Moo’ving Dairy Forward: Our Approach to Dairy Sustainability
Working to Cut Methane, Not Corners, Through our Moo’ving Dairy Forward Plan
At Mars, we love cows.
In fact, over 200,000 of our hoofed friends help us make our millions of tasty chocolate treats that are enjoyed around the world.
But the rumors are true: cows release gasses, along with other by-products of day-to-day cow life (manure and food production), that have an impact on our environment. In fact, dairy is the second largest contributor to the carbon footprint of our Snacking business.
Doing our part to keep our planet healthy is absolutely non-negotiable. Climate action is at the center of our dairy sourcing strategy, part of our multi-billion dollar Sustainable in a Generation plan that includes a 2050 Net Zero emissions commitment across our entire business.
In line with our 2030 ambition to slash emissions across our entire business by 50%, we’re reducing the carbon footprint of our dairy sourcing.
The Farmer Forward Program
Dairy farmers want to embrace sustainable solutions, but that can come with a high price tag. That’s where the Farmer Forward Program steps into the pasture.
Created in cow-llaboration with global dairy producer Fonterra, the $27 million, five-year investment aims to empower dairy farmers to embrace climate-smart agriculture by funding tools, technology and cash incentives.
A cornerstone of Moo’ving Dairy Forward, the Farmer Forward Program is projected to reduce our scope 3 emissions from dairy by over 150,000 metric tons by 2030 (against a 2015 baseline) — equivalent to removing more than a whopping 380 million miles from the road.
The details of our dairy plan
How we're targeting enteric methane
A single cow expels enough methane, largely through burping, to fill ~5000 balloons every single year (95kg). We like to call our solutions "burp busting technology".
We’re partnering with our top dairy producers to improve feed ingredients (and include new ingredients into their cow diet!) that help reduce the methane produced.
In Tasmania, we’re working with one of our dairy producers, Fonterra, to explore sourcing feed using its Seaforest seaweed food supplement (also known as ‘Asparagopsis’ ). The addition of seaweed isn’t just a fancy-food flex, it significantly reduces the amount of methane generated by the cows that eat it.
In Poland, we are launching a Bovaer® feed additive project.
How we're managing manure
Un-managed cow manure is a significant contributor to the carbon footprint of a dairy farm. We're on a mission to #NormalizeManureManagement.
Properly managed manure not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also provides organic fertilizer that can be used to help grow the food the cows eat. It’s basically the circle of life. At Mars, we’re on an important mission to expand the reach of cow poo technology. #NormalizeManureManagement.
We’re partnering with Land O’Lakes in the U.S. on exciting manure management projects including solid separators and manure lagoon covers. When combined, these two technologies can significantly reduce manure storage emissions.
Manure tends to be a smaller portion of the farm emissions in countries outside of the U.S. due to farm structure and size. However, manure management solutions are still part of our programs in other countries, like in our partnership with Friesland Campina in the Netherlands where farmers are using manure additives to reduce storage emissions and implementing biodigesters to convert manure into energy.
How we're targeting feed production
Cows have special stomachs, and those stomachs like to be full. Milk doesn’t make itself you know! We're helping to ensure cow food is as sustainable as possible.
At Mars, we’re partnering with our dairy producers and their farmers to understand how their dairy feed crops are grown and what practices we can support to promote soil health and increase soil carbon storage (aka: regenerative agriculture practices).
Regenerative agriculture practices can include things like cover cropping (a crop that covers the soil to minimize soil erosion and keeps carbon in the soil year-round) and minimizing topsoil disturbance through low or no till practices.
The complex dairy farming industry
No single farm is the same
Implementing plans to reduce GHG emissions on dairy farms is complex: no one farm is the same, they differ in size, structure – whether pasture-based, or barn-based – and have various soil types for growing crops. But we aren’t deterred! Mars is committed to bold out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to reducing dairy emissions.
We are supporting our supplier DMK on three net zero pilot farms in Germany that aim to implement and study proven and new technologies, with the ambition being to create a pathway towards net zero. This five-year project will test practices on different farm types across the country (e.g., size, soil type, etc.) while evaluating the farmer economics of each practice.
Changing the industry
The Sustainable Dairy Partnership
To build a truly more sustainable world, we know that the industry as a whole must embrace collaboration to co-create solutions that transcend what is currently possible.
We're proud to be a founding member of the Sustainable Dairy Partnership, an industry group for dairy buyers and producers that outlines a process for making progress against the Dairy Sustainability Framework’s 11 sustainability criteria.
Today, the majority of our dairy is sourced from producers that are members of the Sustainable Dairy Partnership.
What's Next
"At Mars, the door is always open to collaborate with forward-thinking minds: Entrepreneurs and disruptors that defy the status quo in pioneering new technologies. We believe that partnerships like these bridge the gap between established expertise and emerging ideas, fostering an environment where innovation thrives. We know that, together, with new pioneers and long-term partners, we can forge a path that not only mitigates the impacts of climate change but can also reshape our wider industry for a more sustainable future."
