The Wrigley Company Foundation:

A $3 million grant to Save the Children will provide a new school health program that will transform the lives of thousands of students. The grant will:

• Help provide oral health, nutrition and hygiene care
• Impact 273,000 students in 480 schools
• Be implemented in China, Kenya, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Tajikistan

View press release +

The Wrigley Company Foundation:

In partnership with Give2Asia, the Foundation supported the construction of 10 Wrigley Hope Schools in China and plan to build 10 more schools in the next three years. Happy Sports Centers will be a part of all new schools to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle. Wrigley Hope Schools provide a quality learning environment to thousands of children who would otherwise have limited educational resources and opportunities for success.

The Wrigley Company Foundation:

Together with the International Youth Foundation, the Foundation formed Wrigley Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Success) – a program that implements life skills and educational training through youth-focused organizations worldwide. To date, Y.E.S. has benefitted 12,000 young people in India, Poland, the Philippines, Russia and Spain. Going forward, program participants in India will receive oral health education and access to care as part of a pilot program.

The Wrigley Company Foundation:

Significant natural disasters in several key geographies have rallied the generosity of Wrigley associates throughout the world, and the Foundation has been able to recognize the kind spirit of associates by double-matching their personal contributions during times of significant need.

Additionally, through its partnership with the American Red Cross, over $600,000 USD was provided to support emergency relief and targeted long-term recovery efforts during several global disasters in 2010.

Additional support in 2011 was provided to assist in the aftermath of natural disasters in New Zealand, Japan and the southeastern United States.

As part of the global Mars Volunteer Program (MVP), in one month in 2010 our associates around the world donated 5,500 hours to local Non-Governmental Organizations, cleaning and greening their communities and brightening the lives of countless individuals.

Mars Volunteer Program (MVP) in Poland:

In Poland, our associates cleaned and transformed a park space by planting over 9,000 tulip bulbs in three days. Another team of associates transformed a local school by painting it and assembling new furniture they donated for the classrooms.

Mars Volunteer Program (MVP) in Australia:

Our associates in Australia provided and installed solar panels on the roof of the Hornsby Salvation Army Centre, but they didn’t stop there. They provided the maintenance support as well. In addition our team from Scoresby landscaped and planted native trees in Marysville, one of the towns devastated by the 2009 bushfires.

The Mars Ambassador Program gives associates worldwide the opportunity to use their professional skills to help Non-Governmental Organizations. For example, Rich, a marketing director in the Mars Food segment, developed a comprehensive marketing strategy for Keep America Beautiful (KAB). The project’s focus – to promote the use of their revised educational materials – allowed Rich to use his expertise to increase the impact of KAB’s environmental programming.

Volunteering in Germany:

We support the Youth Goes Future (Jugend Denkt Zukunft) program in Germany, which funds educational and developmental opportunities for young leaders. Students partner with business and industry leaders to gain skills in the areas of innovation, business and teambuilding. During the February 2011 event, 65 teenagers participated in a session with Federal Minister for Youth, Dr. Kristina Schroder and the Wrigley GM.

Volunteering In China:

We actively support Wrigley Hope Schools and our associates have personally donated more than $13,000 USD to provide new furniture to the schools. Additionally, they have met with students to encourage their educational aspirations and have helped plant Hope Trees on the schools’ grounds.

Health & Nutrition:

We are providing easy-to-read, front-of-pack GDA (Guideline Daily Amount) nutrition information on our confections products such as SKITTLES^® and STARBURST^® to help our consumers make informed decisions. We also are strongly committed to responsible marketing through our adherence to the Mars, Incorporated Marketing Code.

Health & Nutrition:

We provide a wide array of sugar-free gum products that offer snacking alternatives to high-calorie treats, as well as gum products that offer demonstrated dental health benefits. Nearly 100 independent studies have helped pave the way for broad acceptance of chewing gum in the oral-care arena.

Health & Nutrition:

Through the Wrigley Science Institute, founded in 2005, we partner with leading universities to conduct studies in the areas of oral and systemic health and other emerging benefit areas including stress reduction, cognition and weight management.

Commitment to Oral Care:

For more than 25 years, Wrigley has supported research into the oral care benefits of chewing sugar-free gum. In fact, we pioneered much of the research that’s been critical in establishing gum’s role in the oral-care routine, which played a significant part in the positive claims review opinions recently issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In the early 1990s, we led ground-breaking research proving that chewing sugar-free gum stimulates saliva production; followed by additional studies validating its role in protecting against cavities.

Commitment to Oral Care:

Wrigley’s advocacy work has played a significant role in achieving greater political awareness of oral health from the European Commission. In 2010, we brought together leaders in the field of oral and dental health to organize and sponsor a forum at the European Parliament in Brussels: “Oral Health in Europe: Promoting education, prevention and better access to dental care.”

In 2011 we launched the European Platform for Better Oral Health, intended to help improve oral healthcare and reduce the cost of oral diseases in Europe. The platform is the result of a diverse group of oral care stakeholders including leaders in public health, dental and corporate entities, who are responding to the growing oral health challenge in Europe.

Our Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program, launched in Germany in 1989, now operates in 47 countries. The program aims to promote an understanding of the oral care benefits of chewing sugar-free gum among oral care professionals, as well as better oral health among local communities.

Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program:

In Poland, the Orbit Dentibus program has provided free dental check-ups to local students and has promoted proper oral health education. Twenty-thousand students and adults have received dental exams as part of the program.

Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program:

In India, Orbit and the Indian Dental Association partnered to provide a record 24 hour ‘marathon’ of free dental check-ups to build awareness and access to proper oral health care. A world record was broken with over 3,000 check-ups provided.

Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program:

Wrigley’s partnership with the State Dentistry Center in Latvia has provided more than 9,000 children with free dental exams via two mobile clinics.

In addition, in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the “Tooth and Friends” program makes oral health education fun. Over 50,000 school children have received oral care focused workbooks or comic books and can participate in contests for prizes. A puppet for school-aged children also brings the oral health lessons to life.

Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program:

Endorsed by the National Dental Association in China, a fun, student focused oral health education program annually reaches 5 million students in 5,000 schools. Students attend classes and receive comic books and can participate in contests and games all focused on proper oral care.

Supplier Monitoring & Training:

Our suppliers are expected to comply with ― and are encouraged to exceed ―the requirements set forth in our Supplier Code of Conduct, which is a set of 10 workplace standards that meet or exceed the United Nation’s International Labour Organization’s guidelines and help us all adhere to high behavioral standards. The Code applies to companies that directly supply us with raw materials, packaging materials, co-manufacturing or services. To measure compliance and encourage success, we’re partnering with suppliers on training programs, measuring progress through auditing and recognizing continuous improvement.

Sustainable in a Generation:

Together with our segment partners across Mars, Incorporated, we are developing an approach that aims to eliminate our fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, to minimize our impact on water quality and availability, and to mitigate the impacts of waste creation. We call this our Sustainable in a Generation (SiG) program.

As part of this program, we’ve committed to zero fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and we’re working on similar long-term commitments for water and waste.

Our Progress:

Working towards our SiG goals, we’ve set short-term targets to keep us on track. So far, we’re making steady progress – exceeding our annual waste target due in large part to advanced recycling efforts in the majority of our facilities. However, we have gaps to fill in order to meet our water target, and we have more work to do in reducing energy consumption.

Renewable energy is any source that replenishes naturally over a short amount of time, such as solar, methane from landfill and wind. Wherever possible, we’re moving away from fossil fuels in favor of these alternatives.

In some geographies, we are able to source renewable energy locally, like at our office in Epping, Australia, which runs entirely on wind power from nearby Lake Bonney Wind Farm.

Renewable Energy:

We’re also building our own systems to generate renewable energy. At our Chattanooga factory in the US, for example, we worked with the Tennessee Solar Institute to install 240 roof-top solar panels, which will generate more than 170,000 kilowatts of green energy for the site each year.

In Guangzhou, we’ve applied a similar approach and use solar energy to warm water for associate showers, hand-washing stations and equipment cleaning procedures. The clean energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 200 tonnes – the equivalent of taking 34 passenger vehicles off the road.

Renewable Energy:

Our manufacturing sites in Poznan, Poland, and Porici, Czech Republic capture methane gas and reuse it to fuel boilers that heat water for the facilities. This prevents the methane − which is a byproduct of waste treatment processing − from being released into the atmosphere, while also reducing the consumption of fossil fuel derived natural gas by approximately three percent a year.

Optimizing our Sites:

In our hometown of Chicago, the United States Green Building Council has recognized two Wrigley facilities with LEED certifications. Wrigley’s Global Innovation Center (GIC) and Engineering Technology Center (ETC) were awarded Gold and Silver, respectively, placing the buildings among the most efficient in their class.

LEED Gold certification is now a requirement for all new Wrigley buildings.

We are applying a similar Sustainable in a Generation approach to product transport as for our operations. Our aim is to eliminate transport-related carbon dioxide by 2040.

To do so, we’re focusing on improved efficiencies and processes as well as collaborating with others. In India, for example, we’ve worked together with our segment partners at Mars Petcare to store product in the same facilities, consolidate shipments and shift freight from trucks to rail, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emission by an estimated 25 percent.

We can be more efficient with our use of water, so between now and 2015 our goal is to reduce total usage by 25 percent. To get there, we are focused on reducing our use of water for production processes as well as limiting general use from municipal and ground water sources ― particularly in geographies where water scarcity is an issue.

Water:

At our Plymouth factory in England, we’re capturing rainwater and using it to supply cooling towers, which store water used to cool the building. The new approach will supply one-third of the site’s total water needs for cooling towers, while also saving money and reducing energy use associated with air conditioning.

In Asquith, Australia, we started a similar project in 2009 – capturing rainwater for all on-site hard surface washing, amenities, washrooms and cooling towers. Today, we’re expanding the project so that we capture enough to reduce municipal water consumption by approximately 35 percent.

We are committed to mitigating the impacts of waste creation and are working on a long-term commitment. Our current approach is based on a simple waste hierarchy. Disposal in landfill is a last resort, and we have committed to sending no waste to landfill by 2015.

Waste:

Today, three of our sites send zero waste to landfill – Asquith, Australia; Bangalore, India and Poznan, Poland. Our other manufacturing sites are committed to reaching the same milestone by 2015 and we're three-fourths of the way there.

Waste:

In Poznan, we reuse or recycle all waste, including excess packaging and wood used for shipping pallets. For waste that can’t be traditionally recycled, we make sure it finds a new purpose. Excess gum waste is cut and mixed with other materials and used as fuel, and leftover sweeteners are purified and used as an energy source for manufacturing.

At our factory in Shanghai, we reuse the packing material that comes in with our raw materials for packaging our outbound product shipments. This simple swap results in 20 percent less waste.

Understanding Our Impact:

When it comes to packaging sustainability, we are focused on using fewer materials, selecting materials that have a lower-carbon impact and limiting the amount of material that ultimately ends up in landfill.

A critical first step has been the recent implementation of an automated materials tracking system, which provides our packaging innovation team with a real-time snapshot of what materials we’re using and where. With this knowledge, we’re able to gain a better understanding of the local footprint drivers so we can make more effective changes.

Designing Packaging for the Future:

In 2011, we introduced a new tool to help us identify the environmental impact of every material that goes into our packaging. Through this system, our packaging engineers can run an analysis on a package prototype and immediately understand its sustainability appeal, including the carbon impact of specific materials, recyclability and percentage of recycled content.

Armed with this information, we can tweak the design of an existing package or create an entirely new system that meets our sustainability objective.

Lightening the Load:

Wherever possible, we choose the least amount of material to do the job.

In China, for example, we cut the amount of plastic in the SKITTLES^® tube package. By removing excess material around the tube closure, the team was able to create a simpler design ― reducing the total plastic by 20 percent and saving 120 tonnes per year.

We also updated our “clamshell” package – a one piece, re-closeable plastic container used to package Tata™ bubble gum in China. The packaging innovation team partnered with a local supplier to identify a more efficient production method that reduced plastic use by 20 percent.

Using Less:

We’ve also removed excess packaging when it can be done in a matter that doesn’t impact freshness of our products or how the package performs.

Across Western Europe, we’ve removed all single stick gum paper labels from brands such as Big Red^®, Doublemint, Orbit and Spearmint. By removing the additional inner label, we’re saving more than 600 tonnes of paper annually - the equivalent of 10,000 trees.

During the second half of 2010, we expanded this approach to India – saving an additional 56 tonnes of paper – and today, we’re exploring further adoption across other markets such as Russia to amplify our impact.

Recycled and Sustainably-Sourced Materials:

We have set a goal to use materials which contain 10 percent recycled content by 2015 when feasible, considering regulatory and food safety requirements. We’re also looking at how we can use more sustainable materials.

Today, many of our most popular packaging systems contain recycled content. America’s favorite curiously strong mint, Altoids, is packaged in recycled tinplate steel. Our blister package sleeves–which package Extra and Orbit Professional^® gum brands in Europe–are made from recycled paper board.

Recycled and Sustainably-Sourced Materials:

In the United States, we switched our gum wrappers from foil to paper for Big Red, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, Spearmint and Winterfresh. The swap saves 850 tonnes of aluminum per year.

Recyclability of our Packaging:

We also provide recyclable packaging options like our bottle pack, which is used to package popular gum brands like Doublemint in China, Freedent^® in France, Orbit Balance^® in Germany and Eclipse^® in the United States.

Our Eclipse, Extra, Orbit and Altoids mint tins are also recyclable. In addition, all Wrigley products globally are shipped to the retailers in recyclable shipping cases and packed in recyclable trays.

Understanding Our Impact:

A few years ago, we completed our first lifecycle analysis of chewing gum. The results have helped us to better understand the environmental impacts at each stage of a chewing gum’s lifespan - from raw material extraction and processing, to manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal.

The findings confirmed that raw materials represent the largest portion of our environmental footprint, but also offer the greatest scope for improvement. So we’re taking our efforts further and conducting separate analysis on each of our top five raw materials. With this information, we’ll be able to develop ingredient-specific strategies for reducing our footprint.

Mint:

It’s no secret that Wrigley buys a lot of mint – it’s one of our most important raw ingredients. So we’re trying to better understand the crop and positively impact the environmental aspects of its procurement cycle.

As a founding member of the Mint Industry Research Council, we supported the organization in developing a baseline understanding of the industry by conducting a small-scale carbon footprint analysis of mint oil production last year.

The initial report showed that the processing of mint is carbon intensive. We’re now working to identify ways to decrease the carbon footprint and also help to amplify mint farmers’ successes through continued improvement of soil conservation, water reduction, energy-use measurement and fertilizer methods.

Greening Associate Behavior:

Go Green is Wrigley’s grassroots effort to transform the way we think and behave as an organization when it comes to our planet.

Initially started as a pilot program at four sites in 2009 (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.; Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.; Munich, Germany; and Plymouth, U.K.), Go Green is now active in nearly 100 sites around the world where associates are developing localized initiatives to encourage more sustainable behavior at the workplace.

Greening Associate Behavior:

At each location, our associates are developing their own Go Green projects to help lessen the impact of everyday business operations on our planet. Today, there are more than 400 projects underway that drive awareness of sustainable behavior at work, promote green behaviors such as recycling and carpooling and even programs that increase the efficiency of the factories and offices.

In fact, in many of the factories, the Go Green teams are partnering with our Sustainable in a Generation Champions to take their efforts even further.

View a video of Go Green in action +

Partnering with Others for Sustainable Change:

Making a difference outside of our office and factory walls is just as important as what we’re doing inside. So for decades, we’ve partnered with non-profit organizations in support of environmental initiatives – like our work with Keep America Beautiful – and joined with government organizations to support local education programs that teach respect for our surroundings.

Conservation International:

In 2008, we made a $2.5 million multi-year pledge to Conservation International in recognition of Wrigley achieving $5 billion in sales.

We are supporting Conservation International’s management and conservation of nearly 460,000 hectares of freshwater ecosystems in and around the Haizishan National Nature Reserve in China. The Haizishan wetlands are part of the Tibetan plateau – a critical “water bank” which is the source of fresh water for nearly two billion people.

Foundation for Environmental Education:

In April 2011, we announced a three year, $3.25 million grant to the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) through the Wrigley Company Foundation.

FEE is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing environmentally-focused education to youth around the world. Through the newly created Litter Less Campaign, students ages 5 – 12 years will be designing their own anti-litter projects or organizing local clean-up events.

This year, Litter Less will run in Russia, the U.K., the U.S., China, Greece, Lithuania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Uganda, Canada, Romania, Germany and France. See our Press release.

Responsible Disposal:

We believe in responsible behavior, so we work to educate the public on responsible disposal of our products, and support initiatives that teach respect for one’s surroundings.

This is why we sponsor community awareness campaigns in support of local government anti‐littering efforts – like our active litter education programs in Australia, China, Germany, Ireland, the US and U.K.

Growing Green Minds:

Across schools in the U.K. and Ireland, we spread the message of responsible disposal through in-school entertainment. The Bin It program, created by Wrigley in 2006, includes teacher lessons plans and a six-week in-school actor who brings the issue of responsible behavior to life.

Since its inception, Bin It has toured more than 300 schools and reached over 42,000 students in the U.K. and Ireland.

Community Awareness Campaigns:

We partner with local government initiatives to extend our education efforts. In the U.K., we are a founding and active member of the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), a government and industry joint initiative to find a long-term solution to irresponsible chewing gum disposal.

The CGAG partners with local authorities to promote proper disposal through advertising campaigns, which over the last three years have reduced littered gum by an average of 50 percent across participating authorities.

Anti-Littering Campaigns:

We support city-wide campaigns to stimulate involvement and passion for a cleaner community. To prepare for the swell of people visiting London for the 2012 Olympics, we’re working with the Chewing Gum Action Group to reach residents and tourists with responsible disposal messaging.

In China, we spread the word about anti-littering in preparation for both the 2008 Olympics, and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, a world fair that attracted 73 million people from 250 countries. For example, to encourage responsible behavior during the Expo, Wrigley sponsored anti-littering advertising at more than 100 bus stops throughout the city.

Keep America Beautiful:

As a founding member of Keep America Beautiful in the U.S., we’ve supported the organization’s vision since 1953. For the past decade, we’ve served as a sponsor of the Great American Clean-up, the nation’s largest community involvement program.

In July 2011, we donated $300,000 to the further support the organization’s efforts as part of the Orbit “Live Clean” campaign.

Safety:

Our associates’ safety is a top priority, and to ensure we’re operating a safe and productive workplace, we’ve built environmental, safety and health considerations throughout our manufacturing operations.

On the factory floor, our associates are dedicated to upholding this commitment and have had exceptional consistency in lost workday records.

Global Brands:

Our brands are well-known and loved worldwide. Built on the simple idea of bringing flavor and enjoyment to our consumers, we have grown into a multi-billion dollar company with 41 brands around the world. Two brands – Extra^® and Orbit^® – have achieved the incredible milestone of becoming billion-dollar brands.

Our Innovation Approach:

In order for us to make a positive contribution to the well-being of people and the planet, it’s critical that we keep growing our business.

A key component to long-term growth is our continued focus on innovation – a commitment shared across all functions of the business. This means finding more efficient means of production, developing break-through packaging formats and identifying new ways to reach our consumers – like our unique social and digital media initiatives.

Innovating to grow:

Innovation has been a constant throughout our history–from advertising with mile-long billboards to leading the way in oral care research. Doing things differently has taken Wrigley to new heights.