THAI UNION RANKED TOP IN SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

Thai Union ranked top in sustainability index. Thai Union Group PCL has been ranked number one on the inaugural Seafood Stewardship Index (SSI), which assessed the contribution of the world’s 30 largest seafood companies to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Thai Union topped the benchmark in three key areas, including:

• Governance and management of stewardship practices because of the detailed targets and robust reporting of its sustainability strategy, SeaChange®;
• Ecosystems, due to its individual and multi-stakeholder activities to improve fishing practices;
• Local communities, for promoting opportunities for local livelihood development.

The SSI, which was developed by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), said Thai Union also performed strongly in stewardship of the supply chain, specifically for traceability, sourcing and its environmental footprint. It noted the company’s strong commitment towards human and labour rights, although areas of improvement remain.

“Thai Union is incredibly proud to be ranked number one in the Seafood Stewardship Index, which reflects our commitment to building a more sustainable global seafood industry,” said Dr. Darian McBain, Thai Union’s Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability. “A culture that rewards transparency needs to be developed in the seafood industry, to both understand where the challenges currently are and also the solutions being put in place. Thai Union welcomes the focus that the SSI is bringing through the lens of transparency and continuous improvement.”

The SSI assessed the 30 largest seafood companies around the world, to understand how and to what extent they are contributing to the sustainable management of the oceans and coastal ecosystems and to the SDGs. The review also looked into how companies are implementing responsible social practices in all stages of the supply chain.
The SSI highlighted Thai Union’s performance across key areas, including:

• Governance and management of stewardship practices, for it’s SeaChange strategy including programs around Safe and Legal Labour, Responsible Sourcing, Responsible Operations and People and Communities, with numerous targets in each category;
• Stewardship of the supply chain, for encouraging consumers to use appropriate end-of-life options for its products, and its commitment to ensuring 100 percent of its branded packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025;
• Ecosystems, for its partnerships and active role in multi-stakeholder activities including Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) for tuna to reduce the impact on ecosystems;
• Local communities, for the development of strong activities and programs to support local communities where the company operates.