Choice Chocolate Packaging
Consumers are not only picky about the kind of chocolate they want to eat but the kind of packaging it comes in. In this story, we look at companies that are responding to consumer demand for eco-friendly options.
By Brad Addington
Approaches to more sustainable chocolate packaging are just as diverse as the goodies found inside.
Parkside took the route of providing vegan chocolate brand Mummy Meegz with 100% home-compostable packaging.
Sun Chemical and Qualvis Packaging took a multi-pronged approach to developing a highly sustainable chocolate truffle carton for chocolate manufacturer Whitakers, including the use of highly bio-renewable direct-food contact inks.
Not to be outdone, Mars Incorporated announced in May 2023 that its famous Mars Bar would come in new paper packaging on a trial basis – part of the company’s goal of making all of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable in the near future.
Read more about these companies that are leading the way when it comes to helping consumers make chocolate purchases in good conscience (even if they consider the cocoa-based snacks a guilty pleasure).
Parkside Brings Compostable Packaging to Mummy Meegz
Parkside has partnered with vegan chocolate brand Mummy Meegz to bring its amphibian mascot Billie to life in 100% home compostable pack adorning a colorful design.
The innovative packaging, made with Parkside’s Park2Nature™ compostable material, is available in two eye-catching designs to differentiate the oat milk and white chocolate product lines. Both are adorned with the colorful cartoon frog Billie, closely depicting the cool chocolate frog inside the pack. So not only is Billie a fantastic vegan swap, but he is also made from chocolate which is sustainably sourced and packed in the TÜV-certified home compostable packaging.
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“Sustainability and ethical shopping are increasingly important to today’s consumers, as more shoppers than ever are concerned with how their purchases are produced and packed,” said Paul Lenihan, Sales Account Manager at Parkside. “This pack, produced in partnership with Mummy Meegz, considers the sustainable sentiments of today’s consumer.
“Mummy Meegz is a wonderful, independent business with a strong, uncompromising brand identity. Their motto is ‘kindness 100% guaranteed’ and we are proud to have delivered a pack that aligns with that ethos.”
TÜV home compostable certification means the pack is guaranteed to break down into nothing more than biomass, water, and carbon dioxide within 26 weeks in a regular domestic compost heap, and within 12 weeks in a composting facility. Importantly for Mummy Meegz, if and when it enters the sea, the packaging will disintegrate by 96% in 36 weeks, with signs of microbial activity which is essential for full degradation.
“We are on a mission to show the world that chocolate can be mind-blowingly good without the need for animal products,” said Helen Hartley, Managing Director of Mummy Meegz. “At the same time we want to minimize any potential impact to animals and marine life throughout the full life cycle of our packaging, and Parkside’s sustainable solutions really fit the bill.”
The Park2Nature material that makes up the pack is a paper-based triplex laminate, made without polylactic acids (PLAs), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other substances that could leak into the environment.
To learn more about Parkside’s range of flexible packaging solutions, please visit parksideflex.com.
Parkside has partnered with vegan chocolate brand Mummy Meegz to bring its amphibian mascot Billie to life in a 100% home compostable package.
Courtesy of Mummy Meegz
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Sun Chemical, Qualvis create sustainable carton solution for Whitakers Chocolates
Sun Chemical and Qualvis Packaging have collaborated to develop a highly sustainable chocolate truffle carton for chocolate manufacturer Whitakers.
The concept enabled Whitakers to transform an existing truffle carton that featured 55 percent plastic into a highly recyclable lightweight fiber-based solution without plastic layer of the same dimensions.
The package uses Sun Chemical’s SunPak® DirectFood Plus highly bio-renewable direct-food contact inks and SunSpec™ SunStar direct-food contact aqueous varnish on the inside of the carton. The packaging will be on display at Sun Chemical’s stand at interpack (Hall 7a, Stand B03).
The use of Sun Chemical’s inks and varnish eliminates the need for a plastic extrusion between the ink film and the food product. It also enables replacement of the existing PET double clamshell housing the truffles with a fiber-based holding structure, while ensuring both a direct food contact safe environment for the truffles complemented by functional resistance and barrier properties to maintain the protection and integrity of the carton structure and its contents.
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This, in combination with the highly bio-renewable properties of the inks, drastically decreases the overall carbon footprint of the product.
SunPak® FSP EcoPace low migration inks and SunCoat aqueous varnish are employed on the front of the carton, also contributing to the reduced carbon footprint achievement due to a very high bio-renewable content made possible by employing a new fossil fuel-free carbon black derived process ink.
Furthermore, the board is an environmentally sourced material from premium paperboard company and Qualvis partner, Holeman Iggesund. The outer cellophane wrap has been replaced with a tear strip built into the carton design to keep the lid in place during transit and on the shelf at retailers.
“Whitakers is a long-standing customer of ours. When we proactively approached them about this project, we turned to Sun Chemical as our go-to supplier for food-contact inks,” said Richard Pacey, Sales Director, Qualvis. “Sun Chemical’s expertise in inks, specifically for food-contact applications, along with their sustainability credentials meant that, together, we were able to seamlessly bring our vison for Whitaker’s premium pack to life.”
Pacey added: “Compared to solutions from other suppliers, the inks truly stand out in terms of on-press performance and quality. Vibrancy is not compromised at all, and there are never any on-press issues. We are able to print in as many colors and designs as we would with typical non-food contact inks — be it CMYK or Pantones — enabling the brand to improve the overall attractiveness of the packaging, all while ensuring regulation compliance.”
To learn more or to see the result of the packaging in person, visit Sun Chemical at interpack (Hall 7a, Stand B03) or visit sunchemical.com/insideoutside.
Sun Chemical and Qualvis Packaging have collaborated to develop a highly sustainable chocolate truffle carton for chocolate manufacturer Whitakers.
Courtesy of Sun Chemical
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Mars Bars Debuts New Paper Packaging in UK-Based Trial
Mars Incorporated, a worldwide snack food and pet care brand, announced in May that its famous Mars Bar would come in new paper packaging on a trial basis. The paper-based packaging was to be released in a limited amount of Tesco stores in the United Kingdom over several months.
The transition is part of the company’s broader packaging strategy, as it continues to build toward its Sustainable in a Generation Plan. Mars’ aim is to redesign its packaging for circularity, with the goal of making all of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable in the near future.
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The paper-based packaging is sustainably sourced and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and it is also certified as curbside recyclable across the United Kingdom.
“We are exploring different types of alternative packaging solutions for our confectionery products,” said Richard Sutherland-Moore, packaging expert at Mars-Wrigley’s Research & Development Centre in Slough, UK. “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.”
Watch the Mars video to see the new packaging.
To learn more about the new paper packaging of Mars Bars, please visit marsbar.co.uk.
