Mars ramps up regenerative agriculture in pet food supply chain

FRANKLIN, TENN. — Mars, Inc. announced several collaborations to advance regenerative agriculture throughout North America. The company’s Mars Petcare US and Royal Canin USA divisions and pet food brands PEDIGREE and IAMS aim to encourage wheat, corn and rice farmers to implement regenerative farming practices throughout 150,000 acres of farmland.

The company has partnered with ADM, The Andersons, Riceland Foods, and the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund to support farmers in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan, as well as in Ontario, Canada.

“At Mars, we recognize that an important part of achieving our climate goals is addressing the environmental footprint of our ingredients,” said Jon Peattie, senior vice president of commercial at Mars Petcare US. “Our commitment to regenerative agriculture is a key component of our broader sustainability strategy. These partnerships reflect our dedication to reducing our environmental impact, supporting farmer livelihoods, and helping to ensure a resilient supply chain for the long term.”

Through its partnerships, Mars will support farmers as they implement regenerative agriculture practices, including cover crops, reduced tillage and extended crop rotations, to help increase crop yields, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve water quality, enhance soil health, improve biodiversity and more.

The results of these programs will be tracked and monitored using measuring, reporting and verification systems.

Royal Canin and Mars Petcare’s partnership with ADM aims to promote reduced tillage and cover crop practices while also supporting reduced fertilizer usage on more than 100,000 acres of farmland this year. ADM uses a broad approach to regenerative agriculture, collaborating with partners to support outcome-based farming that improves soil health and farming business development.

In partnership with The Andersons, Mars Petcare will support company’s corn procurement program, which supports farmers throughout Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Mars Petcare will invest in The Andersons’ program and assist with enrolling farmers in the program, providing technical support and reporting. This partnership will start with covering 30,000 acres. 

Royal Canin and Mars Petcare’s have also collaborated with Riceland Foods. The companies teamed up to support the Riceland Carbon Ready program in 2022. The program supports farmers as they implement and maintain sustainable farming practices and “holistically” care for the land. In partnership with Arva Intelligence, the program helps Riceland farmers become industry leaders toward climate-smart solutions throughout the agricultural supply chain. This partnership will cover more than 10,000 acres annually. 

The partnership between Royal Canin USA and Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provides financial incentives directly to farmers who either begin or expand on-farm conservation practices, including reduced tillage, cover crops, extended crop rotation and fertilization management, that contribute to carbon sequestration, emissions reductions and water quality improvement. This partnership will begin with a 10,000-acre pilot this year.  

All these partnerships are part of the Mars Net Zero Roadmap in which the company aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions. According to Mars’ 2023 Sustainable in a Generation Report, the company has reduced its GHG emissions by 8%, doubling its total emissions reduction to 16% across its entire value chain. Currently nearly 60% of the company’s value chain GHG footprint comes from agricultural ingredients. With this top of mind, the company aims to continue scaling its climate-smart agriculture initiatives to drive its decarbonization.

“Royal Canin is committed to offering pet owners sustainable choices when feeding their pets, and that starts, in part, with how their food is grown,” said Racquel White, vice president of corporate affairs at Royal Canin. “We are committed to working with suppliers and partners to help farmers implement agriculture practices to help reduce our carbon footprint and support the resilience of the people throughout our supply chains.”

Read more about sustainability efforts across the pet food and treat industry.