Mars Chocolate North America, Hackettstown, N.J., announced that all 10 of its manufacturing facilities are now certified landfill-free, representing a significant milestone in achieving Mars’ goal of zero-waste-to-landfill by 2015.

Since establishing its waste target in 2007, Mars has driven an overall reduction of approximately 4,500 ton of waste—enough refuse to fill 35 football fields, 12 inches deep, annually. To achieve this goal, the company took a comprehensive approach focused on three key areas—efficient operating processes, recycling programs for multiple waste streams and mutually beneficial partnerships with disposal vendors and local farm re-use programs. 

“At Mars, we are constantly focused on bettering the local communities in which we operate,” says Mike Wittman, vice president, supply chain. “We are proud to have earned zero-waste-to-landfill certification, another important achievement in driving sustainability across all of our facilities and continuing to sweeten the world in which we live and work.”

Since 2011, Mars has aimed to achieve LEED Gold certification for all new major buildings globally, with 10 facilities, to date, receiving this certification. In May 2014, Mars announced the creation of a 200-megawatt wind farm that will generate electricity equivalent to 100% of the power for its U.S. operations, which is comprised of 70 sites, including 37 factories and 25,000 associates.