Plastic The New Cigarettes For FMCG Brands As Mars Trials Paper Wrap

Wai-Chan Chan, general director of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), undoubtedly has that opinion and thinks that a significant shift in consumer behavior has already begun. It seems that the top global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies share this opinion more and more.

Just last week, the popular candy Mars bars—which are sold all over the world and are produced by the same company as Snickers—got a new look with recyclable paper wrappers in place of the previous plastic ones. The change is part of a pilot project to test more ecologically friendly materials for Mars Food's candy bars, and this week, the new packaging was introduced at 500 Tesco stores in the United Kingdom.

The candy manufacturer said that it is interested in learning more about various packaging options and how they function in real-world situations. The intention is to utilize that input to guide next packaging trial projects.

Additionally, according to Mars Inc., the modification would "make 200 million bars annually carbon neutral in the U.K., Ireland, and Canada." The decision is in line with rival European candy maker Nestle, which began using paper packaging for Smarties (a treat comparable to M&Ms) in January 2021 and for Quality Street, a standout item in selection boxes, in December 2022.