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Ethical brand ratings and accreditation since 2001

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Snickers

Is Snickers an ethical chocolate brand?

First introduced in America in 1930, Snickers is a chocolate brand owned by Mars Inc. Snickers bars consist of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts, encased in milk chocolate. Snickers was first sold in the United Kingdom in 1967 under the name ‘Marathon Bar’ but was renamed to ‘Snickers’ in 1990.

Unfortunately, The Good Shopping Guide’s research reveals that Snickers has one of the lowest scores on our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table and because of this, it cannot be classed as ethical chocolate.

The Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table shows how Snickers scores against other brands and can help you to find out more about what makes Ethical Chocolate.

What does Snickers receive a top score for?

A top score is given to Snickers as its manufacturer Mars has a good Environmental Report which demonstrates the company’s commitment to environmental progress through a series of targets.

 What does Snickers receive a bottom score for ethics? 

Snickers receive a bottom score in The Good Shopping Guide for Public Record Criticisms, due to the alleged unethical activities of its parent company, Mars.

For example, in 2023, Mars was named as one of the chocolate companies that was ‘dragging its feet’ to phase out the use of child labour, leading to accusations that the brand was misleading the public about its human rights efforts and intentionally condemning children to a life of poverty and dangerous working conditions. You can read more about this here.

How can Snickers become an ethical chocolate brand? 
The score awarded to Snickers on our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table is the result of a calculation of multiple ethical criteria carried out by The Good Shopping Guide.

To improve its score, meet our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Snickers needs to work on a lot of issues. This includes its bottom score for Public Record Criticisms and many more.

If your ethical chocolate brand, business, or product could gain from receiving an ethics and sustainability certification, why not get in touch to learn more about Ethical Accreditation or complete our initial evaluation form.

Ethical performance in category

0

GSG score

24
70

GSG category benchmark

100

Ethical Rating

Environment

  • Environmental Report

    Good

  • Genetic Modification

    Poor

  • Organic

    Poor

  • Nuclear Power

    Good

  • Fossil Fuels

    Good

  • Palm Oil Free

    Poor

Animal

  • Animal Welfare

    Poor

  • Vegetarian/Vegan Verified

    Poor

People

  • Armaments

    Good

  • Political Donations

    Poor

  • Fairtrade

    Poor

Other

  • Ethical Accreditation

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms+

    Poor

= GSG Top Rating = GSG Middle Rating = GSG Bottom Rating