Cermaq releases 2016 sustainability report: Sustainability is a choice

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were integrated into Cermaq’s strategy in 2016, and form a central part of the framework for Cermaq’s annual sustainability report. From this year forward, the company’s performance on five focus areas are reported, where each area is linked to a specific SDG that Cermaq can significantly impact.

- Our sustainability report this year is centered on five concrete focus areas which are aligned with the SDGs, and through our reporting we present Cermaq’s approach to contribute to the realization of the SDGs, says Wenche Grønbrekk, head of Sustainability and Risk in Cermaq Group.

The five SDGs that are presented in Cermaq sustainability report are SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, and SDG 13: Climate action.

- We have identified five of the 17 SDGs where we can truly make a difference.For each of these goals, we explain our approach and how salmon farming can positively contribute to achieving them, continues Wenche Grønbrekk.

As to Cermaq’s sustainability results in 2016, progress is made on several areas, including a tripling of the number of ASC certified sites from 6 to 18 during the year, with new certifications in all regions. The figures also show that it is necessary to continue to work hard on certain areas, including on fish escape management, where the target is zero escapes. A total of 426 fish escaped Cermaq’s operations in 2016. This is 426 too many, however the number should be related to the total of 45 million fish contained in the sea at all times.

Partnerships are needed to achieve the greatest impact. Cermaq’s partnerships spans from the industry cooperation to enhance sustainability (Global Salmon Initiative) to partnership with eight of the world’s largest seafood companies in the seafood sector (the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship initiative), to the wider food sector (e.g. FReSH initiative). Through these partnerships, Cermaq aims to drive progress on sustainability in the industry and the food sector as a whole.

Cermaq is currently the world’s only seafood company to have not only annual but also quarterly sustainability reporting, available at www.cermaq.com. Cermaq was in January rated as #1 in transparency among the world’s top100 seafood companies by Seafood Intelligence.

The 2016 sustainability report is Cermaq’s seventh GRI-report and is written in accordance with the new GRI Standards. As previous years, the report has been externally audited.