UK – American multinational food company Mars has launched a new US$422 million project in the United Kingdom in an effort to cut down on its Carbon emissions and meet its companywide sustainability goals.
The project to be implemented in partnership with global logistics company DHL will see the construction of two new warehousing facilities in the UK.
The American-based manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products claims that through the project it will be able to deliver annual outbound logistics CO2 savings of 7.7%.
The multi-year partnership with the global logistics company will ensure that Mars is well positioned to meet increasing consumer demand for its products.
The two warehouse facilities will be based in the Midlands and East London will have a combined square footage of over a million feet, increasing Mars’ warehousing capacity by over 50%.
They will be designed with sustainability in focus. FoodBev reports that they partially solar powered to reduce reliance on grid power.
Mars UK says it transports over 1.2 million pallets of its products every year, and as a result of the US$422 million sustainable logistics operation, the company claims it will remove a million miles a year from roads.
“This project is a meaningful step in our sustainability journey as we look to create the world we want tomorrow – which we know starts with how we do business today.”
Tim Walker, supply chain director at Mars UK
Tim Walker, supply chain director at Mars UK, said: “Our partnership with DHL will deliver a world class logistics operation that is sustainable, smart and agile.”
“This project is a meaningful step in our sustainability journey as we look to create the world we want tomorrow – which we know starts with how we do business today.”
Jim Hartshorne, managing director, retail & consumer & Ireland, DHL Supply Chain, said: “We’re delighted to be extending our global partnership with Mars in the construction and management of these sites. Our shared environmental commitments are supported by this investment and we are creating long term, exciting jobs in both of these communities.”
The two depots, East Midlands Gateway and London Thames Gateway, will be operational in the spring of 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Mars Inc is a great example of a company that’s putting in the work to tackle sustainability and has committed US$1 billion to becoming “Sustainable in a Generation.”
Carbon emissions is one of the company’s greatest challenges when it comes to taclking climate change and becoming more sustainable.
In 2015, an audit showed that Mars’ had a footprint of 33 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. That’s more than double the annual total of Costa Rica for that year.
In an effort to reverse this, Mars set a goal to reduce value chain emissions by 67% by 2050 and the present US$422 million investment in warehousing facilities is one of the many efforts that Mars is making to ensure it operates in a sustainable way.
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