CorpComms Magazine

Retail chain M&S has introduced a 100 per cent compostable chocolate tray across its entire range of Swiss chocolates in time for Christmas.

The trays will be made of plantic, a starch-based material that breaks down completely when submerged in water. The material will also take approximately three weeks to biodegrade on a compost heap.

The cardboard outer layer of the chocolate boxes will be Forest Stewardship Council certified cardboard and the layer divider will be made from greaseproof paper and also fully recyclable.

The only component of the box that cannot be either dissolved or reused is the plastic film wrapping made from Polypropene (PP) which, although recyclable, is not currently collected in the UK.

The tray will also be used in boxes of M&S mince pies.

Back in 2005, the retailer began making the film windows in its sandwich boxes from cornstarch, replacing what then amounted to an annual volume of 750 tonnes of plastic with a fully biodegradable substitute.

The supermarket continues its ambitious plan to become carbon neutral by 2012.

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