Mars Bars & Snickers To Get New Recyclable Paper-based Wrapper

Mars New Zealand has today announced a major step forward in its sustainability journey by committing to transition the company’s much-loved Mars, Snickers and Milky Way chocolate bars to new paper-based wrappers, that can be recycled via traditional kerbside recycling.

Peter Simmons, general Manager, Mars NZ examines the new packaging

In a world first for the global company, the shift to paper-based packaging will first be seen in Australia on the company’s much loved MARS BAR®, SNICKERS® and MILKY WAY® as of April 2023.

MARS BAR® and SNICKERS® in paper-based packaging will be rolled out in New Zealand soon after, from June 2023. Fun size bars in paper-based wrappers, including MILKY WAY® will be available in New Zealand from 2024.

A result of extensive R&D trials and locally driven innovation from Mars Wrigley’s manufacturing site in Ballarat, Australia, the new paper-based wrapper is widely recyclable through comingled recycling bins and paper/cardboard recycling bins across New Zealand, enabling Kiwis to easily recycle the packaging via their kerbside recycling bin.

This change to paper-based packaging will reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill each year by 11 tonnes, or more than seven million wrappers.

Peter Simmons, General Manager of Mars New Zealand says, “The transition to paper-based packaging for our Australian-made chocolate bars marks a significant milestone in our sustainability journey.

“As one of the largest pet food, food, and snacks and treats suppliers in New Zealand, Mars has a responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint right across our business, including packaging. The launch of this new paper-based packaging is a significant step for us towards our local and global packaging targets.

“We recognise the need to make changes to all our product packaging so it can be recycled across New Zealand. For example, over 90% of our food portfolio packaging is already recyclable in many regions, and this percentage will increase once the infrastructure becomes available. We also know that driving meaningful change takes time and we are proud to be taking these steps toward our 2025 commitments.

“We are focused on finding the right solution for each of our products; this includes exploring a wide range of recyclable materials to ensure we maintain the high quality and freshness of our products, whilst choosing a material that can be easily recyclable by our consumers and in line with local recycling infrastructure. We are committed to working with industry and other partners to make recycling simpler and more accessible for New Zealand consumers and doing what we can to ensure we have the right infrastructure in place to achieve this,” says Peter.

As part of the company’s commitment to its $1B Sustainable in a Generation plan, Mars is committed in New Zealand, and globally, to supporting and creating a circular economy where packaging never becomes waste.

Mars NZ is a signatory of the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration and of the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, reflecting the company’s commitment to using 100 per cent reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025 or earlier. Mars is also part of The Global Commitment, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, with a common vision of a circular economy for plastics.

Mars’ new paper-based packaging will be available on 47g and 64g MARS BAR®s, 44g and 64g SNICKERS® at all leading New Zealand supermarkets and convenience stores from June 2023.

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