How do we manage to set a precedent for the future of our products and the rest of the brands on the market?

The objective of this project was to verify the feasibility of implementing biodegradable materials in a large-scale industrial system with a scarce budget due to the pandemic and Mexico's low investment in the area of innovation.

In addition, a synergy was created between local artisans, university researchers, and the brand's innovation area for sustainability.

In Mexico, 11 million tons of packaging are produced per year. Many of them are made with recyclable materials, but only 20% are recycled, making it the country that generates the most garbage in Latin America.

In the capital Mexico City alone, there are more than 300 clandestine dumps, which shows a lack of waste control by the authorities.

In addition to the serious environmental damage, the main affected are the most vulnerable population, families of low socioeconomic status who live near these places. While governments continue to look to the side, brands have to act.

The Cereal Cereal Box: The first biodegradable packaging made entirely like our Corn Flakes cereal: 100% corn. Box, bag, ink, adhesive, and cereal, are all made out from our same natural source.

We achieve a biodegradable pack made out of corn waste and decomposes completely when back to soil

We know that the new generations of consumers have a special interest in caring for the environment and the naturalness in what they eat for breakfast. With this tribute to corn, in addition to taking care of our planet, we make it clear that the origin of Kellogg's Corn Flakes is 100% pure corn, from the flakes to the box.

Cereals have been consumed for many years as breakfast, but it is increasingly difficult to impact new young consumers.

We know that the new generations have a special interest in caring for the environment and the naturalness of what they eat for breakfast. Therefore, communication needed these two directions.

The first is to make the natural origin of our cereal clear, made of 100% corn. A flake is made from a grain of corn.

And the second is to obtain 0 environmental impacts with our packaging to stop being part of the problem and mark a direction to be part of the solution.

The change begins with oneself and we propose the strategic approach from our own packaging.

To replace each packaging material with a biodegradable one made from corn, we brought together the best experts in each discipline. This pilot project was a collaboration between artisans specialized in biodegradable paper, researchers from the faculty of Chemical Sciences of a university, and the brand's innovation area.

- To manufacture the cardboard, we used the cellulose obtained from the bagasse of the corn plant. Leftover leaves and stems.

- To replace the plastic in the bag, we used a polymer obtained directly from corn starch.

- The ink was obtained from the extraction of pigments from the grain of red corn.

- And as an adhesive we used cornstarch. We mixed cornmeal with water and get starch-based glue.

All this results in 100% biodegradable packaging made from 100% corn.

We already knew how versatile corn was, but this is the first time we can show that each of our cereal's packaging materials can be substituted with one made from corn.

Being an internal innovation, it is in the process of confirming its large-scale implementation. It is a long and complicated process in which the economic cost is a very important factor, but by confirming the viability of the material, everything possible is being done both in the brand’s area of innovation and with external suppliers to manufacture at the industrial level.

We know that it is a small step, but we believe that it is in the right direction.