Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Mars takes holistic approach to sustainability

As director of sustainability for Mars North America, Kevin Rabinovitch works with all of the company’s units (food, snack, and pet care) in the U.S. He develops and executes sustainability strategies and initiatives aimed at improving triple bottom line results—environmental, social, and economic.

Pw 7389 Chocolate Basic


“Mars has always taken its usage of packaging materials very seriously and worked to use the smallest amount of the least harmful materials possible to accomplish our packaging goals—from protection to presentation,” Rabinovitch tells Packaging World. “We believe it’s important to look at sustainability holistically rather than taking the elements of packaging, the manufacturing process, and logistics as separate independent entities.”

One example of holistic thinking was the switch from a multi-wall paper to a woven polypropylene structure on the Mars 52 lb dry Pedigree® Food for Dogs product. Although the new plastic package had less than half the weight and carbon footprint of the (mostly) paper package, the biggest savings actually came from a reduction in damages in handling. The new, tougher bag decreased the company’s damage rate by 65% to 75%. This switch actually saved 350% of the emissions of the original packaging structure; 50% from the new package, and 300% from the product that wasn’t lost in distribution.

Successful partnership leads to new lightweight glass jar

Rabinovitch’s advice to others interested in sustainability is to “Look for linkages between parts of the supply chain—everyone is focusing on their niche (distribution, packaging, manufacturing, etc.) and not enough people are looking for ways to leverage benefits across niches.”

For the development of a new glass package, Mars joined with its supply-chain partner and the Waste and Resource Action Program (WRAP), a government-funded organization in Britain set up to develop methods to reduce the amount of materials going to landfills. Late in 2007, WRAP announced the successful trial by Mars of a lightweight glass jar for its Uncle Ben’s sauce brand produced in the Netherlands. The weight of the jar was reduced by 6% from 258 to 243 g. The company annually packages 30 million of these sauce jars at its Netherlands facility.

List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
Looking for CPG-focused digital transformation solutions? Download our editor-curated list from PACK EXPO featuring top companies offering warehouse management, ERP, digital twin, and MES software with supply chain visibility and analytics capabilities—all tailored specifically for CPG operations.
Download Now
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports
Exclusive access: Packaging World editor-curated reports revealing PACK EXPO's most groundbreaking technologies across food, healthcare, and machinery sectors. Each report features truly innovative solutions selected from hundreds of exhibitors by our expert team. Transform your operations with just one click.
Access Now
2024 PACK EXPO Innovations Reports