Brand owner: Mars
Head office: McLean, United States
Sector: Chocolate brands
Categories :
Free Tags: Chocolate Bars
| 1. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to minimize, reduce or compensate carbon emissions? |
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Mars Inc. (brand owner of Balisto) has several policy measures to reduce carbon emissions such as reducing its GHG emissions with 25% by 2015 and aiming to cut the GHG emissions from factories and offices to zero % by 2040. | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual carbon footprint of its 'own operations'? |
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Own operation (Scope 1 & Scope 2) contribute around 13% of Mars' total GHG emissions. However, Mars does not communicate its carbon footprint on its website. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) already reduced or compensated the carbon footprint of its own operations by at least 10% in the last 5 years? |
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See remark for climate change question 2. | Source |
| 4. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of its 'own operations' by at least 20% within the next 5 years? |
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Mars Inc. has set a target to reduce only 25% of its GHG emissions by 2015 compared to 2007 which equals a reduction target of approximately only 15% in the next 5 years. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) also have a policy to reduce/compensate carbon emissions generated from the product supply chain that is beyond own operations? |
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Raw materials and the rest of the value chain contribute to around 87% of Mars' total GHG emissions (see link for climate change question 2). Mars assesses the understanding of the value chain, but does not communicate a policy yet. | Source |
| 1. Has the brand (company) publicly communicated the commitment to use 100% of certified cocoa by 2020? |
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Mars Inc. has set the goal to certify 100% of its cocoa as sustainably produced by 2020. | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) purchase cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides, preserve biodiversity, prevent deforestation and reduce water use? |
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Mars Inc. has purchased in 2011 to 10% cocoa from an environmentally certified source, namely: UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. | Source |
| 3. Does the brand (company) purchase at least 25% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides, preserve biodiversity, prevent deforestation and reduce water use? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 2. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) purchase at least 50% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides, preserve biodiversity, prevent deforestation and reduce water use? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 2. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) purchase 100% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides, preserve biodiversity, prevent deforestation and reduce water use? |
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See remark for environmental policy question 2. | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) have a policy to purchase its fillings (e.g. nuts, caramel, nougat, praline) and other ingredients (such as milk, sugar, oils and fats) from environmentally sustainable sources? |
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Mars Inc. mentions several ways to improve the sustainability of the production of its filling products, such as joining BonSucro in 2012 and evaluating new roasting operations to reduce energy and water use in the peanut industry. | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) have the objective to only source sustainable palm oil by 2015 at the latest, and has the brand already purchased sustainable palm oil in order to stop e.g. the destruction of tropical forest for palm oil plantations? |
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Mars Inc. is a member of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and sources only palm oil from RSPO-members, although their product is not necessarily certified. Mars has set a target to use only 100-percent RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil by 2015. In Europe 20% of the supplies is already RSPO-certified. | Source |
| 8. Does the brand have clear objectives to minimize the environmental impact of packaging or does the brand already show clear 'best practices' regarding more sustainable packaging? |
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Mars Inc. has set several objectives, such as reducing packaging weights by 10 percent by 2015, from a 2007 baseline, regardless of business growth and increasing the level of recycled content in packaging by 10 percent by 2015. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) purchase cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the cocoa? |
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Mars Inc. has purchased in 2011 to 10% cocoa from an socially certified source, namely: UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) purchase at least 25% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the cocoa? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 3. Does the brand (company) purchase at least 50% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the cocoa? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) purchase at least 75% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the cocoa? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) purchase 100% cocoa from sources (plantations) that are certified to e.g. have no child labor and no forced labor, and provide a better living standard for the farmers and workers who produce the cocoa? |
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See remark for labour conditions question 1. | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) maintain a published list of cocoa suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume of cocoa? |
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Mars Inc. does not publish a list of cocoa supplier. According Mars Inc. it is difficult to "to trace the cocoa beans from the start to the end of the supply chain." | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) have a policy for the use of fairtrade certified or otherwise 'responsible' sugar? |
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Although Mars Inc. had indicated to join the Bonsucro in 2011, by now they state that a shift in priorities has led to an expected joining in 2012, rather then 2011. | Source |
| 8. Does the brand (company) have the objective to only source sustainable palm oil by 2015 at the latest, and has the brand already purchased sustainable palm oil in order to stop e.g. forced labour and insufficient wages? |
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Mars Inc. is a member of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and sources only palm oil from RSPO-members, although their product is not necessarily certified. Mars Inc. has set a target to use only 100% RSPO-certified palm oil by 2015. In 2011, 14.5% of the palm oil purchased by was either RSPO-certified or sourced via the mass balance approach. | Source |
| 9. Does the brand (company) have a policy to purchase its fillings (e.g. nuts, caramel, nougat, praline) and other ingredients (such as milk, oils and fats) from socially certified sources? |
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Mars does not communicate whether its fillings and/or additional ingredients are from socially certified sources. | Source |