Thai Union and WWF release first Sourcing Transparency: Wild Caught Fish and Shellfish report

11 February 2019, BangkokThai Union Group PCL., (“Thai Union”) a leading global seafood company with a portfolio of brands worldwide, alongside its partner WWF, has released its first Sourcing Transparency: Wild Caught Fish and Shellfish report.

This report is a key part of Thai Union’s commitment to transparency in its operations and sustainability journey. According to a 2018 Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) survey, 72% of seafood consumers say they choose brands based on sustainability over price. There is therefore an increased need for seafood providers to be transparent in their operations, particularly around their supply chains and the provenance of their products. The Sourcing Transparency report demonstrates Thai Union’s commitment to this.

Throughout its four-year partnership with Thai Union, WWF has assessed and advised on the environmental sustainability of its seafood. To jointly create this report, Thai Union shares its supply chain data including key elements such as vessels, species, catch methods, and catch areas. WWF then uses its Common Assessment Methodology and central database to provide a sustainability assessment for each wild caught species present in the supply chain. The analysis is then used to assign priority levels to fisheries. Based on these priority levels, a plan to implement fishery improvement projects (FIP)1 is developed.

Dr. Darian McBain, Global Director of Sustainability for Thai Union, said, “We cannot have sustainability without transparency and traceability. This report allows us to not only identify the areas where we need the most focus and take action ourselves, but, by providing this data openly, we can demonstrate our commitment to transparency and our sustainability journey. Data such as this report will help us deliver against our global tuna commitment and demonstrate the progress towards our WWF partnership commitments.”

David Edwards, Director of Food Strategy of WWF, said “WWF believes that for seafood companies to demonstrate their sourcing is truly sustainable they must work towards full transparency of supply chains and fishing practices. This report is an important step on this journey, helping to raise awareness of how and where species of seafood are caught. WWF have been working with Thai Union to prioritise resources to improve their European supply chains and are delighted that Thai Union has taken the important step of committing to full transparency of their European seafood supply chain. We look forward to working with them to implement this commitment in the months ahead.”

1A FIP is a multi-stakeholder effort to improve the sustainability of a fishery towards MSC

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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 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 2018, Thai Union was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the fifth straight year, as well as rated No. 1 in the Food Products Industry. Thai Union is also part of the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and the winner of many awards for its leading work on sustainability

MEDIA CONTACTS

Wiriyaporn Posayanonda
Head of External Communications – Corporate Communications Department
M: +66.96. 653.5542, +66.63.231.0385, +66.81.922.5135
E: Wiriyaporn.Posayanonda@thaiunion.com