Mars Bars to be sold in new eco-friendly paper wrapper in Tesco - but not for long

Mars bars will look a little different for a while, as the company behind the famous chocolate bar looks to go green. Fans of the caramel and nougat chocolate treat need not fear, however, as there’s no change being made to the actual bar itself, it’s all about the packaging.

Mars Wrigley is replacing the traditional plastic wrapper with an environmentally-friendly paper packet - but only for a limited amount of time, and only in Tesco supermarkets, as reported on the official Mars bar website. The firm said this will be a pilot which will help them to decide what different wrappers they may use in the future.

Richard Sutherland-Moore, packaging expert at Mars Wrigley UK’s research and development centre in Slough, said: “We are exploring different types of alternative packaging solutions for our confectionery products. For Mars bar, the challenge was to find the right paper packaging solution with an adequate level of barrier properties to protect the chocolate whilst guaranteeing the food safety, quality and integrity of the product to prevent food waste.”

The company has a goal of reducing use of virgin plastics by a third in the short-term, and is  investing hundreds of millions of pounds to ensure it meets this aim. This is part of the company’s Sustainable in a Generation Plan, which also includes using less plastic, recycled plastic and plastic alternatives.

Adam Grant, general manager at Mars Wrigley UK, said: “With our Mars bar pilot project, we are taking a big step to see how paper-based packaging works in everyday life. From the test, we will derive insights for our sustainable packaging strategy. While challenges may impact the pace of progress towards our vision, we at Mars Incorporated are committed to scaling up viable solutions where recycling options exist, and to test, learn, partner and advocate where they don’t.”

The move also comes after the company achieved carbon neutrality in the UK, Ireland and Canada for the first time in its history this year. The neutrality status was achieved through carbon credits and actual carbon emission reductions. Andrew Flood, Tesco packaging development manager, said the supermarket giant is “delighted” to partner with Mars Wrigley on the packaging trial. He added that it “aligns to our own strategy of removing plastic and packaging in our business where we can, reducing it where we can’t, reusing more and recycling what’s left”.

It’s not clear exactly how long the new packaging will be available for. An FAQ section on the Mars bar website states that “From May 2023, the Mars bars will be available exclusively in selected Tesco stores over the next few months”. The brand also encouraged people to help them with their sustainability mission by recycling the wrapper after they have enjoyed their Mars bar.

Mars is not the first chocolate bar to be given new paper packaging this year. The KitKat bar was given a new paper packet as a trial in January this year. The wrapper was made by experts at Nestlé's Confectionery Research and Development Centre in York, who adapted and tested the paper before it was given the green light but the pilot was rolled out in Australia.