M&S trials paper packaging for chocolate bars

Marks & Spencer has launched a trial of paper-based packaging for its popular Vanilla Fudge Bar, aiming to improve recyclability and reduce plastic waste.

The new packaging is designed to be easily recycled both at home and on the go, without compromising product quality. If the trial is successful, M&S plans to expand the initiative across more of its chocolate bar range, potentially eliminating an additional five million units of plastic. The switch for the Vanilla Fudge Bar alone is expected to remove 1.4 million plastic units from M&S Foodhalls over the next year.

Reducing plastic packaging remains a priority for M&S customers, and the retailer continues to take steps in response. Recently, M&S introduced cardboard packaging for its Perfectly Ripe Twin Avocado packs and Ripe Avocado lines, an initiative expected to eliminate around seven million plastic units annually. The retailer also introduced recyclable paper packaging for garlic baguettes, eliminating 5.5 million units of plastic annually.

Lucinda Langton, Head of Sustainability at M&S Food, said: At M&S, we know our customers care deeply about reducing plastic packaging, and we’re committed to doing the right thing by finding packaging alternatives for our products. By making sure our products are in packaging which is as easy to recycle as possible, we are giving our customers the confidence that they can make more sustainable choices when shopping with us. This is also a key part of our Plan A roadmap to Net Zero, which will help us to meet our plastic reduction targets.

At the end of 2024, M&S achieved its goal of removing 75 million plastic units ahead of schedule for the 2024/25 period. The company has pledged to eliminate one billion units of plastic by the end of the 2027/28 financial year as part of its Plan A commitment to reach net zero by 2040. Having already cut 500 million units, M&S is halfway to achieving this target.