03/04/2019
3 April 2019, LONDON – Thai Union and WWF-UK have today released the fourth annual partnership progress report on their European partnership.
Thai Union and WWF have been working together since 2014 to deliver the commitments that they made when they signed up to the WWF ‘Global Seafood Charter’. The partnership work focused on improving the sustainability of seafood supply chains by considering key topics such as traceability, supply chain analysis, implementing improvement projects and advocating for better fisheries management.
A key element of the partnership, Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), use a collaborative and transparent approach to improve fisheries and fishing practices to meet the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Three FIPs have been established, and as a result of this significant development and investment, the amount of tuna that Thai Union supplies to the European market that is engaged in a FIP or MSC certified has increased from 0 percent in 2014 to more than 90 percent. Thai Union now has over 900 MSC-certified products in its seafood ranges in Europe and its UK brand, John West, has been awarded MSC ‘Canned Brand of the Year’ for the last two years. The volume of seafood sourced from MSC certified fisheries that Thai Union sells in Europe has increased from 5 percent in 2014 to 26 percent in 2018. The partnership has delivered other work in line with WWF best practices such as improving transparency, traceability and completing due diligence in supply chains.
In order to drive lasting change in fisheries at a regional level and to contribute to wider conservation in the Indian Ocean region, Thai Union’s brands, John West and Petit Navire provided significant funding to WWF’s East Africa Regional Sustainable Fisheries Programme. The programme achieved its objectives to empower people in Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania to manage community fisheries more sustainably.
The collective achievements of Thai Union and WWF have been recently recognised at the edie Sustainability Leaders Awards 2019. In a testament to the partnership’s pivotal work, we were presented with the 2018 ‘Sustainable Supply Chain’ award.
Paul Reenan, Regional President, Thai Union Europe, said: “Improving the sustainability and transparency of Thai Union’s seafood supply chains, and working together with WWF to find solutions, was the foundation of this partnership. Our SeaChange® sustainability strategy demonstrates not only our commitments but our results as we continue our journey to provide sustainable and ethical seafood to the world. There is a clear opportunity to continue building on the work done over the last four years to improve the sustainability and management of our oceans.”
Mike Barrett, Executive Director of Science and Conservation, WWF-UK added:
“WWF’s partnership with Thai Union is a crucial part of our mission to transform the way we produce and consume food globally. Thanks to our partnership, nearly all of the fisheries from which Thai Union sources its tuna for its European markets are now implementing fishery improvement projects to put in place tangible measures towards achieving the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard. We’re committed to supporting this process in the coming years, and we look forward to a time when certified tuna will be widely available in the countries which Thai Union supplies.”
The report can be found here.
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About Thai Union Group
Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.
Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 135 billion (US$ 4.03 billion) and a global workforce of over 49,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.
The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.
As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behaviour, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org.
Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized in 2018 by being ranked number one in the world in the Food Products Industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, achieving a 100th percentile ranking for total sustainability score. Thai Union has now been named to the DJSI for five consecutive years. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the third straight year in 2018.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organisations, with more than five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. Through our engagement with the public, businesses and government, we focus on safeguarding the natural world, creating solutions to the most serious environmental issues facing our planet, so that people and nature thrive. Find out more at wwf.org.uk