Mars and Unreasonable Group forge alliance to drive sustainability in food manufacturing

USA- Mars has joined forces with Unreasonable Group to launch Unreasonable Food, an innovative initiative to realize Mars’ ambitious 2050 net-zero emissions commitment, to revolutionize the food supply chain, and to advance sustainability efforts. 

This partnership is in line with the Mars Net Zero Roadmap, which outlines how the company will achieve net zero across its value chain by 2050, building on its 2021 commitment.

As part of its pathway to achieving net zero, Mars has made several significant investments, including procuring more renewable energy, pursuing sustainable packaging, improving logistics, optimizing recipes, scaling climate-smart agriculture, and stopping deforestation in its supply chain.

Under the banner of Unreasonable Food, Mars’ snacking division will collaborate with Unreasonable Group over three years, collectively striving towards a regenerative, inclusive, and equitable future of food production.

The initiative will prioritize four key pillars: shaping the future of food, improving farmer livelihoods, transforming food supply chains, and reimagining sustainable packaging. These pillars serve as a guiding framework for identifying and implementing new solutions that address sustainability challenges inherent in Mars’ global operations.

Leveraging Unreasonable Group’s extensive network of investment funds and partners, Unreasonable Food will embark on an exhaustive search process to identify growth-stage entrepreneurs poised to catalyze meaningful change in the food industry. 

The initiative, a collaborative effort between Unreasonable Group and Mars Snacking, aims to cultivate a portfolio of approximately 40 ventures throughout the partnership’s duration.

The inaugural cohort of selected ventures will be unveiled in the coming months. These entrepreneurs will convene for an immersive week-long program, facilitated by Mars Snacking’s global leadership team and mentors affiliated with Unreasonable Group.

Amanda Davies, Global Vice President of R&D, Sustainability, and Commercial at Mars Snacking, emphasized the urgency of the endeavor, stating, “Mars has the experience, the energy, and the footprint to shape the food future. Doing nothing is not an option.”

Daniel Epstein, CEO of Unreasonable Group, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the significant environmental impact of current food production practices. “More than 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity can be attributed to the way we produce, process, and package food,” Epstein stated. 

He continued, “As one of the world’s largest food companies with some of the world’s most admired brands, Mars Snacking, in partnership with Unreasonable and the entrepreneurs we support together, is uniquely positioned to put that statistic where it belongs – in a museum.”

The collaboration between Mars and Unreasonable Group underscores a shared commitment to driving positive change within the food industry and setting new standards for sustainability. 

As the initiative unfolds, it holds the potential to inspire transformative shifts in food manufacturing practices, ultimately paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.

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