Sustainable In A Generation – Agriculture, Supply Chain and Science

The world is facing significant challenges.

Poverty, water stress, climate change, and other social and environmental issues are holding back the potential of people, communities and business.

At Mars, we believe it’s time to take a new approach to addressing these challenges – an approach that takes what we’ve learned during the last decade by focusing on the impacts of our direct operations – and expands our ambitions to our entire value chain to make a significant impact. It’s also time to embrace a sense of urgency. That’s why we’re launching our new Sustainable in a Generation Plan – a plan to grow in ways that are good for people, good for the planet and good for our business. The plan sets new and ambitious goals around three key areas: healthy planet, thriving people and nourishing wellbeing.

Healthy Planet

Our goal is to reduce our environmental impacts in line with what science says is necessary to keep the planet healthy

Climate Action

Reduce the total GHG emissions across our value chain by 27% by 2025 and 67% by 2050.
Water Stewardship

Eliminate water use in excess of sustainable levels in our value chain.
Land Management

Hold flat the total land area associated with our value chain.

Thriving People

We have set a goal to meaningfully improve the working lives of one million people in our value chain to enable them to thrive.

Increasing Income

We believe everyone working within our extended supply chains should earn a sufficient income to maintain a decent standard of living.
Respecting Human Rights

Everyone touched by our business is treated with fairness, dignity and respect.
Unlocking Opportunity for Women

In our workplaces, marketplaces and supply chains.

Nourishing Wellbeing

Our goal is to advance science, innovation and marketing in ways that help billions of people and their pets lead healthier, happier lives.

Food Safety

Mitigate food safety risks around the world.
Product Renovation

Invest in science and product design to improve the nutrition and portions of our products.
Responsible Marketing

Market our products in ways that will help billions of people lead healthier, happier lives.

Learn about our three ambitions

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The Path to Zero - Mars & Moy Wind Farms

Moy Wind Farm

The energy it takes to make MARS® bars, WHISKAS® cat food, EXTRA® gum and UNCLE BEN’S® rice in the U.K. is now provided by a new wind farm in Moy, Scotland. Through a partnership with Eneco U.K., the 20-turbine wind farm, located just south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, will generate renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity used by all 12 Mars U.S. sites.

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Learn more about our ambition towards a Healthy Planet

Mars' Farmer Income Lab

Many smallholder farms are family businesses and, like Mars as a family-owned business, we want them to be successful for generations to come. Too many of them are not thriving today and although Mars typically does not purchase raw materials directly from farmers, we recognize that helping lift smallholder farmers out of poverty is both the right thing to do and vital for the long-term sustainability of our supply chains.

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Learn more about our ambition towards Thriving People

The Challenge We Face

“At Mars, our ambition is that those working across our extended supply chains should earn sufficient income to maintain a decent standard of living.”

Barry Parkin, Mars’ Chief Sustainability & Health and Wellbeing Officer

Product & Ingredient Renovation

As a leading provider of food for people and pets, we want to make sure the products we offer, and the ingredients they contain, fit into a balanced diet. We are continuously investigating ways to improve the nutritional content of our products without compromising taste, convenience, quality or affordability.

How Our Plan is Different

Doing what’s right,
not just doing better

Our goals are set on the basis of scientific data and The Five Principles that guide our business: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom. Together, these tell us that to operate a sustainable global business we must move beyond incremental improvements to unlock systemic changes that benefit people and the planet.

Learn more about our science-driven approach

A business strategy built on
win–win relationships

We’ve built a clear roadmap based on strong and mutual returns. We know we can’t grow and prosper unless the planet, people and communities on which we rely are healthy and thriving.

Learn how we will play a role to increase opportunity for people in the workplaces and communities we touch

Uncommon collaborations

We recognize that solutions and impact at scale require collaboration. We’re building new partnerships and action-oriented coalitions to find and scale breakthrough solutions to sustainable growth.

See How We Work Together

Sustainable in a Generation Milestones

As Mars sets new goals through the Sustainable in a Generation Plan, we can look back with pride at the steps we’ve already taken and the milestones we’ve already achieved towards sustainability.

May, 2017

Mars Chocolate & Wrigley Pledge $200 Million towards choice & transparency.

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May, 2017

Mars Partners with Field To Market to Find Sustainable Solutions

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July, 2017

Mars Launches The Farmer Income Lab, a collaborative “think-do tank” aimed at helping improve famer incomes.

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September, 2017

Mars unveils the Sustainable in a Generation Plan — a plan that focuses on doing what's right, not just doing better.

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