We are delighted to announce an industry first committing to use only sustainably sourced fish by 2020. Set against a backdrop of dwindling global fish stocks, illegal fishing and growing global demand for fish we have worked with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop our fish sustainability commitments.
We are going to achieve the following goals by 2020:
· Only using fish from 100% sustainable wild catch and sustainable aquaculture sources
· Replacing all wild catch whole fish and fish fillet with sustainable fish by-products and sustainable aquaculture.
· Only using sustainable alternatives to marine fish ingredients.
As one of the world’s largest petcare businesses our commitment is going to have a real impact on fish stocks and act as an encouragement to many other fish users.
An important milestone in this sustainability journey will be our introduction of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified petfood in Europe by the end of 2010. This means that by the end of this year a selection of fish varieties in the SHEBA® and WHISKAS® brand portfolios across Europe will be MSC certified; offering consumers a choice of more sustainable pet food products for the first time.
Mark Johnson, General Manager, Mars Petcare UK who has been at the forefront of our commitment noted, “Making the world a better place for pets includes a commitment to pet lovers to preserve the planet’s fish supplies. We are a business which put our principles into action and today is another step along our journey to becoming a leading edge sustainable business.”
Our collaborators, WWF, welcomed the news with a comment from Jason Clay, Senior Vice President Market Transformation, WWF US, ““There is no quick fix to this problem but when companies as influential as Mars take a leadership role, it is great news for the world’s oceans. Companies of all sizes need to be responsible in how they source their raw materials and understand the importance of acting now. We hope that this sets a precedent for other manufacturers.”
This announcement is a part of Mars Incorporated’s commitment to responsibly source its raw materials across our business. In 2009, we became the first global chocolate company to commit to changing the way cocoa farming practices are being advanced by aiming to certify its entire cocoa supply by 2020. For 30 years, Mars has led the chocolate industry in its efforts to achieve sustainable cocoa production, investing well over $10 million in each of the past several years across a wide range of initiatives, including certification partnerships with Rainforest Alliance and UTZ.
In September 2009, we opened the world’s first sustainable pet food manufacturing facility in the US. The facility received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its industry leading efforts to recycle water, reduce energy use, and protect against erosion and light pollution.
Since 2008 Mars Drinks, the coffee & tea segment of Mars Inc., have been working with Rainforest Alliance to source their coffee and tea from farms that have been certified.
