SustyVibes

Mars Pledges to Invest in Sustainable Supply Chain and Small Farmer Empowerment

According to This TriplePundit article, Mars is amplifying its considerably positive environmentally friendly practices. The MNC has pledged to invest $1billion in its Sustainable In A Generation initiative for projects focused on the people and the planet.  The pledge is the organization’s response to the SDG goals and their evolved sustainability agenda, which, according to Grant Reid- CEO of the food giant Mars Inc., is about people, the planet, and people’s health.

Mars, like most Multinational companies, sources its ingredients from various parts of the world. The organization is working on responsible sourcing of many of these ingredients, including cacao and palm oil. Accordingly, the organization is drafting new anti-deforestation pledges within its supply chains such as cocoa.

The company recognizes the impact poverty has on farming practices and has pledged to help farmers earn fair wages through their Farmers Income lab initiative- which concentrates mainly on farmers in Africa and Asia. The Farmers lab is Mars’ response to SDG 1- to end poverty. The idea is to include one million people in its long-term plan to boost incomes and open up more opportunities for women. The lab is to function as a ‘think tank’ to ensure that global supply chains work for both small farmers and businesses. Furthermore, the company has announced two long-terms goals- To procure 100 percent of its cocoa from certified sustainable sources by 2020, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 67 percent by 2050

Source: TriplePundit