Mars bars sold in the UK and Ireland will be certified as carbon neutral by 1 January 2023.
Mars Wrigley says the move will make the Mars bar, which has annual sales of more than 200 million bars in the UK, the first carbon neutral chocolate bar to appear on British and Irish shelves that is produced by a top five confectionery company.
The confectionery giant aims to reduce the Mars bar carbon footprint by more than 20% in the UK and Ireland by 2023 by supercharging its efforts to sustainably transform supply chain agricultural practices, including using satellite data to geomap cocoa farms, and accelerated partnerships with suppliers to produce dairy more sustainably.
In addition, the Mars bar will be trialled in fully recyclable paper packaging starting in 2022.
Any emissions that cannot be eliminated will be offset by carbon removal credits based on climate solutions like reforestation and land restoration.
The greenhouse gas reductions and high-quality offsets used for Mars bar to go carbon neutral in 2023 are expected to be roughly equivalent to charging more than 13 billion smartphones.
Mars Wrigley 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 is widely considered to be the leading standard of carbon neutral specification.
Adam Grant, Mars Wrigley UK General Manager, said: “At Mars, we believe that actions speak louder than words and, to create a world tomorrow where our planet is healthy, we are clear that bold action must be taken today. Our pledge to deliver a certified carbon neutral Mars bar in the UK and Ireland by 1 January 2023, supported by significant reductions in the near term, is the kind of immediate climate protection intervention needed to deliver a sustainable tomorrow.”
