Denmark-based sustainable aquaculture firm BioMar Group has satisfied four out of five key performance indicators (KPIs) for raw materials three years ahead of schedule, the company announced in late June. As a result of this accomplishment, the firm has “decided to raise the bar further,” setting additional targets for 2020.
In 2015, BioMar addressed the sustainability of its raw materials by setting ambitious targets for the use of certified products, the company said. By 2020, the firm aimed to achieve 100 percent certification of its all soy protein, krill, and palm oil productions, as well as 70 percent certification for its fishmeal and fish oil.
“While soy protein remains on track to achieve its 2020 objective, all other ingredients have met or exceeded expectations,” BioMar revealed in its latest Integrated Sustainability Report, which aligns with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and references Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. “BioMar will now raise the bar on their targets for fish meal and fish oil to 80 [percent] certified material by 2020,” the company added.
“Sustainability and responsible sourcing is an ongoing challenge. To continue to be leaders in sustainability we will look to set even more demanding targets beyond 2020 that will help drive us to new heights,” BioMar Carlos Diaz said.
The company will continue forward with its commitment to drive sustainability ethics in 2018, Diaz said, and will finalize a full source-to-market sustainability rating of its entire raw material portfolio by the end of the year. This “comprehensive assessment tool” will enable BioMar to steer its “raw material purchasing toward more sustainable solutions, and enable aquaculture farmers and the wider value chain to have a more complete understanding of the sustainability of every raw material found in aquaculture feed,” the company said.
The role feed plays in aquaculture is substantial – according to BioMar, feed comprises “about 80 percent of the impacts in raising fish.” Therefore, how feed companies approach sustainability can have a drastic impact on aquaculture’s approach to sustainability at large, Diaz said.
“Sustainability in the aquaculture industry begins with the feed and in BioMar we believe it is our responsibility to provide our customers with innovative, high performance feed solutions that also reduce the impact on our environment,” Diaz said.
More information about BioMar’s sustainability KPI progress can be found in its 2017 Integrated Sustainability Report.
