Thai Union Joins Global Initiative to Tackle Climate Change

Caption: As part of its strategy to tackle climate change and its impact on the world’s oceans, Thai Union Group is joining a global initiative by The Climate Group on smarter energy use.

19 March 2020, BANGKOK - Thai Union Group PCL has become the first food producer and Thailand-listed company to join EP100, a Climate Group global initiative on smarter energy use. As part of the company’s strategy to tackle climate change and its impact on the world’s oceans, Thai Union is aiming to double its energy productivity by 2041, from a 2016 baseline.

Led by The Climate Group and delivered in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy, EP100 brings together major companies committed to using energy more productively – resulting in higher economic output from every unit of energy they consume.

The Union’s decision to join EP100 reflects its position as one of the world’s largest seafood companies, with a responsibility to drive positive change across the global seafood sector.

“We’ve all seen first-hand the impact climate change is having on the planet, from warmer temperatures, to more extreme weather events, to rising sea temperatures,” said Dr. Darian McBain, Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Thai Union. “The world’s oceans are crucial to our business, but more importantly the impact of climate change on them will affect the livelihoods of millions of people. Through collaboration with The Climate Group on EP100, we believe that together we can drive positive outcomes for everyone.”

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Thai Union to our EP100 network. Using energy more productively is essential for addressing the global climate crisis, but progress has been far too slow. We need far more action on energy-saving efforts to slash emissions and benefit businesses.

The Climate Group congratulates Thai Union on leading by example – we need others in the global food industry to step up and do more with less energy.”

Thai Union has also joined the EP100 Cooling Challenge. As part of this initiative, Thai Union is looking to cool their operations in the most energy efficient ways possible. Towards this, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), will conduct an energy audit of two Thai Union facilities and provide recommendations on improving cooling efficiency at the sites. Thai Union will report annually on its progress towards EP100.

Thai Union’s efforts with The Climate Group will complement its global sustainability strategy, SeaChange®, through which it has developed industry-leading programs that are helping protect the oceans.

Last year, 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).

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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 126.3 billion (US$ 4.1 billion) and a global workforce of over 44,000 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

Wiriyaporn Posayanonda
Head of External Communications
M: +66.63.231.0385
E: Wiriyaporn.Posayanonda@thaiunion.com

Jirawat Montreevong
External Communications Manager
M: +66.80.976.4613
E: Jirawat.Montreevong@thaiunion.com

About The Climate Group
The Climate Group’s mission is to accelerate climate action to achieve a world of no more than 1.5°C of global warming and greater prosperity for all. We do this by bringing together powerful networks of business and governments that shift global markets and policies. We focus on the greatest global opportunities for change, take innovation and solutions to scale, and build ambition and pace. We are an international non-profit organization, founded in 2004, with offices in London, New Delhi and New York. We are proud to be part of the We Mean Business coalition. Visit TheClimateGroup.org and follow us on Twitter @ClimateGroup and Facebook @TheClimateGroup.

About EP1000 The Climate Group’s global EP100 initiative brings together a growing group of energy-smart companies committed to doing more with less to improve their energy productivity. By integrating energy efficiency into business strategy, these leading companies are driving tech innovation and improving competitiveness while delivering on emissions reduction goals – inspiring others to follow their lead. EP100 is led by The Climate Group in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy as part of the We Mean Business coalition and is delivered in association with the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. Visit theclimategroup.org/EP100 or follow #EP100 on Twitter.