Mars loves Earth: iconic Canadian Mars®/MD bar set to be certified carbon neutral by January 2023

• The Mars bar will be carbon neutral in Canada from January 1^st, 2023, making it the first carbon neutral chocolate bar produced by a top 5 confectionery company to appear on shelf
  
  
• Mars bar's carbon footprint for products sold in Canada is set to be slashed by over 20% by 2023 in a demonstration of concrete climate action from the confectionery giant today, to deliver a sustainable future tomorrow
  
  
• The business will work with an independent auditor and use the PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality
  

TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2021 /CNW/ - Mars Wrigley Canada has announced that Mars bars sold in Canada will be certified carbon neutral by January 1^st, 2023. This move will make the Mars bar, which has annual sales of over 19M bars in Canada, the first carbon neutral chocolate bar to appear on Canadian shelves that is produced by a top 5 confectionery company.

Mars loves Earth: iconic Canadian Mars®/MD bar set to be certified carbon neutral by January 2023 (CNW Group/Mars Canada)

The new pledge, which also includes Mars bars sold in the UK and Ireland, represents tangible climate action less than a month after Mars, Incorporated, Mars Wrigley's parent company, announced its commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain by 2050.

Mars Wrigley is committed to doing more and aims to reduce the Mars bar carbon footprint in Canada by over 20% by 2023. This will be a result of the company supercharging its efforts to sustainably transform supply chain agricultural practices, including using satellite data to geomap cocoa farms and pursuing other anti-deforestation efforts. Any emissions that cannot be eliminated will be offset by high quality carbon removal credits based on climate solutions like reforestation and land restoration.

The world's largest chocolate manufacturer will 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 international standard of carbon neutral specification.

"At Mars, the world we want tomorrow is one where the planet is healthy, and that means taking bold action today," said Chantal Templeton, General Manager, Mars Wrigley Canada. "Starting with the iconic Mars bar, and supported by our global net zero commitment, this is the type of critical action needed to tackle the climate emergency and address the health and sustainability of our planet."

Mars has been driving climate action for more than a decade. The Mars bar, which has been manufactured in Newmarket, Ontario for over 30 years, is already 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. Future reductions will be driven through a combination of efficiency actions, investments in new technology, and on site and external renewable projects.

For further information on Mars, Incorporated's climate commitments and Sustainable in a Generation Plan, visit www.mars.com/sustainability-plan.

Notes to editors

• Deforestation and land-use change are significant drivers of carbon emissions in the agricultural supply chain. To deliver on Mars' ambition of a deforestation-free supply chain for cocoa, Mars is using satellite data to geomap cocoa farms and has already mapped over a third in its supply chain. This enables monitoring and management of the cocoa supply chain through near constant satellite surveillance. Transparency is important to Mars, and they make their progress publicly available through an interactive map.  

About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, M&M's^®, MILKY WAY^®, SNICKERS^®, TWIX^®, ORBIT^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, SKITTLES^®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS^®, COCOAVIA^®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl^®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. 

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SOURCE Mars Canada

For media inquiries: Mars Canada, Shannon Denny, [phone], [email protected]; Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Alex Mitchell, [phone], [email protected]