The company behind globally loved snack brands Mars Bar, Snickers, and Milky Way is transitioning to paper-based packaging as of April 2023.
As part of the move, which is a world-first for Mars Wrigley Australia, all Australian-made chocolate bars will be manufactured with new paper-based packaging that can be recycled through traditional kerbside recycling.
After completing the transition of its Australian-made chocolate bar portfolio, Mars Wrigley expects to eliminate over 360 tonnes of plastic from its value chain— enough to stretch from Melbourne to London and back.
The decision marks a significant milestone for Mars Wrigley’s sustainability journey and will contribute to its goals of creating a circular economy and meeting APCO’s 2025 National Packaging Targets.
The new paper-based packaging was developed through a series of research and development trials and locally driven innovation from Mars Wrigley’s manufacturing site in Ballarat, Victoria.
The material can be widely recycled through comingled recycling bins and paper/cardboard containers across Australia.
“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,” says Andrew Leaky, general manager for Mars Wrigley Australia.
“This was crucially important for us as we wanted to ensure consumers had easy access to recycle our new paper-based packaging,” Leaky added.
The company’s R&D team in Ballarat is leading the sustainability project with paper-based packaging solutions for the Mars Wrigley business globally.
Mars Wrigley says it intends to develop and deploy the technology in Australia, with plans to implement it in other Mars Wrigley markets across the globe.
“Mars Wrigley’s transition to FSC-certified paper packaging sends an essential message about the importance of choosing forest-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics. FSC® ANZ is proud to partner with Mars Wrigley and congratulates them on this demonstration of support for the responsible management of the world’s forests,” says Melanie Robertson, chief executive officer of FSC Australia and New Zealand.
