News

Mars is to switch 30 million jars a year of Uncle Ben's sauces to a new lightweight container after completing the first trial in the food sector supported by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

The food brand owner has reduced the weight of Uncle Ben's ambient sauce jars by 6%, from 258g to 243g, saving 450 tonnes of glass a year.

Mars worked with project manager Faraday Packaging and glass manufacturer Ardagh Glass in The Netherlands to identify the potential environmental benefits of lightweighting.

Mars packaging innovation manager Frieda Sporen said: "Crucially, the new jar can be manufactured smoothly on our existing production line."

The project follows Mars' lightweighting of the 500g Dolmio sauce jar last year.

The Glassrite food, flavoured alcoholic beverage (FAB) and soft drinks lightweighting project was launched in August last year, with support from British Glass, leading glass manufacturers, retailers and brand owners.

Wrap has estimated that the food sector could save 65,000 tonnes of glass and 175,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2009. The food, FAB and soft drink sectors account for 34% of the UK's total container glass use.