How Mars is Supporting European Regenerative Agriculture
Mars is working to scale regenerative agriculture practices across its pet nutrition sectors in Europe.
The global leader in pet care products and services, confectionery and food is partnering with Cargill, Agreena, ADM, Biospheres, Horta and Soil Capital to produce climate-smart agriculture across its value chain.
The company’s aim is to deliver more than one million acres of regenerative agriculture practices by 2030 on a global scale.
Mars’ a-maize-ing plan
Mars' various partnerships mean farmers in Poland, Hungary and the UK will receive financial incentives and expert advisory services to support their adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.
These multiple partnerships will help transition 20,900 hectares (nearly twice the size of Paris) of wheat and maize crops to regenerative agriculture practices by 2028.
The collaborations will allow for crop rotation, tillage decline (the overturning/digging of soil, usually by farm machines) and use of cover crops – non-cash crops that are planted between cash crops to improve soil health and fertility.
Farmers will be supported to invest in new methods and offered training designed to build knowledge and confidence.
The aim of regenerative practices is to increase yields, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reduction and carbon sequestration, improve water quality, enhance soil health and boost biodiversity.
Mars will track the project's impacts via robust measuring, reporting and verification systems to ensure transparency, focusing on enhancing soil health and reducing GHG emissions.
The importance of soil health
Often overlooked, soil health is the foundation of food growth and production. Depleted soil often results in inedible crops.
With 95% of the world's food being produced on soil, its health must be a global priority – which is why Mars is advancing its sustainability standards.
Soil's importance can be best summarised by the following reasons:
- Food production: Healthy soil provides nutrients for plants and helps crops resist disease and pests – reducing the need for artificial fertilisers
- Climate change mitigation: Soil stores CO₂ and other GHG’s – this helps to mitigate climate change
- Biodiversity: Healthy soil provides a habitat for billions of organisms
- Water filtration: Healthy soil acts as a water filter and regulates the flow of water and rainfall
- Environmental sustainability: Healthy soil helps to regulate air and water quality while supporting carbon sequestration
- Resilience to extreme weather: Healthy soil is more resilient to erosion, flooding and droughts.
Deri Watkins, Regional President at Mars Pet Nutrition Europe, explains: “At Mars, we know businesses like ours play a key role in securing a sustainable future for pet food. Healthy soil is the backbone of a resilient food system.
“Through these partnerships, we’re extremely proud to be playing our part in driving regenerative agriculture practices across Europe, restoring soil health, cutting carbon and building a stronger and more sustainable supply chain for farmers and future generations of pets and pet parents”
Mitigation at Mars
While committed to sustainability, Mars acknowledges that it must collaborate with partners that have specific expertise in soil health.
Mars' 2023 Sustainable in a Generation Report outlines its recent progress and commitments:
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction: Achieved a 16% reduction in absolute GHG emissions across the full value chain against a 2015 baseline, including an 8% reduction in 2023
- Renewable energy usage: Sourced 100% renewable electricity for 53% of global operations from 2023
- Deforestation and land use: Implemented a "map, manage and monitor" approach to address deforestation in sourcing regions for commodities like cocoa, beef, soy, palm, pulp and paper
- Water stewardship: Achieved a 27% reduction in unsustainable water use since 2015
- Packaging: Redesigned nearly half of the packaging portfolio to support a circular economy, aiming for 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging.
Collaborating with Mars
In Poland
Through the partnership with Cargill RegenConnect, farmers across Poland will receive payments for carbon sequestered after adopting regenerative practices.
The programme aims to improve soil health on more than 4,600 hectares of land across the country from 2024 to 2026 through the use of appropriate machinery.
Across five years, the partnership with ADM will carry out a regenerative agriculture programme, focusing on soil health improvement, carbon sequestration and erosion reduction.
Farmers will receive financial incentives for implementing regenerative agriculture practices, supporting the transition of 4,000 hectares of wheat crops in over five years to 2028.
In Hungary
Mars' partnership with Horta aims to support regenerative agriculture practices across more than 3,600 hectares of wheat and maize crops in Hungary.
Horta will provide support to farmers by helping them make informed decisions about irrigation and the appropriate amount of fertilizer to use while encouraging cover crops and the reduction of tilling.
What's more, a three-year partnership with Biospheres and Agreena is intended to support the expansion of regenerative agriculture through a grower-centric programme.
This partnership aims to deliver an improvement in soil health, soil carbon sequestration and reduced erosion, while also providing an economic incentive for farmers to adopt regenerative practices – covering up to 5,500 hectares of wheat crops between 2024 and 2026.
In the UK
The partnership with Soil Capital aims to support and finance the regenerative agriculture transition for wheat farmers across the UK, improving soil health, soil carbon sequestration and reducing erosion across more than 3,200 hectares between 2024 and 2028.
Through multi-year collaborations, Mars is working to implement regenerative agriculture in the UK, Hungary, and Poland, promoting ecosystem resilience, supporting local economies and securing a sustainable pet food supply for the future.
Explore the latest edition of Sustainability Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Sustainability LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Sustainability Magazine is a BizClik brand
