SUSTAINABILITY
A good example of Mars’ innovation in this area is its transition of WHISKAS pouches to mono-material plastic, making them recyclable where the infrastructure exists. Mars has also transitioned nearly its entire European Dry and Care & Treats portfolio to packaging designed for recycling.“ But achieving meaningful progress requires collaboration well beyond packaging design. Manufacturers, suppliers, recyclers and policymakers all have a role to play,” says Dane.
“ Innovation takes many forms across our supply chain. Inside the pack, we’ re focused on ingredient resilience, nutrition-first formulation and sustainable sourcing.”
Digital tools and AI are helping Mars to better understand ingredient performance, identify opportunities and adapt formulations when needed, while maintaining the nutritional outcomes and quality standards pets and pet parents expect.
Outside the pack, much of Mars’ work centres on packaging innovation, manufacturing capability and future readiness.
“ We’ ve made significant progress transitioning parts of our portfolio to recyclable packaging formats, while also investing in factory upgrades that allow us to process new materials and adapt to changing market needs.” The challenge is – innovation rarely happens in isolation.“ A packaging change can affect manufacturing, logistics and sourcing. A new ingredient may have implications for sustainability, supply resilience and product performance,” says Dane.
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