Hershey has unveiled a new packaging design for its Miniatures Assortment, which offers a more attractive presentation while also reducing wrapper weight by 0.05 grams — equivalent to over 271,800 pounds of wrappers saved every year.
Overall, the redesign will help Hershey to reduce its paper use and save 1,957 trees annually, the company says. The reduction in aluminum use and the energy needed to produce it is equivalent to turning off the electricity for one year in 56 homes.
Hershey says it has implemented more than 175 packaging sustainability projects across three countries that have saved 14 million pounds of packaging material over the past five years.
The company also announced a new goal to reduce packaging by an additional 16 million pounds through 25 new initiatives by 2017, which are included in the company’s new CSR report. The report outlines Hershey’s updated CSR strategy and framework, grounded in its core belief that strong performance begins by operating effectively and ethically.
Consumer demand, government legislation and technology advances will propel sustainable packaging to a $244 billion market by 2018, according to a February report by Smithers Para. The Future of Sustainable Packaging to 2018 details market sizes, projections and five-year sustainable packaging trends to 2018, focusing on key drivers, trends and technologies shaping the sustainable packaging industry. The report breaks down sales by type, end-use market and geographic region, and provides comprehensive coverage of the global market and supply chain.
In other Hershey news, the chocolate marker announced in March it had surpassed its water consumption target three years early and its zero waste to landfill (ZWL) and recycling targets two years early. The company said that by the end of 2013 it had converted six of its manufacturing facilities to ZWL, surpassing its 2015 goal of five; achieved a recycling rate of 86.6 percent, beating its 2015 goal of 85 percent; and reduced water consumption per pound of product by 58 percent by the end of 2012, far exceeding its 2015 goal of 10 percent.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published May 12, 2014 1am EDT / 10pm PDT / 6am BST / 7am CEST