Mars Case Study: Climate Change
01 January 2018
Mars has set ambitious targets to make its factories and offices ‘Sustainable in a Generation’. This means it is committted to eliminating fossil fuel and greenhouse gas use from its operations by 2040. Mars aims to do this through employing a number of sustainable and eco-friendly schemes and initiatives, and have already achieved incredible results thanks to the dedication of employees.
Topics
Sectors
- Biscuits, Crackers, Rusks
As part of these objectives, Mars partnered with Eneco UK in 2016 to build a new 20 turbine wind farm in Moy in the Scottish Highlands. With a capacity of 60MW, and an annual output of over 125,000 megawatt-hours, the Moy Wind Farm enables all 12 Mars UK factories and office sites to produce its much-loved brands using renewable electricity. In addition, Moy is also able to reduce Mars’ greenhouse gas emissions by 67% - bringing the company a crucial step closer to its targets by reducing baseline energy use.
Mars’ work on the Moy wind farm has also helped the company to promote the benefits of a green economy to others. Eneco UK set up a community fund to benefit the local community fo the life of the wind farm, and Mars also engaged employees (which they call Associates) in the launch of the windfarm. It was also a valuable engagement tool for sharing with customers and suppliers who were pleased to hear that, by selling Mars’ prodcuts, they are helping to secure a sustainable future for our planet.
Mars recognises that there is still a long way to go to fulfilling its 2040 objectives, and recently launched an updated Sustainable in a Generation Plan to outline a road map for landing these goals. They aim to explore other approaches and projects in regions across the UK to ensure their commitment to creating sustainable company output is maintained. However, their efforts so far demonstrate dedication and commitment to a greener business.
“The Moy Wind Farm is part of our innovative and long-term approach to achieving a successful and sustainable business for generations to come. We’re not there yet, but we recognise all businesses have a responsbility to tackle climate change and we hope our partnership with Eneco at Moy will encourage other companies to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint through renewable energy.”
Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars Incorporated