By Alastair Child, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars
At New York Climate Week this year, one word appeared everywhere: resilience.
Businesses resilience, supply chain resilience, resilience of food systems, and resilience of communities.
Given the continuous global shocks we are navigating today, resilience has moved to the forefront of many conversations. Throughout the week, I reflected on what resilience really means, what it takes to build resilient operations and supply chains, and how resilience reinforces sustainability.
The science hasn't changed. Neither have our Principles
The language around climate and sustainability is evolving. The business context is evolving. The questions leaders are asking are evolving. However, the fundamental challenge remains the same. The science has not changed. The impacts of climate change continue to become more visible across economies, communities and supply chains. The risks of tomorrow are becoming the risks of today.
Businesses are talking more about competitiveness, affordability, resilience and risk. Yet these conversations consistently led back to the same conclusion: long-term business success depends on delivering growth while supporting thriving communities and a healthy planet. This does not need to be a trade-off. We have decoupled our emissions reduction from business growth, delivering an accumulated 2025 result of -16.9% versus our 2015 baseline, while growing the business by approximately 75%
Our approach to business remains rooted in our Five Principles. We still believe in Mutuality - that business growth and positive impact must go hand in hand, that building a healthier planet is fundamental to building a business for generations to come and that acting to mitigate climate change today is far preferable to adapting to its catastrophic and irreversible consequences tomorrow.
Resilience should reinforce sustainability
Companies are working to build supply chains that can withstand disruption, navigating increasing volatility, and trying to manage long-term risks in a rapidly changing world.
But resilience and sustainability are not interchangeable. Resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from a disruption or challenge by having the readiness to navigate. Sustainability meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. Despite being the language of the moment, resilience should not replace sustainability. It should reinforce it, because resilience is only possible through sustainability.
At Mars, we cannot diversify our way out of environmental disruption. Nor can we insure our way out of climate change. We cannot build resilient supply chains without being farmer-focused and creating thriving rural communities and healthy ecosystems.
We see this reality every day through the ingredients and agricultural systems we depend on. Whether it's dairy, peanuts, rice or other key commodities, the future of our business depends on the long-term resilience of the raw material as well as the people and landscapes that help produce them.
That's why sustainability remains a business imperative. Not because it's separate from resilience, but because it is the foundation of resilience and carries us through to the long-term.
Investments require us to think for generations, not quarters
Another recurring theme throughout Climate Week was the growing focus on making the economic case for sustainability. Solutions that create value are more likely to be adopted and more likely to scale. Businesses need credible pathways that connect sustainability with growth, innovation and risk management.
At Mars, we believe that lasting success comes from thinking for generations, not quarters. We heard from farmers about the importance of long-term investments to protect their business and deliver growth in a sustainable way. That mindset matters when investing in regenerative agriculture and helping farmers adapt to changing conditions. It also matters when accelerating renewable energy, protecting ecosystems or developing the supply chains that future generations will rely on.
We should still seek opportunities that deliver business value, but we should also recognize that some of the most important investments we make today cannot be measured in a three-to-five year investment cycle, but are designed to create resilience and value over generations.
Sustainability continues to be embedded throughout business
Some of our key moments from Climate Week involved our Associates from across the business. Hearing one of our dairy buyers sharing her sourcing perspectives demonstrated how sustainability is embedded throughout our organization. Associates brought their practical insights about supply chains to commercial discussions about resilience and long-term value creation. They also spoke to customers, suppliers and partners about how sustainability is integral to our business strategy rather than as a standalone topic.
That's exactly where progress happens. Real transformation occurs when sustainability is embedded into everyday business decisions - when procurement, commercial, operations, farmers, suppliers and sustainability specialists are all working toward the same outcomes.
The future won't be built by sustainability teams alone. It will be built by organizations where sustainability is woven into how the business operates every day.
This is not a race we want to win alone
Perhaps my strongest impression from Climate Week was simply this: people are still showing up. The agenda was packed. The rooms were busy. The conversations were energetic. The willingness and desire to collaborate remain strong.
During discussions on regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, packaging, reporting, climate, livelihoods and policy, there was a shared recognition that no single company can solve these challenges alone.
That reality is particularly important as conversations continue around international frameworks, including the UN Plastics Treaty. While recognizing that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, businesses still need greater policy certainty, stronger collaboration and clearer pathways for collective action.
The same was true in conversations with customers, suppliers and peers. Some of the most productive discussions of the week focused on how we can work together to accelerate progress across entire value chains, rather than how to optimize performance within individual organizations.
This has been our belief at Mars for many years. The race to net zero isn't a race we want to win alone. We acknowledge that there is little value in being a 1.5°C-aligned company operating in a world that is 4°C warmer. We only succeed if we make progress together.
Continuing to hold the line
Reflecting on Climate Week 2026, there is still a critical mass of companies that remain committed to holding the line. They are getting traction by connecting sustainability to resilience, competitiveness, growth and long-term value creation.
The conversation is evolving. The language is evolving. Yet the fundamentals remain consistent. The science hasn't changed. Our Principles haven't changed. The risks of tomorrow are becoming the realities of today. Our belief that long-term business success depends on balancing growth with a commitment to people and the planet remains unchanged.
In a world that often feels uncertain, that's a line worth holding.
