USA | Mars, Incorporated has shared the aim of achieving a physically segregated global cocoa supply chain by 2030, building on its commitment to its Responsibly Sourced Cocoa Program.
Under a segregated global cocoa supply chain, Mars will be able to make products only using cocoa that has been produced and sourced from farms participating in the Mars Responsibly Sourced Cocoa Program or which meet the cocoa certification standards of Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and other certification bodies approved by Mars.
By achieving a segregated global cocoa supply chain, Mars will have greater visibility through its suppliers to the farming organisations and farmers who provide cocoa for Mars products.
Mars will also be able to better support suppliers, farming organisations, and farmers in advancing respect for human rights and preserving the environment.
Over the next five years, Mars will be working closely with its cocoa suppliers to invest in new infrastructure, processes and systems, which will allow the suppliers to:
- Purchase cocoa produced by specific farms that participate in the Mars Responsibly
- Sourced Cocoa Program or which meets the cocoa certification standards of Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and other certification bodies approved by Mars and keeps that cocoa physically segregated from cocoa from other sources;
- Convert the physically segregated cocoa into cocoa ingredients for Mars, keeping those ingredients physically segregated from cocoa ingredients converted from other sources.
- Deliver the physically segregated cocoa ingredients to Mars factories to make Mars chocolate and finished products.
“The move to a segregated global cocoa supply chain is a significant undertaking that builds on our years of investment in our responsibly sourced cocoa program. It will enable us to target interventions providing more focused support for cocoa-growing communities in our supply chain,” said Harper McConnell, Global Vice President of Cocoa Sustainability Mars.
“This ambition is part of a holistic, long-term approach by Mars to contribute towards the development of a modern, inclusive and sustainable cocoa ecosystem around the globe.”
Achieving a segregated cocoa supply chain has been a key milestone within Mars’ ‘Cocoa for Generations’ strategy. Backed by a USD 1 billion investment over ten years, Mars’ ‘Cocoa for Generations’ strategy aims to:
- Support a modern, profitable, highly productive cocoa farming system driven by scientific innovations.
- Prioritise inclusivity where everyone, especially women and children, has access and opportunities to achieve prosperity.
- Support a sustainable cocoa supply chain where the planet’s resources are responsibly managed and more resilient to shocks and stresses.
Further, this ambition has enabled Mars to help tackle environmental issues on its journey to reaching Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s entire value chain by 2050 and halving emissions by 2030 as outlined in Mars' Net Zero Roadmap published last year.
