McLean, VA (April 18, 2022) — Mars, Incorporated, in partnership with strategic consultancy Guidehouse(Opens a new window) and founding members PepsiCo and McCormick & Company, has today announced the addition of nine new global brands to the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition(Opens a new window) (Supplier LoCT), a consortium created to accelerate action throughout the supply chains in the march towards net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Established in April 2021, the coalition has gained significant momentum in the past year expanding its brand participation to 12 corporations – with new joiners including Atlantic Packaging, The Coca-Cola Company, The Estée Lauder Companies, General Mills, Keurig Dr Pepper, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Restaurant Brands International, and Yum! Brands. Brand members of Supplier LoCT sponsor the participation of their suppliers in a series of Guidehouse-led instructional seminars on developing a GHG footprint, setting a science-based target, adopting GHG abatement measures, and disclosing progress.
It comes as Mars makes progress to mobilize its suppliers on climate action, to accelerate progress towards its commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Since joining Supplier LoCT last year, Mars has engaged over 85 suppliers to enroll in the program, representing roughly 25% of its total carbon footprint. The business is focused on engaging and mobilizing its largest 200 suppliers to maximize impact and catalyze change through its broader supply chain.
Barry Parkin, Chief Procurement & Sustainability Officer at Mars, Incorporated said: “Effectively delivering against net zero will require a deep transformation of global supply chains, which will only be possible if companies embed climate action deep into the core of their procurement strategy.
With more than three quarters of our emissions coming from the materials that we purchase at Mars, we recognize that supporting our suppliers on a low-carbon transition will be critical in mitigating our impact on the planet. Pre-competitive collaboration between global businesses and suppliers, such as through Supplier LoCT, will be vital in driving the scale and reach needed to overhaul global supply chains.”
As part of Supplier LoCT, supplier participants get direct mentoring and actionable instructions on how to build internal capacity and earn recognition for their accomplishments as they move through each stage. As it enters its second year, the consortium has tripled supplier enrollment in the virtual learning seminars, with more than 1,200 representatives from over 400 supplier firms now embarked in the Supplier LoCT guided journey.
Until recently, most companies have focused on measuring emissions from their own operations and electricity consumption, referred to as scope 1 and 2 emissions. “For many brands, particularly in the food, beverage and consumer goods sectors, the majority of their GHG emissions are in the supply chain referred to as scope 3 emissions,” said Britt Harter, Guidehouse’s sustainability solutions lead. “The Supplier LoCT model is proving to be both a practical and scalable approach to the complex challenge of how to drive down those supply chain emissions not directly under the brand’s control.”
The partnership comes as part of the business’ #PledgeforPlanet initiative launched in 2019, calling on its suppliers to join Mars in setting climate targets in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative(Opens a new window), signing on to The Climate Group’s RE100(Opens a new window) and embracing a future with renewable energy at the center of operations.
By actively engaging suppliers on climate action, Mars aims to accelerate progress towards its ambitions to achieve net zero GHG emissions, which includes all scope 3 emissions (as defined by the Science Based Targets Initiative) such as those created by agriculture and suppliers.
See further details on the Mars Sustainable in a Generation Plan and its climate action.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated, has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.
Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands, including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M's®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses, including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, and VCA™.
We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com(Opens a new window). Join us on Facebook(Opens a new window), Twitter(Opens a new window), Instagram(Opens a new window), LinkedIn(Opens a new window) and YouTube(Opens a new window).
About Guidehouse
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 12,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com(Opens a new window).
About Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition
Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LoCT) is a brand consortium supported by an online learning platform to mobilize collective climate action in supply chains. Brand members of Supplier LoCT sponsor the participation of their suppliers as part of their efforts to address their own scope 3 emissions. Guidehouse facilitates the instructional seminar series for the suppliers to support them in their journey of developing a GHG footprint, setting a science-based target, adopting GHG abatement measures, and disclosing progress.
PRESS CONTACT
Dan Strechay
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