Mars’ Carbon Neutral Brands
Net Zero Done Right: Carbon neutral brands contribute to Mars’ Net Zero by 2050 commitment
The science is clear – climate change is real, and around the world people are already beginning to feel the effects. To do our part of avoiding the worst effects of climate change, Mars is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our full value chain by 2050 (including all scope 3 emissions such as those created by suppliers and customers), aligning with the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 °C. This commitment includes our existing science-based targets to achieve a 27% reduction in full value chain emissions by 2025, and net zero emissions in our direct supply chain by 2040.
The road to achieving net zero by 2050 is complex, however we’re confident in the action we’re taking and will continue to raise our ambition as the science evolves and technology improves. When we achieve net zero by 2050, all of our brands will be carbon neutral.
Our brands play a crucial role in driving progress and especially in connecting this issue with consumers, and some of them are pursuing carbon neutral certification before 2050. While we fully agree that the highest priority of net zero action is to urgently reduce emissions, we see several ways that carbon neutral certification can contribute to this goal.
- Carbon neutral brands help embed climate action into our business model. We believe our brands have an important role to play in engaging consumers on critical issues, such as climate change, to help create more awareness so that consumers have a choice to support the brands they love that are taking climate action - today.
- Carbon neutral brands will be accountable for GHG reductions internally and externally. This includes subjecting brands to our own internal review, implementing year-on-year reductions strategies to reduce emissions and advancing our capabilities of product-footprint accounting. Our carbon neutral brands will be accredited through the PAS 2060:2014 Specification for the demonstration of Carbon Neutrality, providing radical transparency. These standards require that brands publish an annual report with full details of their carbon footprint, reductions, and use of carbon credits – increasing transparency and allowing for external accountability.
- Carbon neutral brands will immediately contribute to global climate action. Utilizing carbon removals credits in the short term will help maintain the global carbon budget while the brand pursues meaningful emissions reductions. We are committed to ensuring that any residual emissions are neutralized with real, durable, and socially beneficial carbon credits based on removing carbon from the atmosphere, aligned with the SBTi Net Zero Foundations paper. We believe that using high-quality carbon removals credits will help to scale up the carbon credit market and advance nature-based and technology-based solutions in service of net zero.
Royal Canin is committed to be certified carbon neutral by 2025
The ROYAL CANIN® brand, a global expert in pet nutrition, has committed to become certified carbon neutral by 2025 with its first product ranges being certified carbon neutral by 2022.The four action areas ROYAL CANIN® will pursue to be carbon neutral by 2025 are transitioning to renewable electricity, procuring sustainable ingredients, reducing waste and boosting circularity, and initiating a climate-smart business transformation. For any residual emissions that ROYAL CANIN® cannot completely remove or reduce, the brand will invest in high-quality, removals–based certified carbon credits.
Information about products committed to carbon neutral certification in 2022 can be found here.
Mars bar UK, Ireland & CA will be carbon neutral by 2023
Mars has announced that its iconic Mars bar sold in the UK, Ireland and Canada will be certified as carbon neutral by January 1st, 2023. The new pledge represents tangible climate action underpinning Mars’s commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain by 2050.
Mars is committed to doing more and aims to reduce the Mars bar carbon footprint by over 20% by 2023. This will be a result of the company aggressively increasing its efforts to sustainably transform supply chain agricultural practices, including using satellite data to geomap cocoa farms and accelerate partnerships with suppliers to produce dairy more sustainably. Any emissions that cannot be eliminated will be offset by high quality carbon removal credits based on climate solutions like reforestation and land restoration