Mars cuts logistics costs by 30% through expanded partnership with Aliança

With strong performance in the pet segment — which includes brands such as Pedigree, Whiskas, Champ and Optimum — Mars, also globally recognized for icons like M&Ms, Twix and Snickers, is enhancing the way it distributes its pet products in Brazil. The company found in Aliança Navegação e Logística, A.P. Moller–Maersk’s cabotage and logistics integration company, a strategic ally to expand its capillarity, reduce costs, and advance its global sustainability targets.

Since 2014, when the joint operation in the pet segment began, cabotage has become the protagonist of the company’s national logistics, delivering cost reductions of up to 30% on key routes, along with significant gains in safety and environmental impact. Today, this mode is responsible for serving an extensive network in the North and Northeast regions, historically challenging in terms of infrastructure, with substantial gains in safety, predictability, and savings.

“More than operational gains, this operation represents a true shift in logistical mindset within Mars. On some routes, the use of cabotage can reduce logistics costs by up to 30%, especially for the transport of more sensitive products. Via cabotage, we transport dry food and now also wet food as well as raw materials,” says Alex Schenk, Logistics Manager of Mars Pet Nutrition in Brazil. In 2025, the brand plans to launch new routes, including expansion into regions such as Bahia, Piauí, and Maranhão, using dry containers.

According to Luiza Bublitz, President of Aliança Navegação e Logística, “currently, cabotage represents 12% of transport carried out in Brazil, and there is a lot of room to grow. It is a mode that has consolidated itself as a reliable, safe, and scalable solution, with zero theft rate and minimal damage.”

The adoption of cabotage also reinforces Mars’ global commitment to sustainability. The company, which handles more than 1K TEUs per year with Aliança, aims to become carbon neutral by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. This objective is directly aligned with Aliança’s strategy, which, as part of the Maersk group, aims to become a net-zero company by 2040 through robust investments in logistics solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “The operation with Aliança plays a central role in this plan. By the end of 2025, Mars intends to transport via cabotage 25% of all the volume moved in Brazil — a percentage that may grow even further with the expansion of access to new ports and the strengthening of inland logistics,” adds Alex Schenk.

For the president of Aliança, this mode plays an increasingly strategic role for companies with ambitious environmental goals: “Cabotage is currently the most efficient and sustainable means of transport in Brazil — a single ship carries up to 3,000 containers, which is equivalent to 3,000 trucks. This capacity to move large volumes in a single trip results in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. We emit at least four times less CO² than road transport, according to data from ABAC (Brazilian Association of Cabotage Shipowners). This logistical advantage is also a competitive differential for customers advancing in their energy transition and decarbonization strategies,” adds Luiza.

Mars is not just moving products. It is redefining what logistical efficiency means in Brazil, with fewer trucks on the roads, less carbon in the atmosphere and smarter distribution. And all of this with brands that are part of the daily lives of Brazilians. The operation is now a benchmark within the company and has served as inspiration for other units and markets.

“For us, being part of this journey is a reason for great pride. More than a transportation solution, this partnership has consolidated itself as a case of logistical transformation on a national scale, uniting two leading brands, with shared purposes and a broad horizon of sustainable growth,” concludes Luiza Bublitz.

Source: Aliança Navegação e Logística

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