Set against a backdrop of dwindling global fish stocks, Mars, which operates one of the world’s largest petcare businesses - has worked with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop its fish sustainability commitment.
The company aims to achieve the following milestones, across its entire petcare portfolio:
- Only using fish from 100% sustainable wild catch and sustainable aquaculture sources
- Replacing all wild catch whole fish and fish fillet with sustainable fish by-products and sustainable aquaculture.
- Only using sustainable alternatives to marine fish ingredients.
An important milestone in this sustainability journey will be the introduction of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified petfood in Europe by the end of 2010. This year Mars Petcare Europe will begin rolling out MSC certification across a selection of fish varieties in the SHEBA® and WHISKAS® brand portfolios across Europe, offering consumers a choice of more sustainable pet food products for the first time.
“We are leading the way with this commitment to use only sustainably sourced fish and as the world’s largest petcare business we’re in a position to affect real change.” said Pierre Laubies, Global President of Mars Petcare.
“We are confident we can be a catalyst for change and by working with sustainability organisations such as the WWF we hope to encourage the rest of the industry to follow.”
“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.” said Jason Clay, Senior Vice President Market Transformation, WWF US.
“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.”
