Industry Engagement Archives - WWF Seafood Sustainability

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Category: Industry Engagement

Jan

A New Approach for Holistic Fisheries and Aquaculture Improvement

Picture a fishing community rich with coastal mangrove forests and highly productive waters that has sustained fishing for generations. Aware of the need to maintain healthy fish stocks, the community has adopted better fishing practices like using more selective fishing gear, implementing closure periods, and establishing no-take areas near reefs and in mangrove forests, all of which have helped to sustain their livelihoods and a thriving ecosystem.

But demand for seafood continues to grow. The surrounding community puts increased pressure on the same fish stock, begins developing irresponsible aquaculture operations in mangrove forests, and occurrences of inequitable labor practices have increased. Biodiversity is in decline, climate change is shifting fish stocks out of reach, and the need for improved social equity in the seafood sector is coming to light. These pressures threaten the livelihood, opportunity, and well-being of local communities and seafood companies, and the national government is under scrutiny for a lack of action to address issues.

Dec

Kroger: A Sustainability Policy Fit for Business & Planet

In light of the recent publishing of Kroger’s 2023 Environmental & Social Governance Report, we interviewed Lisa Zwack, Head of Sustainability at Kroger, to reflect on the US retailer’s sustainability journey, their achievements, and plans for the future. Additionally, we learned about Kroger’s Seafood Sustainability Policy and the goals they have already accomplished, as well as the work still to be done. Furthermore, we examine Kroger’s commitment to a nature-positive approach in the seafood sector and how they are addressing the importance of biodiversity preservation as well as seafood traceability in their operations.

Nov

Accelerating Responsible Aquaculture Practices: ASC Launches the Improver Programme

The demand for seafood is at an all-time high, but many fisheries are overfished and cannot supply the growing market. Aquaculture can help fill this gap but there are various barriers to producing farmed seafood responsibly.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), widely recognized as the most credible and robust aquaculture certification scheme, has a global footprint but not all aquaculture producers currently meet ASC’s robust farm standards. That’s why the group launched the Improver Programme to support farms in improving their practices and ultimately drive transformation at scale.

The new Programme offers a structured and transparent approach to projects, standardized reporting and monitoring, and is available for single farm or group options.

May

WWF and Finance Earth Launch a New Model for Financing Fisheries Improvement

Sustainable finance is critical to scaling the transition towards more sustainable fisheries. New sustainable, efficient, equitable, and cost-effective models are needed to lead the way towards the establishment of a sustainable blue economy. To respond to this need, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in partnership with Finance Earth (FE) and through a multi-stakeholder collaboration, designed and launched a new financing mechanism aimed at fishery transition. Finance Earth, a leading impact investment advisory and fund manager with a track record in break-through social and environmental financing models, will establish and manage this new mechanism – the Fisheries Improvement Fund (FIF). The ambition is to catalyze more than $100 million in investment in fisheries improvement by 2030. This model, designed in collaboration with leading industry players, will unlock new pathways to fund global fisheries recovery at a scale that can match the size of the challenge.

Mar

New Investor Collaboration Encourages Seafood Sector Action to Address Boarder Nature and Biodiversity-Related Risks and Impacts

Financing the transition to responsible seafood supply chains will take scaling existing approaches and innovating ways to fund our shared ambitions.

Last week, over 1,500 people from around the world and from all parts of the ocean economy came together in person in Lisbon, Portugal for the first time since 2019 to take stock of our progress in moving toward a sustainable ocean or ‘blue’ economy at the World Ocean Summit.

Feb

What Nature-Positive Means for the Future of Seafood

Is protecting biodiversity part of your business’ future planning? If not, it should be. In December, representatives from governments around the world met at the UN’s COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal to discuss global action that was needed to address biodiversity loss. The outcome: a landmark framework, agreed upon by 190 countries, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, including protecting a third of the planet by the same date.

Jan

Diving into the Sustainable Blue Economy

Our oceans are a lifeline for many communities and economies around the world. Over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. With ocean goods and services having an annual tangible and proven value of US $2.5 trillion—equivalent to the world’s seventh-largest economy—working toward a sustainable blue economy is not just a conservation imperative for planet, people, prosperity, and peace, but also an attractive financial opportunity for investors, banks, businesses, and policy-makers.

Businesses whose supply chains are intertwined with the ocean also face increasingly severe risks if a business-as-usual trajectory continues. By extension, the finance sector is also exposed to these ocean-related Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks. The reality is that blue economy sectors are heavily reliant on nature remaining intact and climate change being kept to within the limits set out by the Paris Agreement and subsequent climate negotiations.

Dec

Sysco Shows Strong Progress towards New 2025 Seafood Commitments

Sysco’s recently released 2022 Sustainability report highlights continued progress toward its new 2025 seafood sustainability commitments, announced last year in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The company continues to make strides in meeting new commitments under its sustainable seafood program, which was expanded in 2021 to include Sysco US and Canada Broadline, and US Specialty company lines of business. In addition to setting higher targets for sourcing of certified seafood products, Sysco made strong commitments to protect endangered species, improve the traceability of its farmed shrimp products, and work to mitigate impacts on mangroves and other coastal ecosystems.

Nov

World Wildlife Fund and Amyris Team Up to Leverage Science to Protect Sharks

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Amyris, a leading synthetic biology company, announced a new three-year partnership aimed at leveraging science to protect ocean biodiversity with an initial focus on shark populations. This new partnership will support WWF’s global efforts to reverse the downward trends that threaten biodiversity and human well-being by repairing, restoring, and protecting the oceans.

Sep

WWF and Walmart Foundation Launch New Holistic Approach on More Sustainable Seafood

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Walmart Foundation are announcing the launch of a new eighteen-month collaboration to scale more sustainable and responsible seafood transformation by developing and piloting a holistic place-based approach. The project aims at improving several key seafood practices within a specific geography.

The initiative will drive current seafood industry and conservation efforts toward a more comprehensive seascape jurisdictional approach to sustainable seafood that utilizes global market solutions and innovative financing strategies to ensure greater, equitable outcomes for our oceans and its coastal communities.

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