Mars Wrigley announced it has reached a key milestone in its commitment to sourcing its cocoa responsibly by declaring that from 2023, 100% of the cocoa purchased for its direct factory operations in Europe will be verified as responsibly sourced cocoa. This means the company will purchase a volume of responsibly sourced cocoa equivalent to the volumes used in its European production.
This means the cocoa for products including Snickers, M&M'S, Mars Bar, Dove/Galaxy, Maltesers and Milky Way will be 100% responsibly sourced cocoa from 2023.
This transition to 100% responsibly sourced cocoa is a key part of Mars Wrigley’s Cocoa for Generations Strategy, which was established in 2018 with the aim of delivering lasting positive change across the supply chain for future generations. It focuses on the critical issues that need to be addressed for cocoa farming families to thrive, taking action to help protect children, preserve forests and improve farmer income.
Benjamin Guilbert, vice president procurement at Mars Wrigley Europe, CIS & Turkey, commented in the announcement: "Achieving 100% responsibly sourced cocoa for our European factories will be a huge milestone for the business. Cocoa is key to our global chocolate brands and to the livelihoods of an estimated 350,000 cocoa farmers in our supply chain. As one of the world’s largest buyers of cocoa, we have a responsibility to help drive positive, long-lasting, systemic impact to support the farmers and communities in our supply chain."
As outlined in the latest Cocoa for Generations update report launched on September 18, Mars Wrigley is on track to reach its global goal of 100% of its cocoa being sourced through its Responsible Cocoa program and traceable to first point of purchase by 2025. As of the end of 2021, 61% of the company’s global cocoa was sourced through the Responsible Cocoa program, with 44% of its global supply traceable to farm boundaries from first point of purchase.
The announcement was made at the launch of a unique immersive and interactive cocoa exhibition in Paris, showcasing cocoa from growing the beans to the company’s latest innovations to promote Cocoa for Generations and its commitments and initiatives.
