M&M's, Skittles and Starburst brands to use lighter-weight jars made from PCR recycled plastic

        Evansville, Indiana-based Berry Global is partnering with Mars Inc., McLean, Virginia, to introduce larger-format polyethylene terephthalate (PET) jars for its popular M&M's, Skittles and Starburst snacks in lighter-weight jars made from PCR recycled plastic.

        The Easy Grip jars, available in 60-, 81- and 87-ounce sizes, include 15 percent post-consumer resin (PCR) while being lighter in weight.

        Berry is producing the jars at one of its manufacturing plants, using single-pellet food-grade resin to ensure a clean, consistent substrate from mechanical recycling. The company said the new containers will reduce virgin plastic by about 300 tons per year, while the 81-ounce and 87-ounce jars will save 374 metric tons of carbon dioxide due to a 10-gram weight reduction.

        The new jars are the latest move by Mars, which says it is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to design more sustainable packaging.

        “At Mars, we want to contribute to a circular economy where packaging materials never become waste, but are instead recycled, reused or composted,” said Justin Comes, vice president of research and development for Mars Wrigley North America. “We have an aggressive, science-based strategy to innovate our packaging, and changing the PCR to 15% for these larger format jars is an important step toward a more sustainable future.”