Mars Wrigley UK has taken another step in its journey towards 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging with the removal of the black PE liner from its Maltesers boxes – a familiar site on store shelves since 1930.

The company has replaced the old multi-layer box design, where the PE plastic liner covered the box with a dispersion coated barrier paperboard. The company says the new design will reduce its annual plastic usage by 82 tonnes.

The new Maltesers box uses Metsä Board's dispersion coated barrier board, which is fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable and made of fresh fibers 100% traceable to their origin in sustainably managed Northern European forests.

"At Mars, we take our responsibility for sustainable packaging seriously, and today's announcement that our iconic Maltesers box is now fully recyclable is another important step in our journey toward packaging that is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable," says Adam Grant, general manager, Mars Wrigley UK.

"We are firmly committed to helping brands develop solutions that address the increasingly pressing need to take food packaging in a more sustainable direction," says Matthew Terry, technical service director, South, and West Europe, Metsä Board.