June 19, 2017
Thai Union commits to SeaBOS ocean stewardship pledge
Thai Union Group PCL has signed a groundbreaking pledge as part of its membership in the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS), committing to improve operations as well as challenge the rest of the seafood industry to follow suit.
These developments are all within the goal of helping the world achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SeaBOS is a unique initiative that brings together some of the largest seafood companies in the world to identify science-based solutions to issues the industry faces.
In 2016, eight of the world's largest seafood companies, including Thai Union, joined together to form this initiative.
"The companies which make up SeaBOS operate on every continent and in all segments of seafood production, from wild capture fisheries to aquaculture businesses. By building trust and adopting science-based approaches, it creates positive change for our companies, our industry and the world," said Dr. Darian McBain, Thai Union's global director for sustainable development. "Thai Union is committed to doing its part to ensure the oceans are healthy for current and future generations."
The signatories specifically pledge to: work diligently to eliminate IUU products and any form of modern slavery in our supply chains; actively use and develop fish health management systems and health prevention methods before treatments make efficient use of aquaculture feeds, and to use fish feed resources from sustainably harvested stocks; and, together with governments, actively improve existing regulations for fisheries, aquaculture, and the ocean.
The SeaBOS pledge comes the same week in which Thai Union released its fourth annual sustainability report, publicly detailing the company's performance against key indicators and targets outlined in SeaChange®, Thai Union's sustainability strategy.
Additionally, Thai Union recently committed to the World Economic Forum's Tuna 2020 Traceability Declaration.
SeaBOS started as dialogue between scientists and business leaders that led to the signing of a 10-point commitment to action on ocean stewardship by two of the largest tuna companies in the world- namely Thai Union and Dongwon Industries; two of the largest companies by revenues (Maruha Nichiro Corporation and Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd); the two largest salmon farmers (Marine Harvest ASA and Cermaq); and the two largest aqua feeds companies (Skretting and Cargill Aqua Nutrition).
The initiative is supported by numerous stakeholders including the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Beijer Institute on Ecological Economics, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, amongst others.
- Thai Union
