In July 2026, as per the latest sustainability reports of Mars, it states that over 67% of its consumer-facing packaging is designed to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and the brand also successfully deals with wide challenges with infrastructural limitations and access to food-safe recyclate.
As per the report, the brand states that 67.6% of consumer-facing packaging has a sustainable design that can be easily reused, recycled, and is compostable. Specific developments include a new, mono-material pouch for its Whiskas wet pet food, developed alongside suppliers and recycling partners to maintain product quality and safety while increasing recyclability.
Mars collaboration with Georgia Tech Research Corporation has also investigated chitin-based coatings with compostable films to assess their durability and performance in demanding packaging applications. The results were published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Polymer Materials.
The company also claims to have incorporated 18,721 units of recycled content into its packaging – equivalent to 9.2% of the weight of post-consumer-recycled resin in its portfolio. The main aim of the strategy is to strengthen market demand for recycled content.
Mars is also known for selling multiple products in 100% rPET packaging, such as M&M’s, Skittles, and Starburst club jars (excluding caps) in the United States; its Tata and PimPom jars in China; and part of its MasterFoods squeezy sauce bottle portfolio in Australia.
As per the Mars website, the company’s highest priority is to significantly reduce the use of virgin plastic, eliminate problematic and unnecessary packaging materials from its portfolio, and prevent its waste products from contaminating recycling streams or the natural environment. In 2025, Mars reports a 5.9% reduction in virgin plastic compared to a 2019 baseline. Last year’s efforts involved redesigning the packaging for its Mixed Minis chocolate selection in India, transitioning from a multi-material pouch to a tin canister.
Mars has also replaced polystyrene trays with recyclable cardboard in its Snickers gift box, and has conducted in-market trials with kerbside recyclable paper flow wraps for its KIND Snacks product in the United States. The brand also underlines significant progress in achieving a deforestation and conversion-free supply chain for its pulp and paper-based packaging, claiming to have achieved the ambition for its cocoa and soy supplies.
Earlier, the brand had expressed its doubts about achieving its sustainability goals for 2025. The brand was claimed to be making decent progress in its 2023 Sustainable in a Generation Report, with 61% of its portfolio designed for recycling, reuse, or compostability compared to 100% target. The brand also stated that industry-level design and infrastructural changes in the packaging sector were taking longer than they had anticipated when they signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitments. They also added that such fundamental issues could not be solved by business alone.
It expresses a similar sentiment in its latest report: “Improving the sustainability of packaging requires system-wide change. Progress depends not only on packaging design and materials innovation, but also on the ability of these packs to be integrated into real-world collection and recycling systems upon their end of life.
“The pace of progress remains closely linked to the readiness of these systems and the availability of food-safe recycled materials in many markets. We continue to work with industry partners, governments, and NGOs to strengthen recycling systems and help accelerate the transition toward a more circular packaging economy.”
The company has emphasized redesigning its portfolio to align with the recycling infrastructure that either exists in the present or will likely exist in the near future. The procedure is accompanied by its ongoing efforts to increase recycling content and reduce its packaging overall.
Mars was featured alongside other top FMCG signatories of the Ellen MacArthur Global Commitment in the recent report. It was suggested that Mars’ share of recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging was significantly lower than its competitors, and the brand had also undergone the least sustainability progress compared to other FMCGs, along with its growth in virgin plastic use and paper packaging alternatives.
Yet Mars is also continuing its work with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and other FMCG brands to unlock over €50 million in multi-year investment for collection and recycling systems in Recife, Brazil. The partners plan to explore the feasibility of a new approach to packaging collection and recycling systems, hoping that it could inform national policy and become a model for similar cities.
Mars is claimed to be one of the world’s largest and most successful confectionery manufacturers. It was founded in 1911 by Frank C. Mars; the company remains a completely private, family-owned global empire. The company’s broader snacking portfolio generates billions of dollars annually.
31 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026