Mars, Incorporated Named Best Private Company By Ethical Corporation In 2013 Responsible Business Awards

LONDON, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated has been named Best Private Company by Ethical Corporation Responsible Business Awards 2013. Ethical Corporation is a global business publication focused on global ethical business and exploring how large companies are responding to the sustainable business agenda.

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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 across their operations.

Accepting the award on behalf of Mars, Barry Parkin, chief sustainability officer, Mars, Incorporated, said: "We're delighted to receive this award from Ethical Corporation. We feel strongly that we have a responsibility to help solve challenges shared by our business and society. As a private, family-owned business, we have the freedom to make long-term choices and investments to help create lasting mutual benefits for our entire value chain. We are proud of the progress and impact we have made on this journey, although we know we still have much work to do." 

Mars, Incorporated was given special recognition both for its Sustainable in a Generation program and its industry leading work in the field of cocoa sustainability:

• The Sustainable Cocoa Initiative, a program that seeks to enable farmers to create sustainable businesses, by ensuring the future of the cocoa supply chain while increasing incomes and securing livelihoods for future cocoa farmers.
• Progress made by Mars toward making its operations 'Sustainable in a Generation' by eliminating fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing its impact on water quality and availability, and mitigating the impacts of waste by 2040.
• The impact of sequencing and annotating the cocoa genome and the work conducted by Mars with the African Orphan Crops consortium.

The judging panel that recognized Mars' achievements reflected the diversity of the corporate sustainability field, including representatives from Greenpeace, The Economist, Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover.  Mars was amongst a strong field of peers for the Best Private Company award, including Tetra Pak, SC Johnson, Alliance Boots, National Commercial Bank and New Balance.

The award adds to the global recognition Mars has received for its commitment to sustainable innovation in recent years:

• Mars Poland was ranked fourth among fast moving consumer goods companies and 14^th overall by the Responsible Business Forum in 2012. Additionally, Polityka magazine awarded Mars Poland a "Golden CSR leaf" – the business is one of only 15 companies in Poland to receive this honor.
• In 2012, the company's Australian Petcare business was awarded Bronze Partner status in the Australian Government's Sustainability Advantage program.
• In 2011, Mars' Jiaxing Chocolate factory in China was awarded "Outstanding Organization of Energy Saving and Emission Reduction" by Zhejiang Province.
• For its sustainability efforts, Mars Chocolate North America was named "Green Manufacturer of the Year" in 2011 by Candy Industry Magazine.
• In 2010, Mars won the U.S. Secretary of State's 2010 Award for Corporate Excellence for its work in cocoa sustainability, and efforts to improve economic development in the cocoa-growing region of Ghana.

More information on Mars' approach to business and its sustainability efforts can be found in its annual Principles in Action Summary at mars.com, which will also be published again next month. 

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 72,000 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®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital 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™, WISDOM PANEL™ and SERAMIS®. 

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

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated