Mars continues to decouple carbon emissions
from business growth by reducing absolute GHG emissions in the full
value chain by 16% since 2015
- Mars 2023 Sustainable in a Generation Report shows a record 8%
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, doubling its total GHG
reduction to 16% across its full value chain and delivering its
largest single year reduction in GHG emissions against its 2015
baseline. In the same period, the Mars business has grown over 60%
to more than $50 billion in annual
sales.
- The absolute GHG reductions of 5.7 million metric tons cover
the entire Mars Scope 1, 2 and 3 value chain, and Mars remains on
track to delivering a 50% GHG reduction for its value chain by the
end of 2030.
- With almost 60% of the Mars GHG footprint coming from
agriculture, Mars is investing further in scaling climate smart
agriculture through initiatives already underway that will deliver
more than 1 million acres of regenerative agriculture by 2030
across the globe, sourcing ingredients for Mars products ranging
from snacks for people to meals for pets.
- Mars CEO Poul Weihrauch said the
progress reported is the result of the company's strategy to
deliver solid growth while reducing its carbon emissions.
MCLEAN,
Va., July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars,
Incorporated today released the 2023 Mars Sustainable in a
Generation Report, announcing notable progress toward its goal of
achieving net zero by 2050, registering a record 8% GHG
emissions reduction against its 2015 baseline across its full value
chain in 2023 alone. Since 2015, GHG emissions in the company's
value chain have been reduced by 16% (or 5.7 million metric tons
— the equivalent GHG emissions generated by more than 1.3
million gasoline-powered automobiles in a year1), while
growing the business more than 60% to over $50 billion.
When Mars published the Mars Net Zero Roadmap in 2023, the
company committed to investing more than $1
billion over three years – and continuing to commit
financial resources as needed until net zero is achieved.
Poul Weihrauch, Mars CEO
said: "Last year, we published our Net Zero Roadmap
promising to accelerate our carbon reductions, and with this year's
results, we are delivering on our business strategy to
continue to grow while reducing our carbon emissions. We
still have a long way to go, but we will continue to follow the
science and show how a responsible business can both do well and do
good."
With almost 60% of the company's value chain GHG footprint
coming from agricultural ingredients, Mars is scaling up new
climate smart agriculture initiatives to drive continued
decarbonization. These initiatives aim to improve soil health and
farm resilience — while providing critical financial support and
training for farmers to accelerate the adoption of regenerative
agriculture practices.
Barry Parkin, Mars Chief
Sustainability and Procurement Officer, said: "Our latest
carbon reductions show we are on track to deliver a 50% reduction
by 2030. While we're proud of this progress, we know we have
more work to do, and we look forward to continuing to scale our
progress. It is critically important to
strengthen our programs with farmers to help the transition to
climate smart and regenerative agriculture."
Mars latest investments to scaling climate smart agriculture
include:
- Working with partners to establish a grower-centric
program to support 1,900 farmers in four U.S. States, and
Poland to deploy climate smart
agriculture methods and focus on crops such as corn, soy, and wheat
across more than 1.2 million acres of cropland, for Mars pet food
brands such as PEDIGREE® and IAMS®.
- Extending a partnership between Mars brand Royal Canin
and Soil Capital, Mars will provide financial support to close
to 250 farmers in France and
Belgium and to date, the
partnership has provided support to farmers across 300,000 hectares
of farmland.
- Continuing to support the Next Generation Soil program in
Mexico and Brazil in
collaboration with CIMMYT (Mexico)
and Producing Right (Brazil).
Through this program, we have already equipped 100 corn
producers with the tools and knowledge to increase
productivity, optimize the use of resources, and respond to the
consequences of climate change, such as water scarcity and lower
crop yields. The program also encourages new regenerative
agriculture practices to protect the health of the soil, optimize
the use of resources, and promote good productivity in grain
production.
- A recently announced sustainable dairy plan, Moov'ing Dairy
Forward, that commits to a $47
million investment over three years as part the company's
new climate-first approach to dairy sourcing to reduce the
carbon footprint of dairy with partners Fonterra, Land O'Lakes,
Interfood, and FrieslandCampina.
Sustainable in a Generation Report
Explore the 2023 Mars Sustainable in a Generation Report at
www.mars.com/sustainability-plan/sustainability-report-progress to
learn more about how Mars is advancing its climate actions, how
Mars has now almost 750,000 people through its Supplier Advance and
Supplier Origin programs since 2017 or how Mars Food &
Nutrition delivered 3.1 billion healthy meals in 2023.
Please see the "About This Report" section of the Mars
Sustainable in a Generation Report for important disclosures about
the statements and information in the Report.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want
tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+
family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of
leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all
around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight
millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's
best-loved brands including ROYAL
CANIN®, PEDIGREE®,
WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®,
EXTRA®, M&M's®, SNICKERS® and
BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet
hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™,
VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general,
specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary
diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough
capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality,
Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our
150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world
for people, pets and the planet.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com.
Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Media Contacts:
Liza Pluto
liza.pluto@effem.com
Dan Stretchy
dan.strechay@effem.com
1 US EPA GHG Equivalencies Calculator,
https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated