UK, Irish and Canadian Mars bars set to be carbon neutral certified by 2023

Mars Wrigley has made a key sustainability move in confirming Mars bars sold in the UK, Ireland and Canada will be certified by 2023 as being produced in carbon neutral conditions, amounting to over 220 million product units a year, reports Neill Barston.

As the company noted, its latest decision comes amid an intensified focus on key environmental issues as the COP26 summit continues to seek solutions to global warming, which is already impacting on crucial food supply chains, including those serving confectionery, snacks and bakery markets.

The group said its decision demonstrated its commitment to creating a sustainable future in its business practices, representing tangible climate action directly following its pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2050.

Further underlining its environmental progress, the company added that it has already reduced its carbon footprint from direct operations in the UK by 67% since 2015, and in 2022 pledged to remove a million miles from roads through a new logistics programme.

In Canada, the Mars bar, which has been manufactured in Newmarket for over 30 years, is produced in a factory that is certified LEED Silver, sends zero waste to landfill, and incorporates several energy saving initiatives including recapturing heat from operations to heat the building. As the company observed, some of its Mars bar emissions occur from agricultural supply chains. To reduce this factor, the company added that it is taking decisive action to tackle deforestation, address land use and transform its sourcing of raw materials.

As a result of its plans, the company said it is targeting a carbon footprint reduction of over 20% in the UK, Ireland and Canada by 2023, with additional measures including geomapping cocoa farms and  accelerated partnerships with suppliers to produce dairy more sustainably. For example, by the end of 2022, 100% of suppliers providing dairy for the Mars bar in the UK will have a scheme to reduce their on-farm greenhouse gas impacts. This includes improving feed to using low emission manure application technology.

Notably, the business added that any emissions that cannot be eliminated will be offset by high quality carbon removal credits based on climate solutions like reforestation and land restoration.

It intends to work with an independent auditor to certify the Mars bar as carbon neutral, and will be adhering to the PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality, which provides radical transparency and is widely considered to be the leading standard of carbon neutral specification.

The company said: “We’re proud that the Mars bar will be carbon neutral in the UK, Ireland and Canada by 2023, but we’re clear that the job isn’t done, and it is certainly not time to down tools. We know that we must continue to make purposeful climate interventions. And we know that to create a world tomorrow where the planet is healthy, we must continue to take bold action.”

 

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