Two mill locations of Helmond, Netherlands-headquartered feed company Alltech have been certified under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Feed Standard.
The mills, Alltech Coppens in Nettetal, Germany, and Alltech Fennoaqua in Raisio, Finland, are the first in their countries to achieve certification under the Feed Standard, which requires that companies demonstrate that all ingredients which go into their feed stem from sustainable and well-managed sources.
The certification process requires the submission of extensive evidence documenting a company’s raw materials and suppliers, verification of labor policies throughout the product’s entire supply chain, and proof of efforts to reduce emissions, water consumption, energy use, and waste throughout that chain.
Alltech’s willingness to participate in the certification process “demonstrates a commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement,” ASC U.K. Feed Engagement and Markets Manager Aisla Jones said. "By embedding responsibility at the very start of the aquaculture supply chain, they are helping drive the change our industry needs."
Alltech Coppens CEO Ronald Faber called the certification “an important next step in our sustainability journey.”
“ASC is one of the world’s most recognized certifications, and we are very proud to have achieved it. The preparation required time, perseverance, and strong teamwork. The process was intense but has helped us make our operations more transparent and sustainable – a gain that goes far beyond certification itself,” he said.
Alltech Fennoaqua Development Manager Susanna Airaksinen said that market pressures are making sustainability initiatives increasingly worth the investment.
“There is demand in the global fish market for products whose sustainable and responsible production can be demonstrated to consumers through standardized certifications such as ASC," she said. "Thanks to the certification process we have undergone, we will be able to continue supplying feed to all ASC-certified farms even after the new, stricter requirements come into force later in October.”
Those stricter requirements will require all ASC-certified farms to use feed from ASC-certified mills starting on 31 October.
The roll out of the Feed Standard was a focus of the ASC’s recently published 2024 Impacts Report.
