Bel Announces Global Rollout Of Babybel's Paper Packaging

• Bel continues to transform its packaging portfolio and takes a new step by gradually replacing Babybel's cellophane with recyclable paper packaging.
• By 2027, 100% of Babybel, manufactured in 5 facilities and distributed in 50 countries around the world, will use responsibly sourced paper packaging.
• The result of several years of RID, this innovation marks a key step toward Bel’s ambition of delivering 100% recycling-ready packaging by 2030

Bel is taking another major step in its packaging transformation by launching the global rollout of a new recyclable paper packaging for Babybel. By 2027, all Babybel products — manufactured at five industrial sites and distributed in 50 countries — will be offered with responsibly sourced paper, marking a decisive turning point towards the Group's goal of 100% packaging ready for recycling or compostable at home by 2030.

A technical and industrial challenge supported by Bel's RID
Since late 2020, Babybel has used a bio-based, home-compostable cellophane. Transitioning to paper packaging represents a significant technical and industrial challenge, the outcome of several years of research and development. This shift goes far beyond changing materials, it is a structural transformation. Packaging plays a critical role: preserving product quality over time, ensuring microbiological safety, and withstanding temperature variations. Babybel’s iconic red wax shell remains unchanged, as it is essential to product protection, integrity, and taste.

Through a robust test-and-learn approach, including factory trials and real-world validation, the new paper packaging now meets the industrial performance requirements for large-scale production across all Babybel sites worldwide.

The commercial rollout of Babybel’s paper packaging has begun in the United Kingdom. The United States, Canada, and Northern Europe will follow in 2026, before a global expansion across all 50 markets starting in 2027. At that time, 100% of Mini Babybel will use certified paper, ensuring sustainable forest management and full traceability.

An Industrial transformation anchored in sustainable growth
Aligned with its mission to provide healthier and more sustainable food for all, Bel places the reduction of its environmental footprint at the core of its strategy: from ingredient sourcing and logistics to industrial processes and packaging. The Group is thus accelerating the development and deployment of responsible packaging solutions, prioritizing renewable and recyclable materials while guaranteeing food safety and quality.

As an iconic global brand, Babybel plays a central role in this transformation thanks to its portion format, universal appeal, and unique recipe, with two billion portions consumed annually. Introducing paper packaging is fully aligned with Bel’s roadmap to reduce plastic use at the source, brand by brand, market by market.

This transformation is part of a broader Group-wide dynamic:

• Kiri is advancing its own paper-based packaging tests, with an ambition to scale industrial deployment;
• The Laughing Cow and Materne compotes are now offered in bulk through the DéfiVrac Coalition, supported by an innovative dispensing machine designed for spreadable cheese, fruit purées, honey, or oils, currently tested in real conditions in three stores.

Béatrice de Noray, Executive Vice President in charge of Growth at the Bel Group, said: " Transforming our production and consumption models is one of the greatest challenges of our time. At Bel, we choose to put innovation at the service of more responsible and accessible food for all. This ambition sits at the heart of our growth strategy and guides the evolution of our brands, our industrial processes, and our packaging. Babybel has been part of families’ lives for more than 70 years. Its uniqueness lies in both its universal appeal and its ability to evolve with changing uses, food cultures, and societal expectations. Today, its packaging enters a new chapter, one that strengthens what makes Babybel iconic: a practical, convivial, and instantly recognizable portion. By advancing its packaging, we are taking a structural step in our journey, embodying the combination of responsibility and performance that defines Bel’s DNA.”

Delphine Chatelin, Director of RID at the Bel Group, said: " Transitioning Babybel to paper packaging is a true technical and industrial challenge. It is not simply about replacing one material with another, it requires 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.

Linda Neu, Babybel's Global Director, concludes: "With more than two billion portions sold every year worldwide, this evolution has a concrete global impact. Moving to recyclable paper packaging is a decisive milestone in Babybel’s sustainable transformation. It reflects our commitment to innovate without compromising on quality or food safety, while accelerating the reduction of our environmental footprint.