Nestlé Malaysia Introduces Nestlé KITAR to Expand the Nation’s Largest Community Recycling EPR Programme

Nestlé Malaysia is strengthening its commitment to sustainability with the launch of Nestlé KITAR, a refreshed platform for Project SAVE (Segregate, Avoid, Value, Educate), the nation’s largest voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiative. The new platform marks the next phase of a community recycling programme that has been operating for more than six years, with the aim of expanding recycling participation and supporting Malaysia’s transition towards a circular economy.

Nestlé KITAR was introduced at the “Nestlé: Sustainability, Connected” event, officiated by YB Tuan Syed Ibrahim bin Syed Noh, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. The event also brought together 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.

The launch comes as Malaysia continues to face challenges in managing the large volume of waste generated nationwide. Nestlé Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Juan Aranols highlighted the importance of making recycling more accessible while strengthening Separation-at-Source practices. Through Nestlé KITAR, the company aims to build on Project SAVE’s achievements by reaching more households and encouraging responsible recycling to become part of everyday life.

Since its establishment in 2020, Project SAVE has expanded to approximately 270,000 households across nine cities, providing regular household recycling collection and promoting the separation of recyclable materials at source. To date, the programme has successfully recovered and recycled around 50,000 tonnes of dry mixed recyclables, including 32,000 tonnes of plastics.

Nestlé KITAR is designed around the idea that creating a stronger recycling ecosystem requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders. Industry players, government agencies, local authorities, waste management concessionaires, recyclers and communities all play an important role in improving collection services, reducing waste and increasing public awareness about responsible recycling.

The programme will also allow recycling services and community engagement activities to be adapted to local needs as Nestlé KITAR expands across Malaysia. By encouraging stronger household participation and improving access to recycling facilities and collection services, the initiative seeks to make sustainable practices more convenient and consistent for communities.

Nestlé KITAR complements Nestlé Malaysia’s wider efforts to reduce the use of virgin plastic, increase recycled content and improve the recyclability of its packaging. As of 2025, 95.6% of Nestlé Malaysia’s packaging was designed for recycling, reflecting the company’s ongoing efforts to improve packaging sustainability across its product portfolio.

Among its initiatives are the introduction of high-quality recycled plastic resin (rPET) bottles across its Ready-to-Drink beverage portfolio, as well as the replacement of plastic bowls and cups with sustainable paper-based alternatives across selected product categories. Nestlé Malaysia has also transitioned its entire UHT range to 100% paper straws, helping to eliminate more than 1.2 billion plastic straws from the environment to date.

By combining packaging innovation with stronger collection and recovery systems, Nestlé Malaysia is taking a more comprehensive approach to addressing the packaging lifecycle. Through Nestlé KITAR, the company aims to make recycling more accessible and habitual while encouraging collective action towards a stronger circular economy and a more sustainable future for Malaysia.