Mars Bar

Is Mars Bar an ethical brand?

First produced in England in 1932, Mars Bar is a chocolate bar consisting of caramel, nougat and milk chocolate manufactured by Mars Inc. Unfortunately, The Good Shopping Guide cannot rate Mars Bar as ethical as it has a low score on our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table. Though Mars Bar has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope that in the future it can reach it through extensive work and commitment to ethics.

Our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table shows how other brands score against Mars Bar and can help you find out more about Ethical Chocolate.

Where does Mars Bar score well for ethics?

Mars Bar receives a top score for its Environmental Report. (Find out more about How We Rate brands by reading through our methodology.)

Its parent company, Mars Inc., has several sustainability goals and environmental commitments, which reflects the company’s desire to improve its environmental record.

Mars Bar additionally receives a top score for Nuclear Power, Fossil Fuels and Armaments due to a lack of negative records.

Where does Mars Bar receive a bottom score? 

Mars Bar receives a bottom score on The Good Shopping Guide’s table for Genetic Modification. Mars says that it believes that “genetically modified/engineered components are safe.” However, based on our criteria, companies that employ genetically modified ingredients get the lowest score as it is unknown whether they are truly safe for the environment or to eat.

Mars Bar receives a bottom rating for Fairtrade, as none of its products are certified by the Fairtrade Foundation.

What can Mars Bar do to improve its ethical rating?

The score given to Mars Bar by The Good Shopping Guide is the result of a calculation of multiple ethical criteria. In order to reach our minimum ethical benchmark, improve its score and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Mars Bar need to work on numerous problems. This includes its bottom scores for Genetic Modification, Animal Welfare, Fairtrade and Public Record Criticisms.

If Mars were to work on these issues, Mars Bar would see its score rise on the Ethical Chocolates Table.

If your ethical chocolate brand, company or product could benefit from getting an ethics and sustainability certification, why not get in touch to find out more about Ethical Accreditation, or fill out our initial assessment form.