Ballarat's Mars Wrigley chocolate factory is set for $28.8 million worth of equipment upgrades, allowing further development of sustainable packaging solutions.
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The company says the investment builds on more than $67 million invested in Ballarat since 2021.
The announcement comes as one of the factory's biggest innovations - paper-based packaging of Mars, Snickers and Milky Way chocolate bars - begins to appear on shelves across the country.
The Ballarat factory's research and development hub developed the paper-based packaging following extensive trials costing more than $2.5 million.
The family-owned company aims to have all Mars Wrigley packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
Mars Wrigley general manager Andrew Leakey said the latest investment in the Ballarat factory was critical.
"Continued innovation and investment in sustainable solutions is critical to ensure that we can meet our 2025 packaging targets and commitments, as well as continuing to build Australia's modern manufacturing capabilities and the future of Australian-made products," Mr Leakey said.
"I'm proud that we are leading world-class innovation in packaging and sustainability from Australia in what is a world-first for us as a business."
"We are the first Mars Wrigley market in the world to launch a recyclable paper-based packaging at this size and scale, and it speaks volumes to the commitment of our team locally who have been working on this project for almost three years."
With Australia's 2025 National Packaging Targets two years away, Mars Wrigley says continuing to drive forward innovation in sustainability relies on the collaboration of business, industry and government.
The company worked closely with Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, to find a suitable material for the recyclable packaging.
Mr Leakey said there was no roadmap when the company started the project.
"We trialled many different materials and approaches before we landed on our paper-based solution, but one thing that was non-negotiable for us was to ensure that consumers could recycle our packaging within our current recycling infrastructure. Seeing our bars on shelf now is an incredibly proud moment for me," he said.
Mars Wrigley's latest investment in Ballarat includes greater innovation across its filled bar and Bitesize portfolios - M&Ms, Pods and Maltesers.
The Ballarat factory developed a new product, a Malteser coated in gold chocolate, which went on the shelves in January, signalling a sign of the growth and innovation for the company.
In September, it announced $25.5 million worth of technology upgrades to improve raw cocoa and melted chocolate production, support sustainable packaging initiatives and improve customer-drive innovation and efficiency.
The Ballarat factory produces Mars Bars, M&Ms, Maltesers, Pods, Milky Ways and Snickers bars. It turned 40 in 2019.
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