remain central to the format, while the revised outer structure performs the multipack function with less plastic than its predecessor. This makes the development an example of incremental packaging optimisation, targeting a specific component rather than replacing the entire pack architecture.
For packaging teams, developments of this kind also underline the importance of considering material choice alongside separation and end-of-life requirements. A mixed-material solution can reduce the quantity of one material, but its components still need to be correctly managed after use if they are to enter their respective recycling streams.
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