Are You Mindful When Unwrapping a Bar of Chocolate?

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 31, 2023 / Acre

Foto: Accesswire

Were you mindful when unwrapping a bar of chocolate during your favourite Christmas movie?
This question is slightly misleading - I'm not interrogating consumption levels, but rather focusing on the packaging wrapped around your moments of indulgence. While the rustling sound of unwrapping a chocolate bar is satisfying to the senses, the negative impact packaging waste inflicts on the planet is catastrophic.

With the deadly combination of plastic pollution remaining a major environmental hazard and sales of chocolate predicted to grow by 13 per cent within the next five years to reach £6.66bn (according to chocolate market research conducted by Mintel), confectionary producers are finally eliminating unsustainable packaging. They are turning to more innovative solutions as pressure mounts for major chocolate manufacturers to build greater accountability to close the loop, support the circular economy and protect the planet.

Who is joining the fight against the plastic crisis?
Here are four chocolate manufacturers who are leading the way by demonstrating how packaging innovations and improved systems can strike sweet success without being detrimental to the planet.

1.Mars Wrigley
There's been more work than rest or play for the sustainability team at Mars in recent years as the company strives for systemic change in line with stakeholder demands. Mars Wrigley made recent headlines for unveiling its paper packaging which will be kerbside recyclable when it is rolled out next April, signalling the end to the original plastic wrappers.

The move will see Mars, Snickers and Milky Way bars encased in paper packaging, a goal which has been three years in the making, to reduce single-use plastic.

Once the transition is fully implemented, Mars Wrigley predicts it will remove 360 tonnes of plastic from its value chain, which, if stretched out, is the equivalent of flying from Melbourne to London and back.

Now if only it stretched all the way to Mars…

2.Nestlé
This past Christmas saw Nestlé returning to its roots, with the introduction of paper wrappers for Quality Street chocolates, as the company aims to replace 2.5 billion individual foil and cellulose wrappers across the globe.

The first selection of Quality Street assorted chocolates in 1936 were wrapped in paper, and now the tradition has returned to paper (now just a single paper wrap) which will be kerbside recyclable.