Confectionary manufacturer Mars Wrigley has invested $2.5 million to transform some of its most popular chocolates, including Snickers and Milky Way.
The company revealed all its Australian-made chocolate bars would be moved into a new paper-based packaging that can be recycled at traditional kerbside recycling.
First up will be Mars Bars, Snickers and Milky Ways which will be wrapped in the new packaging from April next year.
The paper-based packaging is the result of a $2.5 million investment in research over three years driven by its manufacturing team in Ballarat, Victoria.
Once all the Australian-made chocolate bars are transitioned into the new packaging, Mars Wrigley claims it will eliminate more than 360 tonnes of plastic, enough to stretch from Melbourne to London and back.
The packaging will also be rolled out globally as the company works towards 100 per cent recyclable packaging by 2025.
Andrew Leakey, general manager of Mars Wrigley Australia, said the new packaging was a “significant milestone” in the company’s sustainability journey.
“Mars’ ongoing investment in local R&D has allowed us to be agile and create solutions that have a positive impact on our environment, meet our stringent quality and food safety standards but are also convenient for our consumers to recycle via kerbside recycling.
“This was crucially important for us as we wanted to ensure consumers had easy access to recycle our new paper-based packaging,” he said.
“As one of the largest snacks and treats manufacturers in Australia, Mars has a responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint right across our business, including packaging.
“The launch of our new paper-based packaging is a significant step for us towards our local and global packaging targets.”
Mr Leakey added while the investment had been costly it would not push up chocolate prices for consumers.
Its US-based parent company Mars Inc committed $US1 billion to tackle climate change, poverty in the value chain, and scarcity of resources back in 2017, as well as reducing environmental impacts and ensuring packaging doesn’t become waste.
Melanie Robertson, CEO of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia and New Zealand said the company’s transition to FSC-certified paper packaging sends an essential message about the importance of choosing forest-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.
She added it also supports the responsible management of the world’s forests.
In September, Cadbury announced a “world first” change to its iconic chocolate block in a bid to curb the company’s contribution of single-use plastic to landfill.
Mondelez International, the company that owns the confectionary giant, unveiled a new sustainable version of its signature purple packaging that is 100 per cent recyclable.
The chocolate-maker said it used “emerging advanced recycling technology” to create soft plastic packaging that contains up to 30 per cent recycled content, saving 120 tonnes of packaging waste from going to landfill.
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