Sustainability reports
Local Community Engagement
One of our core values is about our responsibility to society. We have a responsibility to people, society and the environment that are affected by our business, and we want to operate in a responsible way that creates value and positive ripple effects for the local communities where we operate.
We operate in many communities along the coast. The local and regional importance of our business goes far beyond those who work directly for Cermaq or in our industry. Our production is located in areas where we help to maintain employment and economic activity. Our employees are an integral part of the local communities where we have operations, and in the same way we as a company become a natural participant and contributor locally.
Cermaq contributes to local activity and employment and we want to be a reliable partner for the local communities in our areas of operation. Regular dialogue and community meetings are conducted in all regions. Indigenous peoples are an important stakeholder group to us and have distinctive rights in some of the areas in which we operate. As an example, mutually beneficial agreements with indigenous people in BC, Canada is a strong foundation for Cermaq’s operations in areas where indigenous peoples’ rights are affected by our operations.
Our general approach to stakeholder engagement:
The local communities are important for our social license, and Cermaq are engaged broadly with the various stakeholders in the communities where we operate, politician, administration, civil society, indigenous groups, local business and employees. Being an active and reliable partner in the local communities is key to Cermaq. Regular dialogues and community meetings are conducted in all regions.
We recognize that our operations may impact our neighbors and local communities in various ways, and we take care to register all complaints to our operations to address the root cause and make improvements.
Many of our customers have long relations to Cermaq, and we aim to build long terms partnerships with our customers, contributing to their success. Customers include seafood wholesalers, processors, and retailers in the main salmon markets. The sales organization in each local Cermaq company works directly with their customer in export markets, and many of our customers visit our operations. Dialogue with customers is based in Cermaq’s ambition to be a preferred supplier for its customer.
Our suppliers play a key role in developing the industry. We partner with suppliers in projects, and we are open to companies that can provide innovations and better solutions. Our suppliers span from a wealth of local to a small selection of global suppliers. We have continual contact with our feed suppliers. Feed constitutes approximately 50 % of cost in salmon farming.
Authorities and politicians define the framework for our operations, and our role is not only to comply with the regulations but also contributing to robust and efficient regulations. Cermaq believes transparent dialogue is a prerequisite for arriving at good and balanced decisions and policies. We have both an interest in and a responsibility to present our achievement and our challenges. Cermaq reaches out to authorities, give input to regulatory development and is always meeting requests for dialogue or information.
NGOs and civil society are diverse, and Cermaq is concentrating on those NGOs that seek constructive improvements in the industry. This includes wide groups of environmental Organizations, labour Organization and NGOs dedicated to other relevant topics. Through global partnerships as UN Global Compact, GSI and SeaBOS, we address global challenges together with NGOs and many other stakeholders.
The employees are the basis for our successful operations, and the value chain within Cermaq is complex with many areas of expertise needed. While employee relations are comprehensibly regulated by laws and agreements, Cermaq focuses on communication and relations that enhance drive, curiousness, and trust. Being an employee in Cermaq is something to be proud of.
Although Cermaq is 100 percent owned by Mitsubishi Corporation, Cermaq still defines providers of capital a stakeholder group. Financial institutions also approach Cermaq on topics related to specific sustainability concerns, and Cermaq strives to meet the needs for information and clarification.