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Date
When looking at the intersection of project management and sustainabilty, we at EarthPM are often intrigued by the places where we find sustainability in action.
This post is about a combination of several aspects we've recently blogged about:
-
long-term thinking
-
sustainability integration into the business plan
-
sustainability as a strategic advantage
-
open data and sharing of proprietary data for the greater good
And... where on earth do we go to for this post?
Mars.
Yes, Mars. But not the planet, the company, Mars, Inc.
The website they've put together to describe their efforts in sustainability even has a title like our blog here at Projects@Work - "People, Planet, Performance". So we can tell they've got it right!
What caught our eye was this article from Triple Pundit. In it, they describe Mars' 2040 target to eliminate all fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from its direct operations. You can read about that in their press release here, and you can go to the Mars site directly and read about it here, in a section called "sustainable in a generation". For your convenience we summarize some of the background philosophy here:
"Why does Mars care about climate change? Why have we committed to making our operations Sustainable in a Generation? Why do we invest in scientific research to improve agricultural crops?
The answer lies in our objective to create a mutuality of benefits by doing business in ways that are good for Mars, good for people and good for the planet. To ensure focus and effectiveness, we root our business decisions in scientific understanding. We strive to understand and quantify our impacts using accepted, publicly available data where possible, and to develop science-based strategies in response. Our targets are based on what is needed to solve the problem, rather than relying solely on what we can achieve in the immediate future.
One of the key scientific inputs we have used in this process is the concept of Planetary Boundaries1, a highly-respected analysis based on a review of existing research which identifies nine environmental impacts and the point at which each one will cause catastrophic harm to human wellbeing."
This is great, but what got us even more curious was the element of sharing data - going with more "open data" (as we blogged about on EarthPM's blog recently, in relation to Aneesh Chopra's book, Innovative State).
That aspect of Mars' work can be summarized in a project-oriented effort called The Cocoa Genome Project.
This is "a five-year program launched in 2008 by Mars, IBM and the US Department of Agriculture to sequence, assemble and annotate the cocoa genome. In 2010, a preliminary version of the cocoa genome was publicly released in order to allow scientists to apply this knowledge as soon as possible to benefit growers. The genome findings were made available to all—including competitors—through the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA) and the Cacao Genome Database. PIPRA is a non-profit initiative that provides developing countries with access to agricultural technologies".
Has this reaped any benefits?
According to Mars:
"Breeders are already using this knowledge to identify traits of disease resistance, enhanced yield, efficiency in water and nutrient use, as well as climate change adaptability among the world’s cacao trees. Ultimately, this will result in healthier, stronger and more productive cacao cultivars which will improve farmers’ yields and income. As well as supporting breeders on the ground, the Cocoa Genome Project has also enabled Mars to develop genomics capabilities in collaboration with a diverse set of partners—work that will help to modernize cocoa production and improve the flexibility of the supply chain."
So the investment is paying off.
These two elements shown in Mars' business plans - long-term thinking and open data - are exemplary.
So have a handful of M&Ms and applaud Mars' efforts.
Are these principles being integrated in your organization?
Posted
by
Richard Maltzman
on: August 03, 2014 01:13 PM |
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