A number of farmers from the Development Group of FrieslandCampina will reduce the CO2 emissions for Mars ahead of the coop's normal schedule. They will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (scope 3) by 33% already in 2025 instead of in 2030. By that latter year, the emission should already be halved compared to 2015.
The farmers are not doing this without a stimulus. Mars will compensate the member dairy farmers for the desired efforts, for example for the costs of using feed additives that reduce methane emissions. The renewed agreement with Mars is valid for 2 years, so until the eind of 2025. However, the intention is to prolong the agreement until 2030.
Mars has been a long-standing customer of FrieslandCampina and has been purchasing dairy products for over 30 years, including milk fat/cream for well-known brands such as M&M's, Snickers, and Twix. For Mars, it is important to quickly reduce CO2 emissions. The goal is climate-neutral production. Dairy is an important focus area. This raw material is the second largest contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions of the Mars Snacking business, the company reports.
Of the more than 9400 member farms of FrieslandCampina, over 600 have signed up for the Development Group in the first half of 2024. This group focuses on accelerated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by applying and refining innovative measures on the farm. The goal is for these measures to eventually be applied more broadly within the cooperative.
