Galaxy to Carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified TM Seal from 2010
15 April 2009 - United Kingdom
Mars announces that by 2010 all GALAXY milk chocolate bars will carry a Rainforest Alliance Certified TM seal in the UK & Ireland. This agreement is just one aspect of a larger global commitment for Mars to certify its entire cocoa supply by 2020 as sustainably sourced.
For 30 years, Mars has been a pioneer in its efforts to achieve sustainable cocoa production, investing over $10 million in each of the past several years in a wide range of initiatives.The announcement is the latest milestone in the long-standing cocoa sustainability efforts of Mars, one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers.
This new agreement links Mars even more closely to cocoa farmers, working in partnership to produce cocoa that meets the criteria set out by Rainforest Alliance and other members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and teaching cocoa producers new farming techniques that will significantly improve their yield and increase income – benefiting their families and communities while protecting the environment.
“We are determined to put our principles into action and make a real difference to cocoa farmers, their families, communities and the environment.” said Paul S. Michaels, Mars CEO and president.
Mars, Incorporated and the Rainforest Alliance have a shared vision -- a vision of a more sustainable cocoa industry characterised by productive and profitable farms that create vibrant cocoa communities and conserve their natural assets for future generations. Mars has been an industry leader in cocoa sustainability for decades, setting the agenda in three broad areas: productivity and farm profitability; social development; and ecosystem conservation. The Rainforest Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a coalition of local NGOs, first developed the standard for sustainable agriculture in the early 1990s. Since then, the groups have helped more than 30,000 family farms, plantations and cooperatives in 22 tropical countries achieve the standard, which benefits farmers, farmworkers, their families and the conservation of tropical ecosystems and wildlife. Further demonstrating their commitment to embedding sustainability into their business operations, Mars is making the commitment to certifying its cocoa supply chain for compliance with sustainable agriculture practices that it believes essential to the future of the industry. Rainforest Alliance certification will comprise a key component of this new strategy.