Nestlé Malaysia Launches Nestlé KITAR to Further Scale the Nation’s Largest Community Recycling EPR Programme

 

Nestlé Malaysia is taking its flagship community recycling programme into its next phase with the launch of Nestlé KITAR, the refreshed platform for Project SAVE (Segregate, Avoid, Value, Educate), the nation's largest voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiative. Building on more than six years of partnerships and impact, Nestlé KITAR will expand community recycling participation and strengthen Malaysia's transition towards a more circular economy through enhanced collection services, recycling education and strategic partnerships nationwide.

 

Nestlé KITAR was introduced recently at the “Nestlé: Sustainability, Connected” event, which was officiated by YB Tuan Syed Ibrahim bin Syed Noh, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. Also in attendance was Ms. Katarzyna Grzybowska, Assistant Vice President of Nestlé S.A. and Head of Sustainability for Zone Asia, Oceania & Africa, alongside representatives from government agencies, industry partners and civil society organisations.

 

Juan Aranols, Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Malaysia, said, “Malaysia generates an estimated 40,000 tonnes of solid waste every day, with a significant proportion comprising materials that could potentially be recycled. This underlines the importance of making recycling more accessible and strengthening Separation-at-Source. Nestlé KITAR is a critical part of how we deliver on our global vision that none of our packaging ends up in landfill or as litter. Reduced use of plastics and better packaging design are necessary blocks to build a circular economy. Additionally, we must also strengthen collection and recovery through effective recycling systems, community participation and strong partnerships. Project SAVE has laid this foundation over the past six years. Through Nestlé KITAR, we will now further build on this progress to reach more households and help make responsible recycling practices part of everyday life.”

 

Since its establishment in 2020, Project SAVE has grown to serve approximately 270,000 households across nine cities, providing regular household recycling collection and encouraging Separation-at-Source. To date, the programme has recovered and recycled 50,000 tonnes of dry mixed recyclables, including 32,000 tonnes of plastics.

 

Nestlé KITAR reflects the collective effort required to build a more effective recycling ecosystem. It embodies a shared responsibility among industry, government agencies, local authorities, waste management concessionaires, recyclers and communities to expand collection services, reduce waste, strengthen recycling education and encourage consistent household participation. These partnerships also enable recycling services and community engagement initiatives to be tailored to local needs as the programme continues to expand across Malaysia.

 

The platform complements the Company's broader efforts to reduce virgin plastic, increase the use of recycled materials and design packaging for recyclability. As of 2025, 95.6% of Nestlé Malaysia's packaging was designed for recycling, building on pioneering innovations including the introduction of high-quality recycled plastic resin (rPET) bottles across its Ready-to-Drink beverage portfolio, a first in Malaysia, as well as replacing plastic bowls and cups with sustainable paper-based alternatives across selected product categories. The Company was also the first in Malaysia to transition to 100% paper straws across its entire UHT range, helping eliminate more than 1.2 billion plastic straws from the environment to date.

 

Together, these initiatives address the packaging lifecycle, from reducing material use and designing for recyclability to strengthening post-consumer collection and recovery. Through Nestlé KITAR, Nestlé Malaysia aims to help make recycling a more accessible and habitual part of everyday life, contributing to a stronger circular economy and a more sustainable future for Malaysia.