On December 22, 2025, Mars, Inc., a global food giant, announced a global strategic partnership with packaging giant Amcor to upgrade the application of ExxonMobil's Exxtend™ advanced recycling technology. This partnership will cover 80% of the product lines of its three core confectionery brands-Snickers, M&M's, and Chips Ahoy!-in major markets including North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. According to Euromonitor data, the global confectionery industry's sustainable packaging market is projected to reach $9.8 billion in 2025. This collaboration is expected to reduce plastic waste going to landfills by approximately 120 tons annually, propelling Mars towards its goal of 100% recyclable packaging by 2030.
In this upgrade, Mars procured over 2,000 tons of certified recycled polypropylene (PP) resin based on Exxtend™ technology, processing it into single-material flexible plastic packaging and recycled bottles. Chips Ahoy! bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, and the Snickers sharing pack outer packaging bag has been upgraded to an easily recyclable single-material PP material. This technology decomposes difficult-to-recycle plastics at the molecular level, converting raw materials to achieve the same quality as virgin plastics. It also meets global food packaging safety certifications, addressing the industry pain point of insufficient performance of traditional recycled materials.
Currently, the global confectionery industry's sustainable packaging penetration rate is only 18.7%, far lower than the beverage industry's 42.3%, but leading brands have already established a leading position. Mars' "Generation 2024 Sustainability Report" shows that 64.1% of its consumer-facing packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable. This collaboration further widens the gap with the industry. Data shows that confectionery products using sustainable packaging have a 22% premium in the European market and a 14% increase in repurchase rate in the North American market. Green transformation has become a core indicator of a brand's global competitiveness, and companies such as Nestlé and Mondelez plan to expand the application of circular packaging by 2026.
