100 percent responsible cocoa for Mars Wrigley chocolate products in Europe

10-Oct-2022 - Germany

From 2023, 100 percent of the cocoa purchased by confectionery manufacturer Mars Wrigley for its factories in Europe will be responsibly sourced. Specifically, this means Mars will source enough cocoa from farms benefiting from its responsible cocoa program to meet European demand for its brands such as SNICKERS, M&M'S, TWIX and MARS.

This transition marks an important milestone in Mars' "Cocoa for Generations" cocoa strategy. Since 2018, the family-owned company bundled its actions for faster and more sustainable improvements throughout the supply chain under this strategy. "Cocoa for Generations" focuses on protecting children, preserving forests, and improving the income of cocoa farmers.

For 2023, Mars has confirmed contracts to purchase cocoa from responsible sources. They are equivalent to the amount used in Mars Wrigley's European chocolate factories. These include: Haguenau (France), Janaszówek (Poland), Slough (UK), Steinbourg (France), Veghel (Netherlands) and Viersen (Germany). The following products are manufactured in these production plants: BALISTO, BOUNTY, CELEBRATIONS, DOVE/ GALAXY, M&M'S, MALTESERS, MARS, MILKY WAY, SNICKERS and TWIX (milk chocolate).

Benjamin Guilbert, Vice President Procurement at Mars Wrigley Europe, CIS & Turkey, explains, "Achieving 100 percent responsibly grown cocoa for our European factories will be a major milestone for Mars. Cocoa is key to making our chocolate brands more sustainable and improving the livelihoods of an estimated 350,000 cocoa farmers in our supply chain. As one of the world's largest buyers, it is our responsibility to take positive, long-term and systemic action to sustainably support cocoa farming families and communities throughout our supply chain."

Inge Jacobs, Senior Director of Human Rights and Social Impact, Mars Wrigley Global says, "We know there is still much to do, but we are committed to continuing to work with our key partners to create a modern, inclusive and responsible cocoa supply chain - one where the environment is protected, human rights are respected and everyone has the opportunity to flourish."

Beyond Europe, Mars is also well on its way to achieving its self-imposed global goals. These include sourcing 100 percent of its cocoa worldwide responsibly grown through its Cocoa For Generations program by 2025. By the end of 2021, the figure was already 61 percent of cocoa purchased globally.

The cocoa announcement for the European market came as part of the opening of an interactive cocoa exhibition in Paris. The Oct. 4-7 exhibition highlights the journey the cocoa bean takes from planting to harvesting as part of "Cocoa For Generations." It takes a close look at the measures Mars is taking to protect children and families and to protect forests in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, among other places.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1178019/100-percent-responsible-cocoa-for-mars-wrigley-chocolate-products-in-europe.html