Chewing gum remains on the earth forever, never decomposing. So it's about time a wave of environmentally friendly chewing gum brands entered the market with alternative and innovative ingredient sources with unique ways to remove the synthetic rubbers and plastic preservers found in traditional gums.

For decades, gum brands haven't changed their offerings. Capturing this opportunity are the next generation of confectionery businesses that focus on health and sustainability, creating healthy and natural alternatives to everyday gum.

This is a category not only with a severe environmental message about the single-use plastic used to package chewing gum and the plastic content contained in gum, but a category pioneering visual conversations to reflect the times to create change on a global scale.

New gum brands are disrupting and challenging the conventional design norms when it comes to curating gums that are healthier for consumers while being kinder to the planet. New design codes have emerged, helping to announce and define this new age of cleaner and kinder gum, with insights and learnings taken from other food categories. 

Retailers like Iceland, who were the first to sell bio-degradable chewing gum, have been at the forefront of the consumer appetite and the trend for cleaner recipes within a category that needs to change, playing its part in the mission of creating cleaner environments.

Creating new associations for chewing gum

The Danish brand, True Gum, which has the world's smallest gum factory, makes wrapped foil gum sticks a thing of the past. This kinder alternative for the planet transports you through a journey of nature. Graphic ingredient illustrations are generously embellished, presenting a strong visual identity that heightens the naturalness of their recipes.

Disrupting the US market with cleaner design codes and a focus on the naturalness of its ingredients, Simply Gum has no hidden agenda. Offering an alternative cleaner choice of sophisticated flavours, made from natural biodegradable ingredients, minimally packaged to highlight the brand's purity from 'simple beginnings.'

The latest contemporary gum brand, Nuud Gum, differentiates itself from other sustainable gum brands that have led the change through the lens of nature. Its expressive visual identity delivers a fun and playful experience through bold typography. Nuud's transparent, light-hearted tone of voice and gender-neutral mascot borrows cues from protest and revolution aesthetics without appearing too worthy or preaching.

More design codes will emerge as the landscape evolves

The global market for chewing gum is projected to reach $36.6 billion by 2027. When you combine this with the growing desire for consumers to replace their everyday consumption choices with healthier and natural alternatives, there is an incredible opportunity for challenger brands to become a relevant part of the market. 

Using sustainability to create a competitive edge with authentic storytelling and distinctive personalities, these brands will challenge traditional sensory taste and flavour design codes nurtured by heritage gum brands for decades. 

What is centric across this new wave of chewing gum brands is the element of eco care and expressing individual personalities, adding character to land much-needed healthier credentials. These brands are on a mission to change our behaviours. 

Thanks to changes in consumer shopping habits and a greater understanding and control of our health, white space opportunities in this category continue to emerge. Although the niche market for health-enhancing gum is poised to grow over the next five years, its contribution to market growth will be exponential, outpacing traditional gum. 

Market demands will be driven from functional chewing gum to aid our lifestyle to medicated chewing gum to address consumer health needs beyond oral care. New design codes within this category will evolve, tapping into future wellness aesthetics changing the function of chewing gum.