Mars Australia, the company behind brands such as Masterfoods, Pedigree and M&M’s, on 2 March made the transition to using renewable electricity to offset 100% of the power at its six factories and two offices in Australia.
Mars operates six manufacturing sites in Asquith, Ballarat, Bathurst, Wacol, Wodonga and Wyong and two sales offices in Melbourne and Sydney – which will be offset with 100% renewable electricity from the new Kiamal Solar Farm. The commencement of generation of the Victoria-based Kiamal Solar Farm, developed by renewable energy producer Total Eren, follows announcements from the Federal Government to modernise Australian manufacturing.
The Kiamal Solar Farm has an eventual grid output of 200MW and spans more than 4.6 sqkm, featuring 718,000 solar panels. The 50MW that the Kiamal Solar Farm generates for Mars Australia is enough renewable electricity to power the production of 185 million 180g bags of peanut M&Ms; or 30 million 3kg bags of Pedigree; or 1.4bn bottles of Masterfoods tomato sauce; or 2.5 billion packets of Extra. Marking a key step in advancing Mars’s global Sustainable in a Generation goals to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by 27% by 2025 and 67% by 2050, the news underlines a $US1bn commitment the company made in 2017 to reduce its environmental impact.
Bill Heague, General Manager of Mars Food Australia, said: “I am proud to announce that we are making the switch to 100% renewable electricity. At Mars, we believe business, government, and individuals must work together to take meaningful action on climate change. This move ensures we are playing our part to create a better world for future generations.”
With more than 100 years’ history operating in Australia, Mars believes that switching to renewable electricity increases operational efficiencies as well as environmental benefits. Mars was one of the first companies to join RE100, the world’s biggest renewable energy initiative for major corporations. With more than 280 members, the initiative encourages companies to switch to 100% renewable electricity.
Lindsey Soutar, Greenpeace REenergise Campaign Director, added: “Mars has become one of the first Australian companies on its way to hitting its 100% renewable electricity goal, with a major power purchase agreement that will see all its power needs met by renewable energy from Victoria’s largest solar farm. Mars is shifting the dial on corporate renewable energy commitments and showing that stepping up to tackle emissions isn’t just good for the climate – it’s a sweet deal for business too.”
RE100 Australia Coordinator Jon Dee said, “Mars was one of the first RE100 pioneers to sign a power purchase agreement here in Australia. By sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources, Mars isn’t just reducing its impact on the environment, it’s also setting a great role model for other companies. Last year Mars consumed over 85GWh of electricity in Australia. In light of Australia’s fluctuating energy costs, it’s a sound business decision for Mars to invest in that amount of solar power. Other companies in Australia need to follow that lead.”
Michael Vawser, Asia Pacific Regional Director of Total Eren, said: “The Kiamal Solar Farm is a unique project, not only because it is the biggest solar farm in Victoria but also because it is backed by four power purchase agreements (PPAs) and one large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) contract, all to highly valued companies: Mars Australia, Alinta Energy, FlowPower, Zero Emissions Water and Origin Energy.”