Mars Wrigley UK uses spent cocoa shells for new supermarket display boards

Dubbed ‘Bean Boards’, the material is made from 70% recycled paper and 30% waste cocoa bean shells, and are on trial in Tesco supermarkets across the country.

Working with its sustainability partners Medoola, ECOR and display production firm DS Smith, the confectionery giant said that when compared to an equivalent corrugated board display, its new design is claimed to require 93% less land to produce with no virgin tree fibres being used in the manufacture of the new material.

Adam Grant, General Manager, Mars Wrigley UK said: “At Mars Wrigley, we’re on a mission to future proof the growing confectionery category. While we’ve typically been focused on sustainable innovation from bean to the bar, we’re now looking further to explore new routes beyond our direct supply chain.​

“The new ‘Bean Board’ material is a prime example of how FMCG manufacturers can look beyond their production line to help create the world we want tomorrow and we’re looking forward to seeing how the trial goes so the wider industry can also benefit from using the new material.”​