GERMANTOWN, Md., Sept. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars Symbioscience (MSS), the global health and life sciences segment of Mars, Incorporated, has joined IMPACT 2030 as a Founding Partner. MSS is an incubator for evidence-based innovations that positively impact the health and well-being of people and the planet. MSS, through Mars Sustainable Solutions™, is working to achieve social, economic and environmental sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on the communities that supply Mars's critical raw materials. As an IMPACT 2030 Founding Partner, MSS will join forces with 17 other corporate Founding Partners from around the globe to help achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This announcement was made today as more than 100 leaders arrived in New York City to attend the Inaugural IMPACT 2030 Summit.
IMPACT 2030, a collaboration between the United Nations and the business sector, unites companies in their corporate volunteering efforts to help advance Global Goals – to end poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change – by 2030.
"Our Associates are our greatest assets – it is their skills and expertise, and most importantly, their passion, that enable us to positively and sustainably impact our world," said Heather Pfahl, Sustainability Manager, Mars Symbioscience. "Each day we seek to tangibly show our commitment as a company and as individuals to the communities where we work, live and operate. We use our social, human and environmental capital to catalyze mutual benefit for communities and business. We are proud of how our strategic and integrated ecosystem approach contributes toward nine of the SDGs."
For example, MSS contributes to Goal 14 in Indonesia, focusing efforts on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. There, MSS is promoting behavior change by developing alternative livelihoods through small-enterprise development in sustainable aquaculture of seahorses and ornamental fish.
"By increasing the fishermen's income four-fold through sustainable techniques, fishermen are reducing their dependency on devastating fishing practices that have destroyed over 80 percent of the coral reef ecosystems in Indonesia," said Pfahl. "Just as important for them and for Mars, the Coral Triangle is where 40 percent of the world's tuna population spawns every year."
Associates Contribute to Scalable and Sustainable Solutions
Mars, Incorporated, through the company's worldwide Associate engagement programs, such as the Mars Volunteer Program (MVP) and the Mars Ambassador Program (MAP), encourages all 80,000 Associates at Mars to volunteer their time and skills ‒ organizing, leading and recruiting other volunteers to join them to make a difference in the communities where they live and work. MSS takes this initiative one step further by engaging Associates directly in its effort to deliver restorative and sustainable solutions in the remote island communities where its marine-based raw materials are sourced, and where they depend upon healthy coral reefs.
Over the past five years, MSS has developed a novel, yet practical, low-cost and scalable system to accelerate coral reef rehabilitation. MSS Associates, working alongside Mars volunteer Associates around the world via the Mars Ambassador Program, have installed over 10,000 "Mars Coral Spiders" underwater across two hectares of reef. The evidence shows the coral cover on the reef's rehabilitated areas increased from 10 percent to 60 percent in about 18 months, as has the reef fish population, including tuna, which had not been seen off this island for over 30 years. Consistent with Goal 17, MSS is now working alongside universities, NGOs and business partners to baseline a second island/reef so as to validate this reef rehabilitation system scientifically over the next four years in order to support its potential use by others to rehabilitate coral reefs around the world.
Added Pfahl, "Our Associate volunteer programs are powerful demonstrations of how MSS puts Mars' Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – into action in local communities to deliver mutual benefits. Like IMPACT 2030, I cannot stress enough that the success of our business, and our ability to deliver growth we are proud of, is built on multi-stakeholder collaboration as well as partnering with communities from where we source our raw materials. We are proud to be a Founding Partner of IMPACT 2030 and we are excited to join other global corporate leaders to address the UN Development Agenda."
"Corporate action, in concert with the UN, government, academia and civil society, is critical to meeting the Global Goals set by the UN by 2030; this amazing opportunity brings companies together around the SDGs, exploring ways that their most valuable asset, their people, can do the most good for the world," explained Dr. Tauni Lanier, Executive Director, IMPACT 2030. "We thank Mars Symbioscience and their Associates for their commitment to addressing the grand challenges of the 21st century."
For more information about Mars Symbioscience and the company's commitment to IMPACT 2030 visit www.marssymbioscience.com/principles-in-action.
About Mars Symbioscience
Pioneering some of the most innovative and breakthrough fundamental scientific research, and with sustained funding from Mars, Incorporated, Mars Symbioscience was established in 2005 as an internal technology-based health and life sciences venture area to develop and commercialize new products and services supported by evidence-based science. To date, Symbioscience has successfully incubated, introduced and transitioned five technology platforms in the areas of food, plant, biomedical and life sciences, including Wisdom Panel®, (www.wisdompanel.com), a range of complex canine genetic tests for breeders and veterinarians and, CocoaVia® (www.cocoavia.com), a revolutionary new cocoa flavanol extract-based dietary supplement that promotes healthy blood flow from head to toe and thus ultimately supports cardiovascular health in people. For more information, please visit www.marssymbioscience.com.
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history, $35 billion in sales, and six diverse business segments producing some of the world's best-loved brands: PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, IAMS®, BANFIELD® CESAR® (Petcare); M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX® (Chocolate); DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES® (Wrigley); UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® (Food); ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® FLAVIA® (Drinks); and COCOAVIA® (Symbioscience). Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in 421 facilities across 78 countries, where our more than 80,000 Associates — all united by the company's Five Principles of Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom –strive every day to create relationships with our stakeholders that deliver growth we are proud of.
For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About IMPACT 2030
IMPACT 2030 is collaboration between the United Nations and the business sector to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 through corporate employee volunteering. Each IMPACT 2030 partner company has committed to applying its employee volunteer actions towards one or more of the Global Goals. Founding partners include: Google, GSK, IBM, Mars Symbioscience, Medtronic, SAP, TATA Consultancy Services, The Dow Chemical Company and The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. Learn more by visiting IMPACT2030.com and following @IMPACT2030 on Twitter. Join the conversation using #IMPACT2030.
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