The WWF as well as the MSC have served as competent cooperation partners together with Mars the past two years on the topic of "sustainable fishing". Representatives from both of these organizations participated in a podium discussion in March 2010 at the Sustainability Day event at our Mars Petcare location in Verden, Germany.

MSC – Marine Stewardship Council

The MSC is the global leader of certification programs for sustainable fish and seafood. The MSC Seal guarantees that fish are being caught or raised using proven ecological methods. Already 7% of the global fish volume has been MSC certified. The demand for this certification is rising steadily. There are currently 42 fisheries, 67 fish species and 14 fishing nations using the MSC Seal for promoting sustainable fishing. Over 900 companies in the supply chain have been certified with the MSC Seal. The traceability of these certified fish products is guaranteed. The MSC was founded in 1997 by the World Wide Fund for Nature and a large food corporation in order to provide a solution for the global environmental problem of overfishing. The MSC environmental standard for assessing and rewarding sustainable fisheries was developed through a consultation process together with scientists, fishery experts and ecological groups.

MSC has been in existence as an independent organization for 10 years and awards its environmental seal only to fisheries using sustainable methods of protecting fish stocks.

"It is great news that Mars Petcare has committed itself to using only fish from sustainable sources by 2020 in all of its cat food products. The company has taken a leading role in demonstrating that it recognizes its responsibility towards following generations and takes these responsibilities seriously. We hope that many more companies are also willing to take this step. This commitment by Mars is positive news for the world's oceans", says Marnie Bammert, MSC.

"Unbelievable progress has been made across the entire industry by having a company as big as Mars voluntarily commit to having its products certified by the MSC. We are pleased that Mars is the first company in this branch to take this innovative step and demonstrate responsible awareness of the situation. We hope their actions will set an example for others in the industry to follow" says Catherine Zucco, WWF.