Did you know gum is made from plastic? CEO Tom Raviv certainly didn’t before launching plastic-free gum brand Milliways.
Raviv was curiously looking through the ingredients list on the back of a gum packet and was shocked to see a long list of artificial ingredients. “I didn’t know how to pronounce any of them, and I certainly didn’t see any at my local supermarket,” he says.
After some digging on the internet, he came across a mystery ingredient labelled as gum base.
“I Googled gum base and discovered it’s a concoction of petroleum-derived plastics, polymers, resins and waxes, all of which are used in just single-use plastic items such as straws and bags,” explained Raviv.
“Who wants to chew on that?”
It turns out that pieces of gum are, in fact, tiny little pieces of gluey plastic which are discarded so freely that you can find them almost anywhere, years later – from underneath school desks to the soles of our shoes. According to Raviv, most gum isn’t disposed of correctly – in fact it’s the second most littered item on our planet – which, of course, goes on to cause permanent harm if it’s made from single-use plastic.”
Unhappy with what was on offer, Raviv looked for a solution to curb the ongoing plastic-based gum pollution. Enter Milliways.
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How it all began
Founded and launched in 2021, Raviv’s motivations behind creating Milliways was to offer a product that was plastic-free, plant-based and health-friendly but still “unique and delicious” – and maintaining the same taste characteristics as conventional chewing gum.
“We spent a lot of time researching the best ingredients and recipes, and ultimately created the delicious plant-powered recipe that we use in our products today,” he explains.
The gum consists of just eight ingredients, the most important being chicle.
“Chicle comes from Central America and makes our gum chewy and gives us the sort of chewing gum texture that people are used to.”
The result is a biodegradable product which typically takes between five to 12 months to break down. The actual rate of gum decomposition depends on various factors; most importantly where the gum is disposed.
“Proper waste management is crucial as waste may take less time to decompose in a compost machine or longer in low-traffic areas like gravel or grassland,” says Raviv.
Although the plastic-free gum does eventually biodegrade, the brand advocates for the “responsible disposal of gum in designated bins to reduce the impact of litter on our communities, just as if it were a piece of fruit”.
Making Milliways a household name
In just over two years since it made its online direct-to-consumer debut, Milliways has seen some impressive progress. A £1m investment shortly after launch allowed the brand to make a strong initial rollout and it is currently available in more than 6,000 UK stores, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Pret A Manger, Costa, WHSmith and Whole Foods.
Milliways also recently released its plans to further scale the brand, with a £3 million fundraising round which has seen it garner support from investors including private equity firm KLT, Intergum owner Leon Amram, and David Morris, partner at Blandford Capital and former board member of Sodastream.
The capital raised will be used to fund ongoing expansion plans, bolstering the brand’s distribution across the UK, supporting impactful marketing campaigns and helping to facilitate international growth.
“Securing this funding round with such a high calibre of investors is testament to the incredible opportunity that lies ahead as we aim to make Milliways a household name to everyone, everywhere, every day for all the right reasons,” said Raviv.
The impressive growth trajectory highlights the brand’s appeal in the light of a growing consumer demand for eco-friendly products.
In pursuit of plastic-free perfection
While Raviv and the team at Milliways are trying to be as plastic-free as possible throughout the supply chain, it’s not always possible, with certain safety standards – such as the use of disposable plastic gloves – almost impossible to avoid.
“While maintaining sustainability throughout our supply chain, we also need to deliver absolute quality and adhere to food safety standards,” says Raviv.
Raviv also maintains that having honest and open conversations with suppliers so that they understand the brands purpose and goals is key to Milliways’ successes.
“Frequent meetings help us align with our suppliers, push R&D boundaries, and maintain a high-quality supply chain,” he says.
“We constantly pursue perfection in manufacturing, packaging and raw materials and always encourage our suppliers to eliminate the use of plastic as and when they’re handling our product unless it’s absolutely essential for the health and safety of our final consumers.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t solve the entire plastic problem just yet – but we’re starting with one piece of gum at a time.”
Making plastic-free gum the norm
When asked about other companies following in Milliways footsteps and creating sustainable, plastic-free gum, Raviv said he’d “be surprised if they didn’t notice the urgent need”.
“In just over two and a half years, we have become the UK’s leading plastic-free gum company. This success reflects the demand for innovative products like ours, attracting opportunistic businesses to the space.”
Ultimately though, Raviv sees Milliways recent successes as a significant moment for plastic-free brands in general, as they continue to grow in both prominence and market share.
“Our mission is to make plastic-free gum the norm, so we prioritise an attractive customer experience, fantastic flavours, and quality throughout,” he says, confident in his assertions that Milliways will continue to break ground on its journey to revolutionise the chewing gum industry.
