In an effort to reduce its environmental impact, Snickers, Milky Way, and Mars bar are undergoing a $2.5 million makeover. The chocolate bars will now be wrapped in paper packaging instead of plastic.
The new packaging is made from sustainably sourced paper and is 100% recyclable. It is also said to use 30% less energy and water to produce than traditional plastic packaging.
Mars Wrigley is the first major confectionary company to commit to using paper-based packaging for its products, and it is hoped that this move will encourage others to follow suit.
The first bars that will be wrapped in the new packaging are Mars Bars, Snickers, and Milky Ways, and this will occur in April of next year.
Mars Wrigley claims that, once all the Australian-made chocolate bars are transitioned into the new packaging, it will eliminate more than 360 tonnes of plastic.
Almost $2.5 million was invested in research over three years by the manufacturing team in Ballarat, Victoria, resulting in paper-based packaging.
Andrew Leakey, general manager of Mars Wrigley Australia, said the new paper-based package would certainly help our environment.
“Thanks to Mars’ ongoing investment in local R&D, we’ve been able to be agile and create solutions that not only have a positive impact on our environment and meet our stringent quality and food safety standards, but are also convenient for our consumers to recycle via kerbside recycling,” he said.
“It was crucial for us to ensure consumers could easily recycle our new paper-based packaging.”
