Far-reaching ban on single-use plastics in England
GOV.UKJan 14, 2023
On Monday, Mars chocolate bars' plastic wrappers were switched for recyclable paper packaging at 500 Tesco stores in a limited period UK trial.
The change, which comes as multinational confectionary maker Mars Incorporated is reportedly moving away from single-use plastic wrappers, follows a similar switch from competitor Nestle for their Smarties brand.
The impact of plastic waste on the environment has become a pressing global issue and, as the food industry is a significant contributor to the crisis, it's encouraging to see large corporations take proactive measures to transition from single-use plastics to more environmentally friendly packaging solutions for their confectionery products.
Moving away from single-use plastics will neither help protect our oceans nor strike a blow to a huge source of greenhouse emissions, as paper packaging for food products is usually laminated with layers of aluminum or plastic and makes-up around 26% of landfill waste. Mars just signed onto the government agenda, which often offloads the pollution problem onto consumers and away from big polluters.