Mars Promises €1 Billion Next Year To Boost Manufacturing in Europe

Surely it’s just coincidental, but the same day European antitrust regulators said they are restarting their consideration of the Mars-Kellanova merger, Mars revealed plans to invest €1 billion next year to boost manufacturing and innovation across the EU.

Details were lacking in the Mars news release, which mostly citied past investments. Its main point seemed to be:

“This new investment builds on more than €1.5 billion Mars has invested in EU manufacturing over the past five years, modernising facilities, increasing production capacity and accelerating efforts to decarbonise its value chain. These investments support the company’s 24 factories across 10 EU countries and the 25,000 people it employs in its direct operations. 85% of Mars products sold in the EU are produced locally within the EU, which is also an export hub to over 100 markets around the world.”

Today’s announcement did note one semi-new project: “Between 2023-2027, we are investing around €250 million into our chocolate factory in Janaszówek, Poland, to bring state-of-the-art automation to our operations and increase site capacity by 63%.”

The other mentions were of older or ongoing projects:

+ “Mars globally has reduced its scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions by more than 16% since 2015, while the business has grown 69%. To continue the decoupling of growth from emissions, Mars is embedding environmental initiatives across key stages of its value chain.

+ “In 2022, its ice cream factory in Steinbourg, France – home to Snickers, Twix and Bounty ice cream bars – became powered entirely by renewable electricity, the first Mars site globally to become fossil-fuel free. Similarly, the company’s pet nutrition facility in Lithuania has installed a state-of-the-art pouch production line powered solely by renewable electricity.

+ “In 2025, Mars announced more than €100 million to modernise and digitise its industrial sites in France, strengthening local employment while supporting our Net Zero journey.

+ “Beyond manufacturing, Mars is tackling agricultural emissions with a $47 million Moo’ving Dairy Forward Plan, helping to cut methane emissions across multiple EU Member States, including the Netherlands.”

Claus Aagaard, CFO for Mars, added: "We take a long-term view – we believe in Europe and we would like to see more growth for the benefit of consumers in the EU economies. Our investments are designed to keep our operations world-class, competitive and aligned with the EU’s long-term priorities.”