Bounty

How ethical is Bounty?

Bounty is a vegetarian coconut-filled chocolate sold by the brand Mars. It was introduced to the UK and Canada in 1951 and is found in a blue wrapper (milk chocolate) or a red wrapper (dark chocolate.) Bounty is no longer distributed in the United States by Mars.

Bounty unfortunately does not have a high enough score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table to be rated as ethical.

Although Bounty has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future to reach it. If this brand were to apply for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide would have the opportunity to provide an assessment and detailed recommendations on where Bounty could make ethical improvements.

You can find out more about Ethical Chocolate and see how other brands score against Bounty in our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Tables.

In what areas does Bounty score well for its ethics?

Bounty scores well on our Ratings Table by being suitable for vegetarians. Bounty’s manufacturer, Mars, now has certification from the Vegan Society for various Mars Galaxy chocolate bars and Galaxy hot chocolate. Hopefully in the future we will see more of its products, including Bounty, receive this certification.

Bounty also scores well on our table for Mars’ Healthy Planet page, which acts as its Environmental Report. There are details about its targets for carbon emissions, water consumption and plastic usage.

Where does Bounty perform poorly? 

Bounty unfortunately receives a bottom rating for our Animal Welfare criteria due to its manufacturer, Mars, funding deadly animal tests. Mars states on its website that it does not “undertake, support or sponsor studies that harm animals” but has recently funded a deadly experiment on rats. Bounty also receives a bottom rating for various Public Record Criticisms. A report from Mighty Earth states that leading chocolate companies including Mars have failed in their commitment to stop deforestation in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

What can Bounty do to improve its ethical rating?

The Good Shopping Guide’s score for Bounty is a result of a calculation from several ethical criteria. To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Bounty needs to resolve a few problems. This includes how they approach Animal Welfare and Public Record Criticisms. By improving upon these bottom ratings, Bounty could see its score rise on the Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table, and we could offer them Ethical Accreditation for its chocolate products.

If you are associated with a chocolate brand or company, why not find out more about getting Ethical Accreditation from The Good Shopping Guide. See the other chocolate companies with Ethical Accreditation on our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table. Get in touch to find out more or fill out our initial assessment form.