Chicken of the Sea to Track Tuna from the Can Back to the Fisherman Who Caught It

by | Jul 27, 2017

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Yet another sustainable sourcing commitment has popped up, this time from Thai Union, the company that owns the Chicken of the Sea tuna brand, among others. One sustainable sourcing move that the company has agreed upon is to chase “full digital traceability,” allowing people to track their tuna back to the vessel it was caught on and identify the fishing method used.

Earlier this month, Thai Union agreed to pursue measures that will tackle illegal fishing and overfishing throughout its supply chains. The company says the new commitments “builds upon its sustainability strategy SeaChange, including efforts to support best practice fisheries, improve other fisheries, reduce illegal and unethical practices in its global supply chains, and bring more responsibly-caught tuna to key markets.”

The announcement follows a global Greenpeace campaign that called on the company to “drive much needed change.” Other reforms the company has agreed to include:

  • Reducing the number of fish aggregating devices (FADs) used globally in its supply chains by an average of 50% by 2020, while doubling the amount of  verifiable FAD-free fish available in markets globally in the same period. FADs are floating objects that create mini ecosystems and may result in the catch of marine species, including sharks, turtles, and juvenile tuna.
  • Shifting significant portions of longline caught tuna to pole and line or troll-caught tuna by 2020 and implement strong requirements in place to help reduce bycatch. Longline vessels present a risk for catching non-target species like seabirds, turtles, and sharks.

Thai Union has agreed to meet with Greenpeace every six months to assess the company’s progress and implementation. At the conclusion of 2018, an independent third-party will review progress to-date on the commitments.

Sustainable sourcing is at the forefront of recent environment-based corporate announcements. For more, see the articles below:

Largest McDonald’s Franchisee Plans Sustainable Sourcing for Packaging, Palm Oil, Fish

7-Eleven Gives Millennials What They Want: Sustainable Coffee

Ford Evaluates Bamboo Fiber for Lightweight Materials, Stronger Supply Chain

Sustainability in Supply Chains Driven by Positive Business Outcome: 3M Study

McD’s, L’Oreal Combine Purchasing Power to Nix Supply Chain Risk from Deforestation

Sustainable Apparel Continues to Gain Momentum; Supply Chain Cited

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