MasterFoods is leading the way in transitioning to a sustainable paper-based recyclable squeeze-on Tomato sauce.
Australia's favorite tomato sauce brand, MasterFoods™, leads innovation by trialing Australia’s first paper-recyclable single-serve tomato sauce packs – which use 58% less plastic than the original packaging and can be recycled via traditional curbside recycling.
The MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce packs are made in Mars Food & Nutrition’s manufacturing site in Wyong on the NSW Central Coast. This innovation is the result of five years of research and development trials, with AUD 3 million invested in the project so far, further contributing to Mars Australia’s aim of creating a circular economy and working towards Australia’s National Packaging Targets.
Over 240 million of the company’s tomato sauce packs are currently used each year, so the trial is an important part of the company’s sustainable packaging initiative.
MasterFoods’™ priority was to ensure that Tomato Sauce lovers should still be able to hold a pie in one hand, and their sauce in the other. Once empty, the packs can be disposed of in the recycling bin.
The General Manager of Mars Food & Nutrition Australia, Bill Heague, said, “The trial of paper-based MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce packs marks another important milestone in Mars’s sustainability journey, and demonstrates the role the food industry can play in working towards a circular economy.
“This trial will allow us to better understand how this new paper-recyclable squeeze-on performs so we can take these learnings forwards. If we transition our full portfolio to this new format over time, Mars Australia would be set to eliminate around 190 tonnes of plastic from our value chain a year.”
The trial has been designed in partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and will allow MasterFoods to collect important data on the performance of the new pack, including how to best educate consumers to recycle the product after use.
Chris Foley, CEO of APCO, said, “I commend Mars for collaborating with APCO throughout the development process, taking a thoughtful and iterative approach to trial and refine the new packaging format. By focusing on real-world testing, this trial will help ensure the packaging can be effectively recycled post-consumer use. We look forward to seeing the results and continuing to support their efforts in achieving the best environmental outcomes for their packaging.”
The packaging has been designed and produced in partnership with Easysnap Technology, an Italian packaging company specializing in recyclable one-handed packaging technology and part of Gualapack.
Starting in November 2024, the trial will take place across a variety of locations and should be available through to April 2025. More than a million units of the paper-based packaging will be evaluated by consumers during the trial.
Some complementary data
For further details about the MasterFoods Recyclable Squeeze-On Tomato Sauce paper-based packs, click here.
For further details about Easysnap technology, click here.
Source: masterfoodsprofessional.com.au, mars.com, foodprocessing.com.au
