Sustainable Seafood Commitments
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.
Making a commitment to sustainable seafood has become an important element of a company’s CSR. Sustainable seafood commitments vary from company to company. Some companies commit to sourcing only sustainable seafood, while others continue to source less sustainable options, but commit to funding improvement projects for those products.
How sustainability is defined can also differ. Some companies focus on environmental sustainability, while others consider social sustainability and traceability as key components of their commitments. The varied nature of sustainable seafood commitments makes it challenging to compare among them. However, thanks to The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions, we know what a best practice commitment should look like.
The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions has produced the Common Vision for Sustainable Seafood, a guiding document to help businesses address seafood sustainability challenges and develop robust sustainability commitments and programs. The Vision identifies “six critical areas where businesses that buy and sell seafood can demonstrate leadership and take action to ensure sustainable seafood supply”.
What follows are the six steps of the Common Vision, with links to information and tools that businesses can use to progress their sustainability commitments for each Step.
You can download the complete Vision and guiding notes on specific actions to address the six steps here.
Develop a comprehensive policy on sustainable seafood that includes time-bound objectives for addressing environmental and social issues and traceability.
SeaChoice’s #JoinTheShift retailer toolkit, supporting retailers to choose sustainable, traceable seafood and label it well.
Business Commitments to Sustainable Seafood: Success Stories and Lessons Learned (2014) – Report for the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions.
Seafood Industry Traceability Toolkit – This Future of Fish toolkit provides a suite of resources to assist seafood companies on the path towards robust traceability adoption.
Traceability services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of traceability issues.
Traceability Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, traceability and anti-IUU fishing best practice, government initiatives, industry, initiatives and dialogues, standards and certifications, and tools.
RISE — Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics — FishWise. Supports companies to build a responsible seafood supply chain step-by-step.
Human Rights Services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of social sustainability issues.
Social Responsibility Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, standards and certifications, tools, training, case studies, webinars, recordings and films and key organizations.
Monitor the sustainability of seafood products and assess labour and human rights risks within your supply chains.
Seafood Industry Traceability Toolkit – This Future of Fish toolkit provides a suite of resources to assist seafood companies on the path towards robust traceability adoption.
Traceability Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, traceability and anti-IUU fishing best practice, government initiatives, industry, initiatives and dialogues, standards and certifications, and tools.
My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Platform – The My FishChoice platform offers businesses the ability to run their own seafood sustainability assessments, and create lists of favorites for products, suppliers, sources, and seafood guides.
Support sustainable and improving seafood providers through purchasing decisions.
SeaChoice’s #JoinTheShift retailer toolkit, supporting retailers to choose sustainable, traceable seafood and label it well.
Seafood Ranking Programs: Ocean Wise Seafood Program (Canada), Seafood Watch (USA)
Seafood Certification Programs: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC); Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
My FishChoice Sustainable Seafood Platform – The My FishChoice platform offers businesses the ability to run their own seafood sustainability assessments, and create lists of favorites for products, suppliers, sources, and seafood guides.
Seafood Industry Traceability Toolkit – This Future of Fish toolkit provides a suite of resources to assist seafood companies on the path towards robust traceability adoption.
Traceability Services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of traceability issues.
Traceability Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, traceability and anti-IUU fishing best practice, government initiatives, industry, initiatives and dialogues, standards and certifications, and tools.
RISE — Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics — FishWise. Supports companies to build a responsible seafood supply chain step-by-step.
Human Rights Services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of social sustainability issues.
Social Responsibility Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, standards and certifications, tools, training, case studies, webinars, recordings and films and key organizations.
Produce information about the environmental and social performance of seafood products publicly available, and report on progress against your sustainable seafood commitment.
SeaChoice’s Voluntary Labelling Guidelines for Canadian retailers.
SeaChoice’s #JoinTheShift retailer toolkit, supporting retailers to choose sustainable, traceable seafood and label it well.
Ocean Disclosure Project – Supporting retailers and other companies to disclose details about sustainable seafood sourcing on an annual basis.
Educate employees, customers, suppliers, and other key stakeholders about sustainable seafood, including the importance of addressing environmental and social issues and working towards full traceability.
SeaChoice’s #JoinTheShift retailer toolkit, supporting retailers to choose sustainable, traceable seafood and label it well.
Traceability 101 – The Future of Fish toolkit helps fellow NGOs navigate this important topic and work with industry partners more effectively.
Seafood Industry Traceability Toolkit – This Future of Fish toolkit provides a suite of resources to assist seafood companies on the path towards robust traceability adoption.
Traceability services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of traceability issues, including staff training and consumer outreach.
Traceability Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, traceability and anti-IUU fishing best practice, government initiatives, industry, initiatives and dialogues, standards and certifications, and tools.
Human Rights Services – FishWise can help navigate the complex landscape of social sustainability issues, including staff training and consumer outreach.
Social Responsibility Resources – The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions. Includes guidance resources, standards and certifications, tools, training, case studies, webinars, recordings and films and key organizations.
Engage in policy reforms and management improvement projects that will generate more positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes in fisheries and aquaculture production, and ensure implementation of core labor standards.
Fisheries Improvement Projects – on the Conservation Alliance for Sustainable Seafood website, including their Guidelines for Supporting Fishery Improvement Projects.
FisheryProgress.org – the one-stop shop for reliable information about FIP progress.
Aquaculture Improvement Projects – Sustainable Fisheries Partnerships (SFP)
