Mars continues wider industry progress towards more environmentally sound packaging
The decision to unveil Mars bars this week with a trial of more environmentally friendly packaging is something that can only be welcomed as a particularly encouraging sign that the industry is now taking positive steps to improve its performance.
Perhaps the only surprise regarding this latest move is that it is only a temporary one – when really, this is something that should be given a full roll-out immediately, given the scale of the acknowledged global challenges that are collectively before us.
However, it’s a step in the right direction, and follows in the wake of other major brands including Nestlé with its Smarties series recently being unveiled as going over to sustainable paper packaging, as a forerunner for wider action on its recyclability of its product ranges. While such measures are a definite plus, some industry insiders have noted that paper-based options for packaging may not in fact be suitable for every line of confectionery or snacks, so attempting to apply such policies evenly across the sector may prove notably challenging – especially in light of there being no actual universal timetable from a government level for adopting less environmentally impacting packaging types.
It was particularly encouraging to see at last month’s Interpack event, there were a number of packaging solutions businesses that had honed in on such options, proving that the technology to deliver meaningful change on recycling rates on a large scale is now within our grasp.
While some have argued that the rate of adoption of such materials should have been far quicker across the industry at large, it is at least encouraging to see that this is now gaining significant traction, for where several key businesses (as well as a number of smaller and medium-sized enterprises) begin, others will follow. Here’s hoping that progress from this point onwards is markedly more rapid within the sector.
Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production
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