31/01/2018
31 JANUARY 2018, BANGKOK — Thai Union Group PCL. Global Director for Sustainable Development Dr. Darian McBain was named Sustainability Leader of the Year at the prestigious edie Sustainability Leaders Awards 2018 held recently in London.
The awards celebrated sustainability excellence and innovation, from the largest multi-national businesses to the smallest micro-organizations. The event convened finalists ranging from global brands to SMEs, and public-sector organizations to innovative start-ups.
Dr. McBain’s role in establishing and implementing SeaChange®, Thai Union’s sustainability strategy, along with numerous initiatives and activities in line with SeaChange®, helped catapult her into the top spot among the nine finalists for edie’s Sustainability Leader of the Year. Other finalists in the category included representatives from Proctor & Gamble, The Co-op, Herbert Smith Freehills and more.
The judges cited Thai Union’s Business Ethics and Labor Code of Conduct, Ethical Migrant Recruitment Policy, Zero Recruitment Fee Policy and membership in the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) global initiative as evidence of the company’s position at the forefront of positive change in the seafood industry.
Further, judges were impressed with Dr. McBain’s role in launching Thai Union’s new tuna strategy which included a commitment to sourcing 100 percent of branded tuna from fisheries that are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified or engaged in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) to move them toward MSC certification.
“Darian is everything you would want in a sustainability leader. She has worked tirelessly right across the business, socially and environmentally, and has had a huge, tangible impact. And this isn’t just incremental change; Darian has ignited a global shift in thinking around sustainability within the seafood sector,” remarked the judging panel.
“The award is personally an honor and a recognition of a truly remarkable year for Thai Union, full of tremendous achievements in sustainability which are the result of the hard work of a lot of people,” said McBain. “Looking ahead, we will continue working to make progress and maintain focus on leveraging our leadership position and ability to collaborate to address the sustainability challenges confronting the global seafood industry.”
Thai Union has been honored extensively for its sustainability efforts in the past few months. On 9 November, the company received the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s (SET) 2017 ‘Outstanding’ Sustainability Award and was listed in the SET’s 2017 Thailand Sustainability Investment Index (THSI). Thai Union was named one of the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards winners for Top Corporate Social Responsibility Advocates on 30 October in Singapore. It was also “highly commended” for Sustainability Report of the Year and Sustainability Leader of the Year (Darian McBain) at the Ethical Corporation’s Eighth Annual Responsible Business Awards on 16 October in London. The company has also been nominated in five categories at the upcoming Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA), which will be announced in Singapore on 6 February.
Additionally, in September, Thai Union was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Emerging Markets for the fourth straight year.
For more information on Thai Union’s sustainability initiatives and progress, visit the website for Thai Union’s sustainability strategy, SeaChange®: www.seachangesustainability.org.
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ABOUT THAI UNION GROUP PCL
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 almost 40 years.
Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 125 billion (US$ 3.7 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 behavior, 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. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized by its inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets (DJSI) in 2014. In 2017, Thai Union was named to the DJSI for the fourth consecutive year. Thai Union has also been included in the FTSE4Good Emerging Index.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Chris Hughes
Thai Union Group
M: +66.625.94 1.089
E: Christopher.hughes@thaiunion.com