Thai Union Urges Action on Climate Change Through Sustainable Seafood to Protect the World’s Oceans
Caption: Thai Union Group has called for more action on climate change, arguing that the health of the world’s oceans can be improved through increased collaboration and a focus on ocean outcomes.
8 November 2019, BANGKOK – Thai Union Group PCL’s Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Dr. Darian McBain, called for greater action on climate change, arguing that resilient coastal and marine ecosystems and more sustainable seafood can improve the health of the world’s oceans.
Addressing the Asia Pacific Day for the Ocean forum, hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, McBain said that through its global sustainability strategy, SeaChange®, Thai Union has developed industry-leading programs that are helping protect the oceans.
“Climate change has taken a huge toll on the world’s ocean and it will threaten the ability of the oceans to provide food, livelihoods and safe coastal habitation for billions of people,” McBain told the forum. “The challenges are immense, but I believe that through greater collaboration and a focus on ocean outcomes we can make the world’s oceans healthier.”
McBain said as one of the world’s largest seafood companies, Thai Union takes seriously its responsibility as a leader in driving positive change across the global seafood sector.
McBain told the forum that a key pillar of SeaChange® is Responsible Sourcing, with traceability a critical component that allows Thai Union to trace each product back to its source.
“Traceability is the backbone of sustainability and is a crucial element in our strategy to improve the health of our oceans now and for future generations,” McBain said.
Thai Union has numerous programs with set targets to protect the oceans, including a goal that all branded tuna is responsibly sourced from fisheries that are either certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or engaged in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIPs) to move them towards MSC certification, with an aim to achieve a minimum of 75 percent by the end of 2020.
In Thai Union’s aquaculture operations, the company this year trialed the use of Calysta’s sustainable FeedKind® protein for its commercially farmed shrimp, replacing fishmeal from wild fish specifically caught for protein in shrimp feed.
Thai Union is also a founding member of the Serafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS), which brings together scientists from the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, the Royal Academy of Sciences in Sweden and 10 of the largest seafood companies in the world with the collective aim of leading a global transformation towards sustainable seafood production and a healthy ocean.
Last month, Thai Union was ranked number one on the inaugural Seafood Stewardship Index (SSI), which assessed the contribution of the world’s 30 largest seafood companies to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2018, Thai Union joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), collaborating to actively promote solutions for reducing plastic waste and the growing problem of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) worldwide.
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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 133.3 billion (US$ 4.1 billion) and a global workforce of over 47,000 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. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized in 2018 and 2019 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 six consecutive years. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the third straight year in 2018.
Media contacts
Thai Union Group PCL.
Leigh Murray
Strategic Communications
M: +61.473.658.807
E: leigh.murray@thaiunion.com