MARS SWITCHES TO PAPER WRAPPERS

Mars Bars, Milky Ways and Snickers are now being wrapped in recycled paper, developed and printed by Amcor, replacing the plastics wrapping the popular confectionary products have always had.

The new paper wrapper is made from Amcor’s AmFiber Performance Paper, comprising FSC-certified paper, a thin plastic barrier layer, sealants and printing inks. Amcor says the locally manufactured paper is dynamic enough to be printed with either flexographic or gravure technology and finished with a heat-seal or cold-seal adhesive.

Plastic barrier layer notwithstanding, the packaging can still be recycled via kerbside recycling. According to Amcor, recycling tests show that the material surpasses an 80 per cent recovered fibre threshold, making it recyclable in most global paper streams. Amcor and Mars Wrigley are reportedly working on the second iteration of this packaging, which aims to remove the plastic layer altogether.

Richard Smith, Amcor’s director of Sustainability, Asia Pacific said, “At Amcor we continue to innovate and expand our product offering in ANZ, to ensure we are meeting our customers growth aspirations.

“Amcor has a proud local history in paper packaging. Our AmFiber Performance Paper redefines the capabilities of traditional paper packaging, providing a wide range of functional benefits to meet the changing needs of consumers.
“We want to be part of the solution, advancing the development of our packaging technology to create a local circular economy for flexible packaging.”

Mars Bars, Snickers and Milky Way are the company's three biggest selling chocolate bar brands. Mars tops the list, with 42 million bars sold annually in Australia, followed by Snickers with 36 million and Milky Way with almost 10 million. Production last years was up 18 per cent from 2020, when the company sold around 74 million bars.

Andrew Leakey, general manager of Mars Wrigley said, “I’m proud that we are leading world-class innovation in packaging and sustainability from Australia, in what is a world-first for us as a business.

“We are the first Mars Wrigley market in the world to launch a recyclable paper-based packaging at this size and scale, and it speaks volumes to the commitment of our team locally who have been working on this project for almost three years.”