LEADERS
Mars
OUT OF THIS
WORLD
Chocolate company Mars has set an audacious target to certify its entire
supply chain of cocoa by 2020. Tom Idle talks to the company’s director
of plant science, Howard Shapiro, to find out more
A
s the world’s biggest man- one of several certifiers we will want us to have a sustainable sup-
ufacturer of chocolate, work with globally. ply chain that is fair and equitable
Mars Incorporated under- The commitment will drive up and in order to do that one has to
standably considers the future standards. The certification prac- start some place.
supply of cocoa to be important. tice is a series of annotations of And for us the place is specifi-
That is why the company – maker information that have to be met cally working with the people
of Twix, Starburst, M&Ms and for certification to be offered. who grow the crop itself; working
Snickers to name just a few – has The standards are thought- on their performance so that over
teamed up with the Rainforest through and we make sure they the next ten or 12 years triple the
Alliance in a bid to get its entire include some of our concerns. And yield and reduce the number of
cocoa supply certified as sustain- the Rainforest Alliance commit- trees they have to produce so
ably produced by 2020. In fact, ment alone is 20 times more than they can put other kinds of
Mars aims to buy enough certified any other chocolate company was trees in their agroforestry system,
cocoa so that the company’s prepared to do right now. like medicinal trees or oil-based
Galaxy chocolate bar can bear the Shapiro: Taking the long view trees so that increases their
Rainforest Alliance seal of So, has the chocolate industry ability to be higher performing
approval by early next year. been too slow to respond to the What can businesses like Mars producers.
This is an ethical initiative; a issue of sustainable farming? achieve, that the Rainforest Part of this is to protect the key
corporate giant and a leading Like any industry, there has Alliance cannot on its own? remnant forests of neo tropics,
NGO teaming up to redouble always got to be someone that We are the world’s largest choco- where cocoa is grown, from being
their efforts in helping thousands decides to take a stance. Mars is late company. We have a voice cut down and taking land that has
of farmers meet social and quite fortunate in that it is a pri- through all of the institutions we been abandoned and making it
environmental standards. vately owned company, so we belong to – from the World Cocoa useful for tree crops.
But, as Howard Shapiro, think generationally. We believe Foundation to the World Bank.
the firm’s global director for we have the ability to take the One can lead or one can follow So, you don’t worry that
plant science and external future in our hands. and we feel it’s important to have people might consider this as
research, says: “It’s also a This is about business though, leadership. We have decided that a greenwash?
business decision.” isn’t it? long term view is the only way to We worry everyday that what we
Absolutely. Our commitment go. It’s not a matter of saying this are doing is interpreted as green-
What will this partnership to sustainability is serious and methodology of certification is wash, as you’d hope we would.
actually mean for farmers? long-term and this announcement better than that. It’s a matter of The reason we chose Rainforest
Mars has fundamentally is the first. But, no questions, this saying that, in the long term, the Alliance was because we felt their
changed the way cocoa is is about business. way to sustain the world commu- reputation was impeccable and
farmed, and we commit to This is not about philanthropy. nity of cocoa producers is to go they have worked with large cor-
certify our entire cocoa sup- We hope to move the entire seg- toward sustainability – not only porations.
ply chain by 2020. The ment forward with our progress in from an economic stance, but Our credentials in the area of
Rainforest Alliance is the supply chain, to have from a social and environmental greenwashing are really rather
a complete and total one too. impeccable.
analytics of the supply
chain from the com- Do your customers really care Why do you think Mars has
munity to our factory about what you are trying to do? taken such a strong position on
door. Consumers care about everything sustainability issues?
But it is about corporations do today. The ability Our five principles – quality,
business and it to get information about everyone responsibility, mutuality, efficien-
should be about is instantaneous by the method- cy and freedom – are fundamental
business. ologies of the web. Our consumers to the success of the company.
18 May 2009 ❘ Sustainable Business
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