Thai Union has in place a stringent Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct that aims to promote greater levels of accountability and transparency throughout our supply chains, as well as lift the entire group to perform at international standards. The Code of Conduct governs the way issues are managed at Thai Union and within our supply chains.
The Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct is universally applied to our employees, subsidiaries and suppliers for all our products – including those from fishery; aquaculture; and general procurement sources, i.e. livestock, packaging, food ingredients and additives, and logistics providers. It is available in 19 languages at Thai Union’s website.
Through a three-step ‘social compliance program,’ Thai Union works with suppliers to:
In 2017, we introduced our Fishing Vessel Improvement Program and Vessel Code of Conduct (VCoC), reflecting the unique set of working conditions on fishing vessels that necessitate special consideration. The Vessel Code of Conduct is an extension of the Thai Union Business Labor and Ethics Code of Conduct.
Thai Union’s existing and new suppliers are required to sign the Vessel Code of Conduct in order to conduct business with the company, ensuring the VCoC is applicable to all fishing vessels in the company’s supply chain.
The 2020 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Emerging Markets ranked our performance in its “Business Codes of Conduct” metric with a 100th percentile score. DJSI is among the most highly regarded metrics that evaluate global companies on their sustainability performance. The Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct and Vessel Code of Conduct is available at Thai Union’s website.
View Thai Union’s Supplier Code of Conduct One-Pager
Given the complexities of the seafood industry, Thai Union recognizes the importance of proactively addressing both emerging and ongoing issues in our dynamic business environment.
Learn more about Thai Union’s Supply Chain ESG Management Approach
Thai Union has in place a stringent Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct that aims to promote greater levels of accountability and transparency throughout our supply chains, as well as lift the entire group to at international standards. The Code of Conduct governs the way issues are managed at Thai Union and within our supply chains.
Thai Union is working hard to drive strong, positive change throughout many parts of the seafood industry, including delivering improvements in our supply chains for the benefit of our oceans and marine life, and for the rights of people working in the seafood industry.
Thai Union is working to drive continuous improvement of sustainability aspects in the supply chains of the products it produces, and has developed a series of commitments and policy for the responsible sourcing of tuna. The Policy for the Responsible Sourcing of Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Tonggol and Yellowfin outlines those commitments and conditions for all of the purchases from tuna fisheries for Thai Union and contributes to the delivery of SeaChange®.
Providing customers with top quality products from sustainable sources is always Thai Union’s first priority.
Learn more about Thai Union’s Food Safety Standards
Thai Union’s vision is to be the world’s most trusted seafood leader. We commit to clear labeling of our branded products where they are Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) free or contain GMO free ingredients, in compliance with local and national regulations in the markets in which we operate.
Read Thai Union’s GMO Statement
At Thai Union, we work with suppliers in all the communities where we operate around the world. This includes using local suppliers and developing the capacity of small-scale producers. Thai Union works with local businesses to ensure they understand the tender process and the local and international requirements they need to meet to be considered a supplier for the company.
In July 2016, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF) became the latest partner of the Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab (SLBSC) Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) with our supply chain partner Taprobane Seafood Group. COSFF (Thai Union North America) is co-financing the cost of researching and formulation of a harvest control strategy for blue swimming crab (BSC) fisheries in Sri Lanka. The FIP commenced work on developing a harvest control strategy for BSC in Sri Lanka during the reporting period with fishing communities, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and BSC manufacturers. Other partners for the FIP include the NFI Crab Council, Santa Monica Seafood through FishWise’s Responsible Vendors Sourcing Programme (RVSP) and the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Local Empowerment through Economic Development (LEED) Project. The aim of the FIP is to ensure the sustainability of two Sri Lankan blue swimming crab fisheries, one in Palk Bay and the other in the Gulf of Mannar.
Harvest Control Strategy
The long-term goal of the harvest control strategy is to maintain the biological and ecological status of each fishery at a level consistent with internationally agreed upon norms.
The harvest control strategy requires the formulation and introduction of new controls on BSC fishing. These controls are being implemented in the form of a voluntary code of conduct – a set of best practices developed in consultation with representatives of 54 BSC fishermen’s cooperative societies within the fisheries. We will continue collecting insights from fishing communities, the seafood industry, regulatory authorities and the BSC FIP throughout implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. These insights will inform us of the voluntary code’s impact and they will help shape a mandatory regulation governing BSC fishing, which will be submitted in 2018.
The strategy will employ a size-selective approach to fishery management, which prohibits or restricts gear type, mesh size, minimum catch size for export, and/or spatial size of fisheries. The BSC fisheries will be managed monthly at the local level – i.e. village, divisional or district level in collaboration with central government authorities.
Collaborative Fishery Management Plans
Collaborative fishery management plans for the BSC fisheries will be developed and implemented by fishing communities, BSC manufacturers, the Seafood Exporter’s Association of Sri Lanka, who are an Association member of the FIP, and government agencies and authorities. They will reference the voluntary code of conduct, the regulation for BSC fisheries in Sri Lanka, and the harvest control rules and tools.