Mars Chocolate North America Achieves Zero-Waste-To-Landfill Certification For All Sites

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (Jan. 28, 2015) -- Mars Chocolate North America today announced that all ten of its manufacturing facilities are now certified landfill-free, representing a significant milestone in achieving Mars’ goal of zero-waste-to-landfill by 2015.

Since establishing its waste target in 2007, Mars Chocolate North America has driven an overall reduction of approximately 4,500 Tonnes of waste ­–- that is enough refuse to fill 35 football fields, 12 inches deep, annually.  To achieve this goal, the organization has taken a comprehensive approach focused on three key areas: efficient operating processes, recycling programs for multiple waste streams, and mutually beneficial partnerships with disposal vendors and local farm re-use programs. 

Mars Chocolate North America’s Henderson, Nevada, site marked the tenth and final facility to achieve this prestigious milestone, further showcasing the company’s commitment to have a positive impact on the local communities in which it operates.

Achieving landfill-free certification is one of several 2015 global goals outlined in the Mars Principles in Action Summary, published in July on mars.com. The fourth annual report details the company’s approach to business and its commitment to put the Mars Five Principles into action. This includes a target for the private, family-owned business to eliminate all fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from its direct operations by 2040.

“At Mars we are constantly focused on bettering the local communities in which we operate,” said Mike Wittman, Vice President, Supply Chain, Mars Chocolate North America. “We are proud to have earned zero-waste-to-landfill certification, another important achievement in driving sustainability across all of our facilities and continuing to sweeten the world in which we live and work.”

Since 2011, Mars, Incorporated has aimed to achieve LEED Gold certification for all new major buildings globally, and, to date, ten facilities have received certification.  In May, Mars announced the creation of a 200-megawatt wind farm that will generate electricity equivalent to 100 percent of the power for Mars’ U.S. operations, which is comprised of 70 sites, including 37 factories and 25,000 associates.

Next, Mars plans to partner with warehouses and regional distribution centers to adopt similar waste reduction policies. 

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a “mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders” – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.