2025 Sustainable in a Generation Report
Our Approach to Sustainability
In 2017, we launched the Sustainable in a Generation Plan and since this time, we have remained focused on helping shape a future with a healthier planet, thriving people and pets and a more inclusive society. Our approach to sustainability focuses on always striving to do the right thing and holding ourselves accountable for our sustainability performance over promises. We are committed to delivering responsible growth while providing quality products and services to our customers in a way which advances social and environmental progress.
In 2025, we continued to deliver meaningful progress, and I am proud of our continued efforts to generate good jobs and support our Associates and communities, while continuing to work towards a more resilient and sustainable future for all.
Our progress to date
Healthy Planet
Reducing our environmental impact in line with what science says is necessary to keep the planet healthy.
View MoreGoal: Reduce the total GHG emissions across our value chain by 50% by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2050 compared to 2015.
Goal: Hold flat the total land area associated with our value chain.
Goal: Reduce the gap to sustainable water usage in the long term, and reduce by 50% from 2015 to 2025.
Goal: Develop packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable and increase our use of post-consumer recycled content in our plastic.
Thriving People
Meaningfully improve the lives of the people in our value chain to enable them to thrive.
View MoreGoal: Meaningfully improve the lives of 1 million people across our value chain to enable them to thrive.
Goal: Increase smallholder household incomes through Mars-designed programs.
Goal: Improve the lives of women in our value chain with programs designed to enable them to thrive in our supply chain, farming and agricultural communities.
Nourishing Wellbeing
We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our Associates and consumers by delivering products and services that are trusted and enjoyed, and in turn enabling people and their pets to live healthier, happier lives.
View MoreGoal: Deliver 5.5 billion healthy meals per year by 2025, including 4 billion servings of vegetables and a 30% increase in fiber servings.
Goal: Nourish our community through a 5% reduction of sodium.
Goal: Deliver compliance with our Mars Marketing Code commitments at 95% for media content and 97% for media placement.
Highlights from our report
Healthy Planet
At Mars, we know our business can only succeed if we work to create a healthier planet. Our commitment to reducing our environmental impact is embedded in how we operate, extending to our supply chains and full value chain. We continue to make progress toward the targets set out in our Sustainable in a Generation Plan, with a focus on climate action, responsible land use, water stewardship and more circular packaging solutions.
Climate action sits at the center of our strategy and we continue to make steady progress towards achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. Our Net Zero Roadmap outlines our approach and the strategies that guide our journey, which include, amongst other levers, improving energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy and implementing climate-smart agriculture. This year, we accelerated emissions reductions beyond our own operations by beginning to scale renewable electricity across our full value chain through our RAcc program.
2025 Highlights
16.9% reduction in GHGs against a 2015 baseline1 while growing the business by approximately 75%
42.6% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions against a 2015 baseline
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Climate Action
- Achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050
- Accelerating Renewable Energy Across Value Chain
We aim to hold our total land footprint flat, so that our value chain does not indirectly contribute to further land use change. We are proud to have exceeded our target having reduced the land use associated with our value chain by approximately 8.6% in 2025 compared to our 2015 baseline.
We are working to redesign our supply chains to combat deforestation and ecosystem conversion across five raw materials identified as having the greatest impact: beef, cocoa, palm oil, pulp and paper and soy.2 Our approach to achieving and maintaining our deforestation and conversion free (DCF) supply chain commitments is guided by the Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi).3
We map our supply chains, engage with suppliers to manage our sourcing strategy and monitor for ongoing compliance in our supply base. Our leadership in this space was recognized in the 2025 Forest 500, where Mars ranked #7 out of the 500 companies assessed. Mars is also a member of the Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition through which we collaborate with other companies to take collective action to address deforestation.
2025 Highlights
We are proud to have exceeded our target having reduced the land use associated with our value chain by approximately 8.6% in 2025 compared to our 2015 baseline, supporting our goal that our supply chain does not indirectly contribute to additional deforestation or land conversion.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Land Use
Water availability continues to pose growing risks to communities, ecosystems and supply chains. Our Water Stewardship strategy is focused on working to reduce the gap to sustainable water use in water stressed regions of our value chain and our own operations, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable food production. In parallel, we continue to protect and restore ocean ecosystems through science-based, community-led coral reef restoration and to strengthen responsible fish sourcing through long-standing partnerships, improved traceability and the introduction of a Mars No-Krill Policy for fish sourcing.
2025 Highlights
35.5% reduction in the gap to sustainable water use in our value chain since 2015 baseline4
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Water Stewardship
At Mars, we want to help create a world where packaging material doesn’t become waste, but is recycled, reused or composted. To address the issue, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to reimagine and redesign our packaging. This includes reducing packaging and redesigning our portfolio to fit with the recycling infrastructure that either exists today or is likely to exist in the near future in the markets where we operate, making it easier for consumers to reuse or recycle our packaging.
In 2025, while we still have a long way to go, we made substantial progress across key areas by reducing plastic use, expanding reuse and refill initiatives, increasing recyclable packaging and advancing industry collaborations. Regardless of our redesign efforts, our products will only be fully circular when the necessary waste management, collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure exists at scale, and we are working actively with governments and NGOs to drive this change.
2025 Highlights
67.6% of our consumer-facing packaging (excluding transport or tertiary components) is designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable5
9.2% of recycled content in our global plastic portfolio
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Rethinking Packaging
Thriving People
As a family-owned business driven by The Five Principles, we believe the global economy — and global businesses like ours — need to do much more to ensure that work empowers people.
We strive to drive positive change and strengthen livelihoods in our global value chain by respecting human rights, increasing incomes and unlocking opportunities for people and communities.
Rooted in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we are strengthening how we identify, prevent, mitigate and address human rights risks across our operations and value chain.
Our approach is guided by our Human Rights Policy and reinforced through our Codes of Conduct, including our Workplace Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct (see Governance, Ethics & Compliance section for more detail). Together, these frameworks set clear expectations for our Associates and partners across labor standards, health and safety and responsible business practices.
In 2025, we focused on strengthening implementation and awareness of these standards. We published our Workplace Code of Conduct and updated our Supplier Code of Conduct to further clarify expectations on health, safety and land rights and to support progress toward living wages. The Supplier Code of Conduct is embedded in the majority of our tier-one supplier contracts, and we introduced a Supplier Code of Conduct Guidebook to support suppliers in understanding Mars human rights standards and building their own human rights due diligence capabilities. We also enhanced required training for all corporate Associates on the human rights standards embedded in our Supplier Code of Conduct.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Advancing Respect for Human Rights
The goal of advancing living income for smallholder farmers is at the heart of our Thriving People strategy, particularly as climate volatility places increasing pressure on incomes, food security and rural economies. We continue to strengthen farmer resilience through long-term investment in living income and livelihood programs in our mint, cocoa, coconut, shea and vanilla supply chains.
We are focused on building resilience within our supply chain, with advancing living incomes for farmers at the heart of our Thriving People strategy.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Increasing Income of Smallholder Farmers
We are working to create a more supportive, inclusive workplace and supply chain where all participants have the opportunity to thrive.
A key component of our workplace experience is our Associate Resource Groups (ARGs). ARGs are open to all and provide opportunities for support, communication and networking. Each of our 90+ Chapters worldwide belongs to one of our five global ARG pillars: Embracing Origins; Generations; PRIDE+; Thrive Collaboration and Women & Allies. These groups drive collaboration to maximize impact both globally and locally.
Across our supply chain, our aim is to have a broad array of businesses as a natural part of our supplier community. Our Supplier Inclusion Program creates opportunities for us to engage with suppliers of all sizes with a range of backgrounds, experiences and skills which are essential to serving the diverse communities in which we operate.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Unlocking Opportunities for All
Nourishing Wellbeing
Nourishing Wellbeing means helping people and pets live healthier, happier lives, today and for the long term. Through products and services that are trusted and enjoyed by millions, as well as our partnerships and community initiatives, we enable informed choices, expand access to nutritious food and strengthen the systems that support wellbeing across communities.
Mars Food & Nutrition is on a mission to make food that helps people thrive by providing products that are tasty, accessible and healthy. In 2025, we proudly delivered 3.4 billion healthy meals, including 308 million servings of fiber and 342 million servings of vegetables, all while reducing sodium by 3.9% (compared to a 2019 baseline). Our innovative products, like nutrient-packed ready meals, make it easier for consumers to enjoy nutritious, flavorful food.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Enabling Health and Wellbeing
Food safety is a top priority. We take a rigorous, science-based approach, working across our value chain to protect people and pets and secure our business. Through the Mars Global Food Safety Center, we continue to invest in training, collaboration and capability-building across our global supply chain. By strengthening food safety practices, we can help to reduce food waste, supporting more resilient food systems and lowering our environmental footprint.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Ensuring Safe Food
We are committed to improving the lives of pets through science, advocacy and partnerships that address critical welfare challenges globally. This includes expanding access to care, advancing tools that support pet health and creating more inclusive environments where pets and people can thrive together.
In 2025, Mars announced the global expansion of BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™, with a focus on creating more green spaces and pet-friendly places in urban communities around the world.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Advancing Pet Welfare
We are committed to marketing our brands responsibly, transparently and in line with our Purpose and the Five Principles. Our Mars Marketing Code guides how we communicate and engage with consumers. The Code applies to all Mars-produced and licensed human food products across all channels, including advertising, packaging, e-commerce, social media, digital platforms and emerging technologies. Key principles of our Code have been our commitments not to market human food products directly to children under the age of 13 and positioning our human food products responsibly to support consumers in making informed choices.
We report transparently on our performance through our annual Mars Marketing Code Governance Report, supported by third-party audited data. Our latest results highlight our adherence performance, with 99.4% adherence to media content standards and 99.67% adherence to media placement standards6, exceeding our targets of 95% and 97%, respectively. Through strong oversight, clear accountability and transparent reporting, we continue to build trust with consumers and uphold our commitment to responsible marketing.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Responsible Marketing
Governance
We view governance not as a checklist but as a generational commitment, and take a long-term view in seeking to make an impact through our sustainability efforts and investments.
Our approach is grounded in forward-looking stewardship that seeks impact over generations, ensuring our sustainability strategy remains resilient and future focused. Governance at Mars is deeply rooted in our Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom. These principles serve as the foundation of our business and our governance model and reflect our commitment to leading with ethics and integrity to create the world we want for tomorrow.
Our ethics and compliance framework is designed to uphold high standards of conduct and integrity across the organization. The Global Ethics & Compliance (E&C) team, led by the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), provides enterprise-wide oversight of ethical business practices, supporting responsible decision-making and consistent application of our standards across markets and functions.
The E&C team is responsible for promoting and enforcing our Ethics & Compliance Guide, which outlines how we operate and act with integrity. Other responsibilities include delivering training, managing reporting and investigation processes and implementing and overseeing key compliance policy areas such as antitrust, anti-bribery and corruption, data privacy and conflicts of interest. The team reports bi-annually to the Audit Committee of the Board on program effectiveness, emerging risks and trends, helping ensure continued oversight and accountability.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Ethics & Compliance Overview
Progress on sustainability depends on engaging with a broad range of stakeholders across our value chain. We work closely with NGOs, governments, regulators, scientific and academic institutions, industry coalitions, certification bodies and supplier networks to inform our approach and support shared solutions. Suppliers play a critical role in delivering our sustainability priorities.
The Mars Supplier Code of Conduct sets out our social, environmental and ethical expectations and is aligned with internationally recognized standards and legal frameworks. By setting these expectations and sharing them with our tier-one suppliers, we promote consistency, accountability and responsible practices across our supply chain. Our public policy engagement is guided by the Mars Principles for Public Policy Engagement, which emphasize transparency, fairness and alignment with our sustainability goals.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
Mars is committed to fostering a speak-up culture where Associates feel confident raising questions and concerns in a safe, confidential and respectful way. We provide multiple reporting channels to support this, including through our Ethics and Compliance team and our accredited Ombudsman program. Both of these channels include options for anonymous reporting, ensuring concerns can be raised without fear of retaliation. Together, our reporting mechanisms and safeguards help promote accountability, identify risks early and reinforce ethical conduct across our business and value chain.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Whistleblower Protections & Reporting Mechanisms
Mars is committed to protecting the personal data entrusted to us by our stakeholders and managing it with transparency, care and security. Our approach is guided by applicable global privacy regulations and our internal standards, supported by clear governance, policies and procedures that define how data is collected, used and protected. Oversight, internal assurance activities and regular engagement with our internal audit function help reinforce accountability and robust data security practices across the enterprise. In parallel, we are committed to responsible AI and digital ethics, embedding safeguards that ensure our use of technology aligns with human rights and our core values. This commitment is reflected in both our statement of Data Ethics and Responsible AI Policy, with enterprise governance co-led by the Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, under the oversight of the Mars Leadership Team and with visibility at the Board level.
Learn More
- Explore this section from the report: Data Security & Privacy Protection
FAQs
The Sustainable in a Generation Plan (SIGP) is Mars sustainability strategy, launched in 2017 to help create a healthier planet, thriving people and nourishing wellbeing. The plan guides how Mars integrates sustainability across its business, supply chain and operations, with goals focused on climate action, responsible sourcing, livelihoods, nutrition, human rights and wellbeing.
In 2025, Mars continued to make strong progress across all three pillars of its Sustainable in a Generation Plan. The company reduced greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain by 6.4% compared to 2024 (largest to date), bringing its cumulative absolute reduction to 16.9% since 2015, whilst growing the business by 75%. Mars also increased renewable electricity use across the full value chain, expanded climate-smart agriculture programmes, advanced deforestation-free sourcing efforts, had a 5.9% reduction in virgin plastic use, supported hundreds of thousands of people across its value chain and continued initiatives focused on nutrition, health and wellbeing while delivering 3.4 billion healthy meals.
Mars is reducing emissions through a combination of renewable electricity, climate-smart agriculture, deforestation-free supply chains, ingredient and recipe optimisation, and operational efficiency improvements. In 2025, these efforts contributed to a further 6.4% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across Mars full value chain, representing the company's largest annual reduction to date at a 16.9% reduction in GHGs against a 2015 baseline1 while growing the business by approximately 75%.
Mars Net Zero Roadmap outlines the company's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its full value and achieve Net Zero by 2050, compared with a 2015 baseline. The roadmap focuses on actions across renewable energy, agriculture, land use, sourcing, manufacturing and packaging to help decouple business growth from emissions growth.
Mars is beginning to expand renewable electricity through investments in renewable energy projects and its Renewables Acceleration (RAcc) program, which works with suppliers and partners across its value chain. In 2025, renewable electricity represented 78.4% of Mars' electricity use globally, while all direct U.S. operations became powered by 100% renewable electricity.
Mars supports climate-smart agriculture through projects designed to improve farmer resilience, strengthening their livelihoods and reduce emissions across agricultural supply chains. In 2025, Mars supported approximately 77 climate-smart agriculture projects across 26 countries and 12 crops, including initiatives focused on regenerative agriculture, crop resilience and farmer training.
Through its Thriving People pillar, Mars works to improve livelihoods, advance human rights and create economic opportunities across its value chain. In 2025, Mars reached approximately 885,000 people in their supply chain through programmes designed to improve smallholder farmer incomes, including 184,000 farmers and supported more than 130,000 women through initiatives focused on economic opportunity and community resilience.
Through its Nourishing Wellbeing pillar, Mars aims to improve health and wellbeing for people and pets. In 2025, Mars helped provide 3.4 billion healthy meals, including 308 million servings of fiber and 342 million servings of vegetables, while reducing sodium by 3.9% against a 2015 baseline. The company also launched the Pets and Wellbeing Study (PAWS) program to further understand the positive role pets play in supporting human wellbeing and mental health.
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Footnotes
1. This includes a small (<0.15%) contribution from soil carbon removals through climate-smart agriculture projects.
2. See the 2025 Sustainable in a Generation Report appendix for DCF percentages and scopes.
3. See the 2025 Sustainable in a Generation Report appendix for disclaimer and definition of achievement and maintenance of a DCF commitment.
4.This figure only includes water use associated with the production of agricultural crops (excluding livestock) purchased by Mars. For details on our operational water use, see the “Water and Operations” section of this report.
5. By weight, excluding tertiary and transport packaging. Our reportable data includes the consumer-packaged goods within our Mars Snacking, Mars Pet Care and Mars Food segments. The Mars Science and Diagnostics, Mars Retail and the Mars Vet Health businesses are not in scope.
6. Adherence data in reference to 2024 performance. Please note media data is generally subject to a one-year delay due to the reporting timelines of the US TV market, with broadcast data specifically experiencing a six-month lag.
