Mars Urges Business Community To Take Bold Climate Action, Leads By Example

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Mars has urged the business community and global leaders at COP 22 to take bold action on climate change in order to implement the targets set out in the Paris Agreement, and has taken the lead by announcing its third wind energy commitment in as many years.

“This is an important moment in global political and economic history, and we absolutely must come together to solve the immense challenges facing the planet,” said Barry Parkin, Mars, Incorporated’s Chief Sustainability & Health and Wellbeing Officer. “Climate change, water scarcity and deforestation are serious threats to society. It is imperative that global businesses, like Mars, do their part to face down those threats.”

Mars could be labelled as being all talk, if it weren’t for its own serious efforts at walking its talk. Mars was the first US business to join the RE100 global awareness campaign intended to preach and help companies go 100% renewable. Earlier this year, Mars announced to the world that a new partnership between its UK arm and energy company Eneco UK would result in all Mars operations in the UK being powered by the new Moy Wind Farm, located in Scotland.

Mars’ chief executive was also one of several who at COP 21 in Paris last year signed an open letter to global leaders pledging individual and collaborative action on climate change, while simultaneously urging those governments to forge clear international agreements.

Speaking alongside COP 22, Mars, Incorporated has urged the business community and global leaders to “take bold action to implement the targets agreed last year in Paris for tackling climate change.”

Leading the way again, Mars accompanied this call by announcing its third major wind energy commitment in as many years. Specifically, over the last three years, Mars has announced the following new wind projects across three continents:

• In 2015, Mars opened its 118-turbine wind farm at Mesquite Creek, Texas. The wind farm now generates the equivalent of 100% of the electricity needed to power the entirety of the Mars U.S. operations.
• In 2016, Mars announced a partnership with Eneco to activate a 20-turbine wind farm in Scotland that is providing electricity from renewable sources equal to what’s required to power all of its U.K. operations.
• In 2017, Mars will activate its new wind farm partnership with Vive Energia and Envision to provide the equivalent of 100% of the electricity required to power its five plants in Mexico — located in Querétaro, Nuevo León, Jalisco, and the State of Mexico. This project is expected to drive a greenhouse gas reduction of over 25,000 tonnes of CO2-e.

“It’s fantastic to see Mars progressing internationally — this latest announcement is another piece in the jigsaw for achieving its goal of 100% renewable energy globally by 2040,” added Damian Ryan, Acting CEO of The Climate Group. “The move will also help to develop a growing renewables market in Mexico. It sends a clear signal of support to the Yucatan government that demand for renewables is rising, and that there’s an alternative to using polluting fossil fuels in this environmentally sensitive area.”