Mars, Incorporated Awarded Best Private Company And Commended For Best B2B Partnership By Ethical Corporation In 2014 Responsible Business Awards

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated announced today that it was recognized in two categories at the Ethical Corporation 2014 Responsible Business Awards, presented at a ceremony in London.  The business was awarded Best Private Company for the second year running and was also highly commended for Best B2B Partnership. 

Mars received special recognition in both categories for its efforts towards becoming a more sustainable business, including both its deforestation policy release earlier this year and its partnership with Sumitomo Corporation of Americas in the Mesquite Creek wind farm, which will produce renewable energy equal to the electricity use of all of Mars' US operations. With an annual output of over 800,000 megawatt-hours, the energy created from the wind farm will represent 24% of Mars' total global factory and office carbon footprint – equivalent to the electricity required to power 61,000 U.S. households. The wind farm represents the biggest long-term commitment to renewable energy use of any food manufacturing business in the United States. 

Commenting on the award, Mars' Chief Sustainability Officer Barry Parkin said: "We were delighted to receive the Best Private Company award last year. To win it for a second year in a row together is a testament to the ground-breaking initiatives that we have implemented this year to accelerate our progress. This includes our new deforestation policy and efforts to reduce a quarter of our operations' carbon footprint through the development of the Mesquite Creek Wind farm in Texas.  We will continue to look for innovative ways to drive positive change in the challenges that we share with society."

"We are pleased to see this recognition of Mars' aggressive commitments to sustainability through its partnership in our Mesquite Creek Wind farm project in Texas, which will allow them to further reach their goal to become carbon-neutral across their operations by 2040, said William Cannon, Vice President, Sumitomo Corporation of America. We congratulate them on this win."

Ethical Corporation is a global business publication that documents how large companies are responding to the sustainable business agenda. Ethical Corporation Responsible Business Awards pay tribute to companies' commitment to responsible business practices and recognizes global leaders in corporate sustainability.

The Best Private Company category acknowledges privately-held companies that have best demonstrated dedication to embedding sustainable business practices across their operations.  The Best B2B Partnership is awarded to the two companies that can demonstrate a clear commitment to a long-term, mutually beneficial collaboration that can demonstrate real commercial benefits and wider gains to society from a social, environmental or governance perspective.

Mars was among a strong field of peers for the Best Private Company award, including Bacardi Limited, SC Johnson, Roshan and Bankinter.

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/Mars,twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars

About Sumitomo Corporation of Americas

Established in 1952, and headquartered in New York City, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) has 10 offices in major U.S. cities. SCOA is the largest subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, one of the world's leading traders of goods and services.  As an integrated business enterprise, the firm has emerged as a major organizer of multinational projects, an expediter of ideas, an important international investor and financier, and a powerful force for distribution of products and global communications through a network of offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.sumitomocorp.com.

About Sumitomo

Sumitomo Corporation is a leading global trading company, with 115 locations in 66 countries and 24 locations in Japan. The entire Sumitomo Corporation Group consists of nearly 800 companies and more than 70,000 personnel. The SC business is continuously expanding into a diverse range of products and services. Its core business units are Metal Products; Transportation & Construction Systems; Environment & Infrastructure; Media, Network, Lifestyle Related Goods & Services; and Mineral Resources, Energy, Chemical & Electronics.

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SOURCE Mars, Incorporated