These traditions have stood the test of time — so much so that the heart-shaped paper box has become almost mandatory. Every year, 36m heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold, for example in the US.
But beneath the glossy boxes hides a less romantic truth. At the end of the day, when the chocolate has been eaten, the earth has to deal with the consequences. For every chocolate we share, the packaging it comes wrapped in is far too often derived from the destruction of the world’s most climate-critical, biodiversity-rich forests.
Consumers are paying attention to the environmental impact of the things they buy and the packaging it comes in. 66% of global consumers want chocolate brands to have a positive impact on the earth and are willing to put their money where their heart is; even 50% are willing to pay a premium.
They see through empty sustainability claims and expect real solutions. In response, many brands have pivoted away from plastic, positioning paper packaging as the eco-friendly alternative. But here’s the catch: this shift is fuelling deforestation and degradation at an alarming rate.
If business continues as usual, paper packaging is projected to continue to be one of the fastest growing packaging materials, growing almost 5% every year until 2028 and paper isn’t the green saviour it’s often made out to be.
Every year, more than 3bn trees are logged to produce paper packaging—generating as much CO₂ as 250m cars. In the UK alone, Valentine’s Day generates more than 17,000 tonnes of cardboard packaging waste in a single day, from chocolate boxes to the avalanche of online gift orders.
Despite good intentions, paperboard packaging now accounts for nearly a third of the global packaging market—putting it on par with plastic and far larger than metal or glass. We’re not solving the problem; we’re just shifting it from one material to another.
Paper already makes up 40% of landfill waste, meaning we are cutting down forests just to throw them away. In fact, the food and beverage industry frequently ranks as the largest end-use sector for paper packaging.
The chocolate industry has made strides in addressing deforestation linked to cocoa production, but packaging is often overlooked. Too often, it still comes from Ancient and Endangered Forests that are vital ecosystems, absorbing 7.6bn tonnes of CO₂ per year, regulate our climate, and provide critical habitat for endangered species. With the global chocolate packaging market projected to reach $89.75bn by 2032 – an 88% increase from 2022 – this is the moment for brands to rethink their approach.
Let’s break up with the false choice between paper and plastic and get serious about sustainability; virgin forest fibres, account for 43% of global pulp production in 2021, per non-profit Canopy.
Instead, let’s use products normally wasted or burned, like agricultural residues such as sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw, or cocoa shell hulls in Next Gen materials. Chocolate manufacturers, with their abundant agricultural waste from the production process, are well suited to embrace these solutions, turning waste into a sustainable packaging solution.
It’s a match made in heaven. Even consumers are rooting for this relationship: a recent study showed 70% of consumers view plant-based packaging, like Next Gen, as extremely or very sustainable, higher than paper packaging.
And Next Gen isn’t just theoretical – it’s already happening. This Valentine’s Day, raise a toast to packaging that doesn’t rely on forest destruction, like Veuve Clicquot’s low-carbon, low-impact champagne box, made from 50% hemp and 50% recycled paper that’s 12% lighter than conventional packaging. These circular solutions aren’t a fairy tale—they’re already helping ensure our planet feels the love every day of the year.
