Mars
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Petfood and snack food makers
Founded in 1911. Known for its chocolates, 49.5% of Mars' business is in pet food, while confectionery makes up 42.2%. Food & drink makes up the rest. Mars bought Wrigley's for US$23bn in 2008 to become the world's #1 confectionery company.
Mars Inc | USA | website |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Mars Inc | ||||
The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2021 assesses 227 companies on the actions companies have taken to ensure their own palm oil supply chain is sustainable and free of deforestation, natural ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuse. This company is rated 'leading the way' with a score of 21.13 out of a possible total of 24.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard (2021)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of A-.
Source: CDP (2022)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of A.
Source: CDP (2022)
The PalmOil Scan app, produced by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), rates companies on their commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Companies are scored on their use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), commitment to sourcing CSPO, on-the-ground conservation action, and membership to the RSPO. Companies can earn a rating of Excellent, Good, Poor or No Commitment. This company is rated "Excellent" (retrieved 18 Nov 2023).
Source: WAZA (2023)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of A-.
Source: CDP (2022)
This company is listed on the EPA Green Power Partnership website (USA) as using renewable energy for 60% of its organisation-wide electricity use in the USA.
Source: EPA (2023)
The Global Access to Nutrition Index assesses how the world's 25 largest global food and beverage manufacturers contribute to addressing malnutrition in all its forms: overweight and obesity, undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiency. All have been assessed on their commitments, practices, and disclosure with regards to governance and management; the production and distribution of healthy, affordable, accessible products; and how they influence consumer choices and behavior. Of the 25 companies ranked, this company came 6th.
Source: Access to Nutrition Foundation (2021)
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021) |
This company sources palm oil from at least 20 of the 25 dirty palm oil producers identified in the 2018 Greenpeace report "The Final Countdown". In addition to deforestation, the 25 individual cases in the report include evidence of exploitation and social conflicts, illegal deforestation, development without permits, plantation development in areas zoned for protection and forest fires linked to land clearance.
Source: Greenpeace (2018)
The Talking Trash 2020 report by Changing Markets investigates the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis. It found that the industry is actively delaying and derailing ambitious action on plastic pollution in its fight to maintain business as usual for as long as possible. For example, this company is signed up to 3 nice-sounding voluntary initiatives to address plastic waste, while also participating in 4 industry associations which lobby against legislation that could restrict plastic, or make corporations responsible for managing the waste they create, financially or otherwise.
Source: Changing Markets (2020)
In 2021 Break Free From Plastic engaged 11,184 volunteers in 45 countries to conduct 440 brand audits. These volunteers collected 330,493 pieces of plastic waste, 58% of which was marked with a clear consumer brand. This company ranked as one of the world's top 10 plastic polluters.
Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2021)
PETA is urging Mars to immediately end all support for animal tests. Mars continues to fund animal tests, despite the fact that more reliable human tests are available and that none of the tests are required by law.
Source: PETA (2020)
A 2017 investigation by Mighty Earth, "Chocolate's Dark Secret," found that a large amount of the cocoa used in chocolate produced by major chocolate companies, including this one, is grown illegally in national parks and other protected areas in Ivory Coast and Ghana. The countries are the world's two largest cocoa producers. The report documents how in several national parks and other protected areas, 90% or more of the land mass has been converted to cocoa. Less than four percent of Ivory Coast remains densely forested.
Source: Mighty Earth (2017)
In 2019 Rainforest Action Network (RAN) conducted a series of undercover investigations which showed that several major snack food producers, including this company, have been found purchasing palm oil from mills that have continued to source palm oil resulting from the illegal clearing of lowland rainforests within the nationally protected Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve in Indonesia. These mills are located immediately next to areas of illegal encroachment into the Leuser Ecosystem and lack the necessary procedures to trace the location where the palm oil they sell is grown, a key requirement for complying with the No Deforestation, No Peatlands, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy this company has publicly committed to.
Source: RAN (2019)
The Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) evaluates consumer-facing companies that have a sizeable supply chain in China. The evaluation uses government supervision data and public information to assess the environmental management of their supply chains in China. This company received a score of 21.68/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE (2023)
Rainforest Action Network's 2022 report and scorecard "Keep Forests Standing" assessed 17 brands and banks on their efforts to address their contribution to the destruction of forests, ongoing land grabs, and violence against local and Indigenous communities. This company received a 'D' grade in the evaluation.
Source: RAN (2022)
Over the last 60 years farming has become dependent on the intensive use of chemicals. As You Sow's 2021 report, Pesticides in the Pantry, examines the growing risks posed by the use of synthetic pesticides in agricultural supply chains to food manufacturers, and scores companies on their efforts to reduce pesticide use in their supply chains. Scores ranged from 16 to 0, with an average score of 7.5. This company received a score of 6/27.
Source: As You Sow (2021)
The 2021 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report ranks global food companies on how they are managing and reporting their farm animal welfare policies and practices. This company appeared in tier 5, "On the business agenda but limited evidence of implementation", with tier 1 being the best, and tier 6 the worst.
Source: BBFAW (2021) |
In 2015 As You Sow, a consumer health protection organization, commissioned testing to measure levels of lead and cadmium in 42 chocolate products available at retailers across California. Products by this company were found to contain unsafe levels of cadmium.
Source: As You Sow (2015)
In 2022 Consumer Reports, an independent nonprofit member organisation, tested 28 dark chocolate bars for lead and cadmium. Products by this company were found to contain unsafe levels of cadmium.
Source: Consumer Reports (2022)
Testing commissioned by As You Sow found potentially harmful nanoparticles in M&M's. Nanomaterials have undergone little or no safety testing. Research shows that these tiny particles are so small that they can easily penetrate cell walls and slip into organs, including the brain, with infants and children particularly susceptible.
Source: As You Sow (2013)
This company has products rated RED in the Centre for Food Safety's True Food Shopper's Guide (USA). Products on the RED list contain ingredients that come from the most common GE crops (corn, soy, canola, cotton). Companies with products on this list have confirmed that their products may have or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so.
Source: Center for Food Safety USA (2018)
In 2017 the Rainforest Alliance presented this company a Corporate Sustainability Champions award, which recognizes companies who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to sustainability, improving livelihoods, and conserving forests all around the world.
Source: Rainforest Alliance (2017)
This company sells Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate. However this only represents a fraction of this company's total chocolate sales. Rainforest Alliance certification has been dubbed 'Fairtrade light' by critics, as it offers producers no minimum price for their crop, and guarantees a minimum of just 30% of the product is certified.
Source: Rainforest Alliance (2020)
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target; commit to 100% renewable power.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.
Source: RSPCA Australia (2020)
This company is a member of Guidance, a pre-competitive global initiative, convened by Quantis, which aims to provide a methodological guide with credible references that companies can use to account for the climate change impacts of their efforts on sustainable forests and agriculture in an accurate and credible manner.
Source: Quantis (2016)
In 2016 Mars joined General Mills and Campbell's in being among the major food companies that have broken ranks with the industry's strong opposition to mandatory labeling laws. The company has announced it will label GMOs on all products in the USA, following the standards set by Vermont's labeling law until a national standard is set.
Source: Takepart (2016)
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
Source: Sedex (2018)
This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.
Source: SAI Platform (2023)
This company is a member of Bonsucro - Better Sugar Cane Initiative, a global non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation fostering the sustainability of the sugarcane sector through its leading metric-based certification scheme and its support for continuous improvement for members.
Source: Bonsucro (2019)
This company is a signatory to the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative effort organized by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund, launched as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global Plastics Pact network to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path forward to realize a circular economy for plastic in the United States. In line with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastics, which unites more than 850+ organizations, the US Plastics Pact brings together companies, government entities, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders to work collectively toward scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs and challenges within the U.S. landscape, through vital knowledge sharing and coordinated action.
Source: US Plastics Pact (2023)
This company is a member of The Sustainability Consortium, an organization of diverse global participants that work collaboratively to build a scientific foundation that drives innovation to improve consumer product sustainability. They develop transparent methodologies, tools, and strategies to drive a new generation of products and supply networks that address environmental, social, and economic imperatives.
Source: Sustainability Consortium (2019)
This company is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), an international membership organization representing more than 100 member companies across the cocoa value chain. WCF is committed to creating a sustainable cocoa economy through economic & social development and environmental stewardship in cocoa-growing communities.
Source: World Cocoa Foundation (2019)
This company is a partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, whose stated mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.
Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2023)
This company is a member of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, demonstrating a commitment to no further conversion of any forest land for cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. On March 2019, thirty-three company signatories, accounting for about 85% of global cocoa usage, released detailed individual action plans. The action plans focus on forest protection and restoration, sustainable cocoa production and farmers' livelihoods, and community engagement and social inclusion.
Source: World Cocoa Foundation (2020)
This company is a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution at its source.
Source: New Plastics Economy (2022)
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle (2023)
In 2022 after more than 170 nations backed a historic UN resolution to end plastic pollution, global businesses across the plastics value chain, financial institutions, and NGOs came together to announce a common vision for an effective and ambitious Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. The vision will form the basis for future policy engagements with governments through a newly launched Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty which will be convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF. This company has endorsed the vision statement of the treaty.
Source: Global Plastics Treaty (2023)
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 59%.
Source: Forest 500 (2022)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2017)
Be Slavery Free's 2023 Chocolate Scorecard rates all the major chocolate companies on their labour and environmental policies and practices. Companies were asked questions in six areas: traceability and transparency; living income; child labor; deforestation and climate; agroforestry; and agrichemical management. This company received a yellow rating: "Making progress on implementing policies."
Source: Be Slavery Free (2023)
In 2017, following pressure from Greenpeace, Mars announced that they will take steps to ensure their pet food supply chains are free of human rights abuses and illegally caught seafood. Greenpeace's 2016 Cats vs Bad Tuna campaign demanded that Mars ensure its supply chains were free of any potential human rights abuses, particularly through its supplier Thai Union.
Source: Greenpeace (2017)
Friends of the Earth's 2014 report "Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks" names this company as one of over 200 transnational food companies engaged in nanotechnology research and development, and on their way to commercializing products. New studies are adding to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating nanomaterials may be toxic to humans and the environment.
Source: FOE (2014)
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
The 2021 Food and Agriculture Benchmark assessed 350 keystone companies across the entirety of the food system, from farm to fork. It covers three dimensions where transformation is needed: nutrition, environment and social inclusion. This company ranked #44/350, with a total score of 38.6/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021) |
Company Details
Type | Family-owned private company |
Revenue | 33 billion USD (2014) |
Employees | 75,000 (2014) |
Subsidiaries | Mars Australia Pty Ltd ![]() Diverse food company Previously known as MasterFoods Australia New Zealand, they restructured to form Mars Australia and Mars New Zealand. Main areas of business are chocolate/ confectionery, pet food and prepared foods (eg. Masterfoods, Dolmio, Kan-Tong) Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company ![]() Gum and confectionery makers World's #1 maker of chewing and bubble gum. Bought by Mars, Inc. for US$23bn in 2008. - Wrigley Company Pty Ltd ![]() Confectionery Manufacturing Wrigley was bought by Mars Inc in 2008 for US$23bn. Operates one production factory in Sydney, Australia. Preferred Brands International (51% owned) ![]() Indian food Small to medium sized business that makes ready-to-eat Indian meals. The company is based in USA but manufacturing occurs in India. Mars Inc bought a majority stake in 2017. - Preferred Brands Australia Pty Ltd ![]() Indian food importers Tasty Bite products are manufactured in India by Tasty Bite Eatables, another subsidiary of Preferred Brand Australia's parent company, Preferred Brand International (USA). |
Contact Details
Address | McLean, Virginia, USA |
Website | www.mars.com |
Products / Brands
Mars AustraliaPreferred Brands Australia
Tasty Bite Indian
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