MARKS & Spencer is to move its top-selling Vanilla Fudge Bar to paper packaging in a new trial.
The retailer said the new packaging maintains the ‘unbeatable M&S quality’ of the product and can be more easily recycled – both kerbside and on the go. If successful, the new packaging would remove 1.4 million units of plastic from M&S’ over the next 12 months and the packaging would also be rolled out to additional bars in the range.
M&S explained the move comes at a time when reducing plastic packaging is one of the key issues customers care strongly about. Earlier this month, the retailer introduced cardboard packaging for all its Perfectly Ripe Twin Avocado packs and Ripe Avocado lines.
The supermarket has also introduced new pots for porridge lines in its Food On The Move range, which are now more easily recyclable as the cardboard wrap will separate from the plastic pot during the recycling process without the customer needing to remove it.
At the end of last year, M&S revealed it met its target to remove 75 million units of plastic in 2024/25 ahead of plan. The retailer has committed to remove one billion units by the end of FY27/28, as part of its plan A roadmap to net zero by 2040 and is halfway to this target with 500m units removed by the end of March 2025.
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.”
