MARS, INCORPORATED and TERRACYCLE partner on innovative waste reduction Program
20 April 2009 - United States
Mars, Incorporated’s five business segments – Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley, Food, and Drinks -- and upcycling company TerraCycle today announced TerraCycle’s largest-ever corporate partnership.
TerraCycle will produce affordable, high-quality consumer goods by repurposing surplus and used packaging from more than 20 Mars brands, including: leading confectionary brands such as M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX®, STARBURST®, SKITTLES®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, JUICY FRUIT®, DOUBLEMINT®, WRIGLEY’S SPEARMINT®, ORBIT®, EXTRA®, FREEDENT®, ECLIPSE®, 5®, WINTERFRESH®, BIG RED®, LIFE SAVERS®, and ALTOIDS®; dog and cat food brands PEDIGREE®, NUTRO® and THE GOODLIFE RECIPE®; and food and drink brands UNCLE BEN’S®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®, and FLAVIA®.
TerraCycle will repurpose waste packaging from Mars’s U.S. operations into products ranging from cell phone holders and laptop sleeves to messenger bags, significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. Mars will also sponsor TerraCycle ‘Brigade programs,’ in which organizations can raise money by collecting used packaging from participating brands and sending it to TerraCycle.
Mars has committed to reducing its waste by 3 percent a year. Reducing waste is one of four areas Mars focuses on in its sustainability initiatives, along with reducing its use of energy and water and ensuring the sustainability of raw materials used in its products, such as cocoa. Mars’s overall sustainability goal is to minimize its footprint on the planet to help restore the planet for the next generation.
Richard Ware, Vice President of Supply Chain, R&D and Sustainability at Mars says: “We at Mars take very seriously our responsibility to uphold our efficiency principle and cut waste. This partnership with TerraCycle demonstrates Mars’s ongoing commitment to making a difference by reducing the impact of our manufacturing plants on the planet each year.”
Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle, adds: "The commitment to waste reduction shown by Mars is very exciting. This partnership will enable TerraCycle to increase exponentially the amount of waste we upcycle in a given year. Our experience with companies similar to Mars shows it’s possible to reduce packaging waste through partnerships such as this by upwards of 3,000 tons a year. Partnering with Mars’s iconic brands creates an incredible opportunity to have a positive impact on our environment."
TerraCycle distributes its products across the U.S. and plans to expand into Mexico, Brazil, Canada and the UK over the coming year. TerraCycle products are available in some of the biggest U.S. retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Target and Petco.