Mars, Inc. is teaming up with sustainability consulting firm Guidehouse to launch the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LoCT), a new collation to mobilize suppliers on climate action.

The program aims to provide suppliers with the knowledge and resources to develop their own climate plans to reduce their environmental impact. In its first year, it will focus on helping suppliers understand the foundation of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions in their businesses, including core knowledge of how to calculate their GHG footprints and set their own science-based targets.

Mars is a founding member of LoCT, with PepsiCo, Inc. and McCormick & Co. also joining and enrolling suppliers to take part.

“As the world looks to rebuild from the pandemic, this will be a critical year in altering the trajectory of climate change,” says Barry Parkin, chief procurement and sustainability officer at Mars. “It's never been more vital for global businesses and their suppliers to come together and protect the health of our planet and global communities for generations to come.”

The company has made progress on cutting its own GHG emissions in recent years and is on track to reach its goal of reducing its emissions by 27% by 2025, he added. Still, the company’s extended supply chain accounts for more than 94% of its overall emissions.

“It's crucial we also partner with our suppliers to drive broad transformations and mitigate our collective impact on climate change,” Parkin says.

Mars is focused on engaging its largest 200 suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of its broader supply chain. So far, 30 suppliers have enrolled in the LoCT program, and another 23 have joined RE100, a corporate renewable energy initiative.

“While organizations across the world have made bold commitments to science-based climate reductions, most are struggling to deliver progress, and the clock is ticking,” says Britt Harter, sustainability lead at Guidehouse. “We have joined forces with Mars, McCormick, and PepsiCo to demonstrate our combined leadership and go beyond target setting to drive real action.”