Mars unveils plan to reduce carbon footprint from dairy sourcing

Dairy is the second-largest contributor to the carbon footprint of Mars Inc's billion-dollar snacking business and raw ingredients account for over 70% of the organisation's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Now Mars has launched its sustainable dairy plan that will be backed by a US$47m investment over three years.

Its climate-first approach to dairy sourcing, dubbed Moo'ving Dairy Forward, plans to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy in line with its 2030 ambition to slash emissions by 50% of its 2015 baseline measurement. The company will work with industry to implement a number of on-farm interventions such as enteric methane reduction, efficient manure management and sustainable feed production.

The plan includes a new collaboration with dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina. The Mars-FrieslandCampina Sustainable Dairy Development Program will provide a platform for new practices and innovative technologies to be refined and scaled up, with the goal of broader adoption across the entire co-op.

Mars has also launched three pilot 'net zero' dairy farms with the DMK Group in Germany. The sites will study and aim to implement new science and technology with an ambition to create a scalable and economically viable pathway to net zero dairy.

A founding member of the industry-wide Sustainable Dairy Partnership, the company is partnering with Fonterra and Sea Forest to explore sourcing from their SEAFEED seaweed food supplement trial. The trial seeks to demonstrate how the supplement can help to reduce methane from cows.

For more information, visit www.mars.com/sustainability-plan/dairy-sustainability.

Image credit: iStock.com/smiguli