“There is no quick fix to this problem, but when companies as influential as Mars take a leadership role, it is great news for the world’s oceans. Companies of all sizes need to be responsible in how they source their raw materials and understand the importance of acting now. We hope that this sets a precedent for other manufacturers.”
Jason Clay,
Senior Vice President of Market Transformation for WWF,
United States.
"Seafood sustainability is a complex and pressing issue that every company dealing with this resource needs to address. The blue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel rewards sustainable fishing practices and is designed to help buyers and consumers make positive choices for the environment. By committing to source only sustainably caught seafood by 2020, Mars are leading the way in the pet food industry. The MSC label features prominently in their commitment and we at MSC are delighted to be working with Mars on implementing their commitment and supporting them in reaching their ambitious goal.”
Nicolas Guichoux,
MSC Regional Director for Europe
'Our target is to use only 100 percent sustainably sourced fish and seafood products by 2020'
Mars is committed to making the world better for pets. This commitment includes a focus on nutrition, and we use a number of protein sources in our pet foods.
Fish is a key ingredient in our cat foods. More important, it is the main source of protein for about one billion people. Overfishing has led to a serious decline in many stocks, threatening availability and creating competition for remaining resources.
As one of the world’s leading pet care companies, we have an opportunity to take the lead in sourcing fish in ways that do not threaten stocks. We have pledged to source all fish globally from sustainable sources by 2020 — a pet food industry first. This is the first step on a long journey, and we are still assessing how we will achieve our target. To start, we have introduced the following principles:
- We will only use fish from wild stocks that are not threatened, or are responsibly farmed.
- We will replace all wild whole fish and fish fillets with fish byproducts and responsibly-farmed seafood products.
- We will develop and use alternatives to marine fish ingredients.
We are collaborating with leading external agencies such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and WWF to create a set of standards for use in the pet food industry. As these standards are developed, we will engage with our suppliers to create the capability to successfully implement them. We continue to investigate ways to use seafood more efficiently in our products and not to compete with the human food chain.
We are expanding our use of MSC certification to assure consumers that our brands contain responsibly sourced seafood. A selection of SHEBA® and WHISKAS® varieties in Europe have carried the MSC logo since January 2011. To achieve this, the factories producing these brands must also receive MSC approval. Our facilities in Gargzdai, Lithuania, and Verden, Germany, are certified to the MSC standard.
