Mars Wrigley Australia has made a sizeable investment in local manufacturing, commissioning a new production line at its Asquith facility in New South Wales to boost capacity and drive packaging sustainability.
The $6.5 million investment will increase output at the gum and mints factory by more than 60 per cent, supporting the production of popular Extra gum sugar-free flavours including Spearmint, White Spearmint, Intense Mint, Peppermint, White Peppermint, White Bubblemint, and Strawberry.
Alongside the production scale-up, the new line features circular-by-design packaging technology that will eliminate around 13 tonnes of soft plastic annually. The sustainable redesign replaces the previous tray – made from 500gsm recycled content board and sealed with plastic overwrap – with a 100 per cent recyclable 400gsm wraparound tray made entirely of cardboard containing recycled content.
A Mars Wrigley spokesperson told PKN that the change was made specifically to the secondary packaging and reflects the company’s broader goals to eliminate unnecessary materials and reduce reliance on virgin plastics.
“The new gum bottle line uses a tray packer that allows us to remove the plastic overwrap entirely, replacing it with a fully recyclable cardboard solution. This shift alone removes over 2200 kilometres of plastic wrap each year,” the spokesperson said.
The new packaging system was developed in collaboration with Smurfit Westrock, Mars Wrigley’s packaging supplier, and underwent extensive testing before implementation. “We trialled five different prototypes, adjusting grammage and perforation designs to optimise performance for ease of opening while maintaining structural integrity,” the spokesperson explained.
The redesign also includes downgauging of board weight to improve functionality, while the use of recycled content in the cardboard helps reduce the pack’s overall carbon footprint.
While the packaging improvement won’t be obvious to consumers from a visual standpoint – since the tray footprint remains largely unchanged – it is labelled with appropriate recycling logos in line with the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) program. However, Mars Wrigley says there are no plans at this stage for broader consumer-facing messaging.
“Our design brief was to make the change seamless from a shopper experience point of view, while still delivering meaningful sustainability outcomes,” the spokesperson said.
Located north of Sydney, the Asquith factory has operated continuously since 1958 and is the sole manufacturing site for all locally made Mars Wrigley gum and mints sold in Australia, including Extra, Eclipse, PK and Juicy Fruit. The facility currently employs 190 people.
Mars Wrigley’s Australian manufacturing footprint spans multiple states, with operations also in Bathurst and Wyong (NSW), Ballarat and Wodonga (VIC), and Wacol (QLD). The company has been manufacturing in Australia since 1915, when the original Wrigley factory opened in Melbourne.
Daniel Firth, plant manager at Mars Wrigley Australia, said the investment reflects the company’s dual commitment to operational excellence and sustainability. “This expansion provides significant additional capacity to deliver the products our customers love and enjoy, while helping us advance our goals in reducing plastic use.”
The move aligns with Mars’ global Sustainable in a Generation Plan, which targets 100 per cent of consumer-facing packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable. “This investment takes us closer to that goal by eliminating unnecessary packaging and improving recyclability in our gum and mints portfolio,” the spokesperson added.
Michael Ryan, general manager of Mars Wrigley Australia, noted, “The Asquith site is an incredibly important part of our business and Mars’ history in Australia. This investment is a vote of confidence in local manufacturing and the growth potential of the gum and mints category.”
