(Oil & Gas 360) – Global food producer Mars has announced a nearly $50 million initiative focused on its cows and candy to halve greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade and become Net Zero by 2050.
Mars’ “Moo-ving Dairy Forward” sustainable dairy plan seeks to find links in Mars’ supply chain that will allow it to cut methane from the roughly 200,000 cows producing the milk integral to its line of iconic candy products, such as M&Ms, Snickers, Skittles, and others. The methane from the Mars herd is estimated at over 50 metric tons a day.
The global food conglomerate, which generates about a billion dollars a week in revenue, is paying cow farmers a premium for milk produced through its sustainable farming plan.
According to the World Economic Forum, food, beverage, and agriculture account for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, virtually the same amount as the emissions from electricity production.
The effort is coordinated with the Netherlands and Germany using guidelines outlined in an emerging “regenerative farming” movement.
Mars has begun testing supplements, food substitutes, and additives as a key component of its methane control efforts.
The most promising approach thus far has been introducing a type of seaweed found in the ocean off Tasmania that, when ingested by cows, slows the microbes in cow stomachs from producing methane to a state easier for the cow itself to use as calories. Officials say the seaweed supplement reduces methane from belching 40-80 percent. The approach also reduces methane in manure. A Tasmanian company, Sea Forest, is looking to commercialize seaweed farming.
In addition to buying carbon offsets, Mars further addresses CO2 emissions by crushing rock with sequestered CO2 and applying it to soils. It is also reviewing fertilizer sourcing. Nitrogen and ammonia, which, if over-applied, can damage soils.
While the name of the 100+-year-old family-owned company is synonymous with sweets, Mars has significant market share in the pet food industry, some human food lines and even owns the renowned Wrigley chewing gum line.
By oilandgas360.com contributor, Jim Felton
