The Group is committed to only sell fish species whose capture or production does not cause overexploitation.
That is why, every three years, we carry out an assessment of the level of vulnerability of the fish species sold in all our Companies, in an analysis verified by an external and independent entity, together with the Environment, Commercial, Quality and Sustainability teams. The analysis is designed to identify the level of exploitation of stocks, the impacts on ecosystems and traceability mechanisms, among other aspects.
After the assessment made in 2016 – which allowed the definition and implementation of the Group’s main lines of action – a review was made in 2019 to evaluate the level of vulnerability1 of all the species sold in the different Companies, where we concluded that the defined actions continue to be met.
The action lines of our sustainable fishing strategy are well defined:
Ban the purchase and sale of species classified as “Critically Endangered” and for which no extraordinary permits exist for such purpose.
Seek 100% aquaculture alternatives for species classified as “Endangered”, by not performing promotional activities that involve wild populations and those that are not from sustainably produced stocks and/or that do not have a sustainability certificate.
Limit promotional activities from species that are classified as “Vulnerable” whenever they are not sourced from aquaculture and/or from sustainably produced stocks and/or that do not have a sustainability certificate.
In addition, we introduced new Private Brand fish products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), having reached 24 references in Poland in 2019.
Notes:
1 Based on the classification assigned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
The data referring to the compliance of the Group’s Sustainable Fishing Strategy was verified by an external and independent entity in the context of the Group’s 2019 Annual Report.
Read the 2019 Independent Limited Assurance Report.