Metsä Board revamps Mars’ Maltesers box with dispersion coating to slash plastic use

30 Aug 2021 --- Mars Wrigley has enlisted Metsä Board to redesign its Maltesers box in a fully recyclable format amid efforts to reduce plastic usage and reduce carbon emissions. A dispersion-coated barrier board is replacing the previous polyethylene (PE) liner in the boxes. 

“At Mars, we take our responsibility for sustainable packaging seriously, and today’s announcement that our iconic Maltesers box is now fully recyclable is another important step in our journey toward packaging that is 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable,” says Adam Grant, general manager, Mars Wrigley UK.

The Maltesers box was first released in 1930. Mars says its new design will reduce its annual plastic usage by 82 tons. 

The new box design uses Metsä Board’s dispersion coated barrier board, which is fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. It also comprises fibers that are entirely traceable to sustainably managed Northern European forests. 

Mars is gradually decreasing its use of plastic packaging.The dispersion debate 
Dispersion coating techniques have come under criticism in the past due to certain products being found to contain harmful materials. However, the technique can provide a useful method for replacing single-use plastic items and other environmentally damaging packaging products.

PackagingInsights discussed the topic with Chris McNeill, co-founder of UK-based plastic-free packaging specialist Reelbrands, this year. 

He explains that by coating fiber-based materials with PE, barrier properties associated with plastic can be maintained while allowing for recyclability. 

“We are firmly committed to helping brands develop solutions that address the increasingly pressing need to take food packaging in a more sustainable direction,” comments Matthew Terry, technical service director, South and West Europe, Metsä Board.

Mars targets carbon reduction
The redesigned Maltesers box joins a number of Mars initiatives to improve the company’s carbon footprint and environmental impact. 

In March, Mars entered a two-year partnership with Danimer Scientific to develop flexible and rigid home compostable packaging for confectionery products, starting with the Skittles brand in the US. 

Danimer Scientific’s signature biopolymer – Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) – is renewably sourced and serves as an alternative to traditional petrochemical plastic in the packaging. 

In February, Mars Wrigley Germany piloted a paper-based Balisto chocolate cookie bar wrapper for the first time with retail partner EDEKA Minden-Hannover. 

The partners rolled out 100,000 Balisto paper-based multipacks (each pack containing nine single bars) in more than 500 stores, reducing plastic by approximately 440 kgs.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton 

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