Snacking giant Mars, Incorporated has launched the Mars Sustainability Investment Fund (MSIF), a new initiative that seeks to support solutions in sustainable agriculture, low-emission ingredients and next-generation packaging.
The $250 million fund ‘aims to provide capital to companies developing cutting-edge solutions that address key industry sustainability challenges’, Mars said in a statement, and will see capital deployed across investment funds and direct investments.
The three pillars of the fund, Advanced Agriculture, Innovative Ingredients and Raw Materials, and Next Generation Packaging build on Mars’ efforts to advance its Sustainable in a Generation strategic plan, the company noted.
Emissions reduction
Mars announced the fund as it reported a 1.9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 compared to its 2015 baseline, while over the same period, net sales have grown by 69%, reaching around $55 billion annually.
The company now operates more than 60 climate-smart agriculture projects around the world, covering 13 crops in 29 countries. These include efforts to transition palm oil farmers to RSPO certification in North Sumatra, which has led to the protection of 8,000 hectares of forest, and the ‘KIND Almond Acres Initiative’, which has led to a 17% increase in water use efficiency.
Under its Moo’ving Dairy Forward Sustainable Dairy Plan, meanwhile, Mars has committed more than $47 million over three years to help reduce emissions in its dairy supply chain, while in Thailand, the Sustainable Aromatic Rice Initiative (SARI) project has both increased production and cut water usage significantly.
‘Meaningful progress’
“I’m pleased to see our continued ability to decouple our business growth from our carbon footprint, while simultaneously investing in innovation and getting behind start-ups that will be creating new solutions and advance breakthroughs to help companies address resilience challenges,” commented Poul Weihrauch, Mars CEO.
“These are important areas to make meaningful progress in helping us to reduce exposure to future environmental risks, and eventually, turn it into profit and competitive advantage. Looking ahead, there will be setbacks – and we must be unafraid to say so – but we will stay focused on making progress, growing our business and reducing the impact we have on the planet by helping everyone thrive.”
Mars has also expanded the number of senior leaders with compensation tied to emissions reductions – from 400 to approximately 2,000 – as it seeks to embed climate performance into broader business accountability. Read more here.
