Mars: Decoupling Growth & Impact in Sustainability

Sustainability and growth can be seen as enemies, but Mars is one of the companies proving otherwise. 

Despite many US-based businesses pulling back ESG goals, Mars has not followed – the company has achieved 60% growth since 2015 alongside a 16% reduction in its carbon footprint. 

“Our data demonstrates that it is possible to scale a successful business while reducing environmental impact, and that’s the journey we are committed to,” Andy Pharoah, VP Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Mars told Fortune India. 

“We understand that government policies and environmental approaches vary over time. Our focus is on what makes sense for our business rather than reacting to individual government decisions. 

“Climate action is critical – it matters to our shareholders, our associates and is essential from both a business and environmental standpoint.” 

Purpose vs profits

Poul Weihrauch, CEO and Office of the President at Mars, says: “As I have said many times before, profit and purpose are not enemies.

“Doing the right thing does not mean a trade-off between planet and productivity, or between environment and employment.”

For 113 years the company has been making sweet snacks and has expanded to more than 170 markets worldwide.

Mars’ value chain impacts around one million people, so taking on sustainability initiatives has the potential for huge impact. 

The company’s 2023 Sustainable in a Generation Report shows environmental improvements alongside enormous growth of around 60%. 

Poul says: “This is not easy, and I am not pretending we have all the answers.

“We are living in complex times, and we have to step up and deliver together in order to achieve a more sustainable future for all.”

How Mars approaches sustainability

In 2017, Mars launched its multi-billion dollar Sustainable in a Generation Plan.

The plan is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and involves building partnerships with NGOs, governments and within the industry to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 against its 2015 baseline.

The plan aims to deliver a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030.

The company’s goals are science-aligned and focus on reducing environmental impacts across its value chain to support people and the planet.

The plan is focussed on four ‘priority areas’: 

• Healthy Planet 
• Thriving People 
• Nourishing Wellbeing 
• Rethinking Packaging

Almost 60% of Mars’ value chain GHG footprint comes from agricultural ingredients, so the company has decided to scale up new ‘climate smart’ agriculture.

These initiatives aim to drive continued decarbonisation alongside improving soil health and farm resilience whilst providing financial support and training for farmers. 

Alastair Child, Chief Sustainability Officer at Mars, says: "At Mars we have a phrase 'get your boots dirty'. 

"Only when we have felt the soil in our hands and learned from a wheat farmer near Bhopal why and how he tried something new in regenerative agricultural practices can we re-imagine a world we want tomorrow with farmers at scale thriving with higher yields, carbon rich soils and lower input costs."

Mars’ Farmer Forward programme

Mars has announced a US$27m investment over five years to slash greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farming.

Dairy is Mars’ fourth largest carbon footprint contributor, so it cannot achieve its sustainability goals without making a difference in the industry.

The Farmer Forward Programme aims to empower dairy farmers to reduce on-farm emissions and is created in partnership with Fonterra, one of the world’s largest dairy suppliers. 

Mars hopes that this initiative will support its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030.

“Dairy farmers are on the front line of advancing climate-smart agriculture, which is why we’re putting them first through the launch of our Farmer Forward program,” says Amanda Davies, Chief R&D, Procurement and Sustainability Officer at Mars Snacking. 

“Through this initiative, we're investing roughly US$27m in Fonterra farming families over the next five years to deliver critical financial support and significant emissions reductions. 

“It’s a true win-win, because we know making dairy more sustainable takes real effort and real investment.”

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