Study reveals which Easter eggs are the most eco-friendly – with Nestle’s at the bottom of the list

With Easter just around the corner, many Brits will be planning which chocolate Easter eggs they’re going to treat themselves to.

New research from Uswitch has revealed which Easter eggs are the most eco-friendly, and which are the most damaging to the environment.

Their analysis took into account several factors, including the average price, weight, packaging, CO2 emissions, water usage and ingredients.

Overall, Sainsbury’s Buttermilk Salted Caramel Crunch Choccy Egg was rated the most eco-friendly, closely followed by Waitrose’s Caramel Squiggle Easter Egg.

However, Nestle Easter eggs were calculated to produce the highest amount of CO2 per egg, with the firm’s Yorkie Raisin & Biscuit Chocolate Egg coming in as the most damaging to the environment.

Overall, Sainsbury’s Buttermilk Salted Caramel Crunch Choccy Egg was rated the most eco-friendly Easter egg, closely followed by Waitrose’s Caramel Squiggle Easter Egg

On average, each child in the UK receives nine chocolate Easter eggs a year, according to USwitch.

To understand the impact our love of Easter chocolate has on the environment, the team at Uswitch looked at the environmental impact of the 30 top-selling eggs in the UK.

Their analysis indicates that Easter 2021 could be responsible for 97,647 tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 100 return flights between London and New York.

Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch, said: ‘Sustainability is a hot topic of discussion for everyone right now and this report is a reminder that recycling should be at the forefront of both manufacturers and consumers’ minds, especially when it comes to making ethical and eco-friendly purchasing decisions.

‘For many of us, reducing our carbon footprint is moving up higher on the list of our priorities, and there are plenty of ways to be more energy-efficient, with just a few small changes to how we perform our daily tasks around the home like cooking, as well as our purchasing decisions.’

Uswitch’s analysis revealed that Nestle Easter eggs produced the highest amounts of carbon dioxide, with 1.3kg of CO2 produced per chocolate egg.

Cadbury’s eggs followed closely behind, producing an average of 1.18kg per egg.

At the other end of the scale, Buttermilk’s plant-based chocolate eggs were found to produce the least carbon dioxide, with just 0.56kg of CO2 per egg.

Buttermilk’s plant-based chocolate eggs were found to produce the least carbon dioxide, with just 0.56kg of CO2 per egg

In terms of specific Easter eggs, Buttermilk’s Salted Caramel Crunch Choccy Egg was rated the most eco-friendly, followed by Waitrose’s Caramel Squiggle Easter egg, and Lindt’s iconic Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate Easter egg.

Meanwhile, the bottom three were Smarties Milk Chocolate Incredible Easter egg, Kit Kat Chunky Cookie Dough Easter egg, and Nestle’s York Raisin and Biscuit Chocolate Egg.

While Uswitch’s report also revealed that packaging typically takes up more than a quarter of total product weight for many of the UK’s best selling eggs, thankfully most of this was found to be recyclable.

The least eco-friendly eggs were Smarties Milk Chocolate Incredible Easter egg, Kit Kat Chunky Cookie Dough Easter egg, and Nestle’s York Raisin and Biscuit Chocolate Egg (pictured)

Across the 30 eggs analysed in the report, 91 per cent of the packaging was recyclable, according to Uswitch.

Mr Owen added: ‘Easter egg packaging often hits the headlines due to its perceived inability to be recycled, but our report reveals that most brands are committed to making this easier for consumers. 

‘However, the report also highlights the sheer volume of packaging and the production processes needed to satisfy our sweet tooth every Easter.

‘Palm oil, CO2e and water usage were included in the Eco-Egg Report and unfortunately even the biggest brands have some way to go to ensure their ingredients and production methods are as green as possible.

‘Almost three-quarters of the eggs in our report contained palm oil which raises questions about environmental responsibility beyond the ability to be able to recycle packaging’.

Based on the findings, Uswitch hopes that consumers will consider the ecological effects of their purchases this Easter.  

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk