Mars and Fairtrade Announce Collaboration.
MALTESERS® to switch to FAIRTRADE in the UK
MALTESERS® to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark in UK & Ireland in 2012, Mars to provide more than US $1 million annually in Fairtrade Premiums to farmers’ co-operatives in West Africa.
LONDON, UK (27 September 2011) — Mars Chocolate and Fairtrade International today announced an agreement to introduce the first Fairtrade labelled Mars product. As part of the initial phase of the agreement the first Mars product to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark will be MALTESERS®. The move, which will appear in stores in 2012 in the UK and Ireland, will contribute in excess of US $1 million in annual Fairtrade Premium funds for cocoa farmers to invest in their farms, business organisations and communities. MALTESERS® is the third biggest confectionery brand in the UK, and its switch will represent more than a 10% increase in total UK Fairtrade sales. (see Note 3 in Fairtrade Foundation section below).
At the heart of the agreement is a shared ambition to make commodity certification that supports sustainable livelihoods for farmers the norm in the cocoa industry. Over the long-term, Mars will explore how best to scale up its purchases of Fairtrade cocoa, and will support Fairtrade’s continued efforts to develop measures that would allow more confectionery companies to increase their commitments to purchase more Fairtrade cocoa with the aim of impacting the lives of more cocoa farmers than ever before.
“I am very excited that Mars in the UK is at the forefront of this global agreement as we switch MALTESERS in 2012, which also marks the 75th anniversary of this much-loved product” said Fiona Dawson, President Mars Chocolate UK. “Mars is looking to lead the way in enabling certification for the whole cocoa sector, and this agreement with Fairtrade is a significant step in the drive for cocoa sustainability worldwide.”.
‘Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation says: “It’s brilliant news for cocoa farmers, and we’re thrilled that the first initiative is to certify MALTESERS with the FAIRTRADE Mark. It means that from next year, every MALTESERS ball we enjoy will deliver a little bit of extra magic, supporting the farmers who grew the cocoa to invest in a brighter future..
‘The move has been welcomed by others in the development sector, including Comic Relief. In 2011, MALTESERS® partnered with Comic Relief for a hugely successful on-pack promotion that raised over £1.1 million for the UK charity. The Fairtrade Foundation has also been supported by Comic Relief for a number of years to help it strengthen its work across Africa.
‘Richard Curtis, the founder of Comic Relief said “We worked closely with Mars on what proved to be a hugely successful brand partnership with MALTESERS. I am delighted that Mars are continuing their commitment to support the sustainable development of African farming communities through this new agreement with Fairtrade. Having seen so much poverty in Africa, I believe that this link up will transform the lives of thousands of cocoa farmers, giving them the confidence to tackle the problems that they face.”.
‘In addition, Fairtrade and Mars will work to take advantage of their common interests and expertise to explore how to improve the productivity, quality, labour and community development benefits they can bring to farmers. Cocoa farmers stand to benefit immensely from the partners’ combined experience – Mars’ expertise in technical support to improve yield and Fairtrade’s expertise in building farmer organisations. .
Current annual world production of cocoa is around 3.5 million tonnes, and by 2020 the chocolate confectionery industry will need at least 4.5 million tonnes. To satisfy demand, cocoa farmers need industry support to invest in overcoming the challenges of ageing cocoa trees, low productivity and lack of confidence in cocoa farming among the young. Yet as of 2009, certified cocoa represented just over 1% of total purchases.
Mars was the first major confectionery company to commit to purchasing only certified cocoa by 2020. In the future, demand for certified cocoa must be met by an efficient, effective and reliable system of farmer training, auditing and supply chain management. A much greater proportion will need to be certified by 2020 to allow the market to bear additional large-scale certified purchasing commitments, and, more importantly, to have a positive impact on many more of the 5 to 6 million farmers who cultivate cocoa.
Both Mars and Fairtrade believe that empowering farmers to drive change in their own communities as the most effective way to achieve true sustainability. Fairtrade is working with more than 85 000 cocoa farmers in West Africa and, with the additional income from the Fairtrade Premium, Fairtrade farmers’ groups have hired agronomists, invested in farm-level productivity and built warehousing and processing facilities. They are funding community development by providing clean water, free health insurance and scholarships for children.
Mars is guided by their principle of creating “mutual benefits” for partners throughout the supply chain, including farmers. Apart from committing to sourcing only certified cocoa by 2020, Mars has also released an annotated map of the cocoa genome into the public domain and will invest heavily in Côte d’Ivoire and other major cocoa producing countries over the next decade to provide hundreds of thousands farmers with the tools, material and training necessary to dramatically increase yield and, by extension, farmer income.
Michael Nkonu, Director of Fairtrade Africa, which represents farmers and producers across Africa, says: “We’ve been working hard to support and strengthen our networks of Fairtrade certified cocoa farmers in West Africa. Many farmers in the Ivory Coast region are still struggling to re-establish their lives and build up their farms following the recent troubles. This agreement couldn’t be more timely, and will help enable a better future for farmers.’
For more information see http://www.cacaogenomedb.org/ or www.mars.com/cocoasustainability.
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For more information,interviews and images, contact:
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
• Mars UK press office on 020 3003 6632
• Fairtrade Foundation press office on 020 7440 7686/7695/07770 957 451
About Fairtrade Foundation:
1. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark in the UK on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 1.5 million people – farmers and workers – across 60 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
2. Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionery, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool and olive oil.
3. Fairtrade sales reach an estimated £1. 17 billion in 2010, a 40 percent increase on the previous year. There are over 560 producer organisations selling to the UK, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers. According to latest TNS figures (research of 2,000 sample GB adults 16+ conducted between March 16th – 20th) current Awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark is 77%.
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 philosophy of a “mutuality of benefits” for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.
Mars have committed to sourcing only certified cocoa by 2020 and partner with certification programs that boost productivity and growers’ incomes. Our current certification partners are Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified “Good Inside,” and we have committed to purchase 100,000 metric tons annually from each by 2020.
Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS®, CIRKU™ and COCOAVIA™.
For more information, please visit www.mars.com