U.K. grocer Waitrose announced that it will adopt Seafish’s Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool (SCEPT).
The tool, which was created by the U.K. seafood sector public body, allows seafood businesses to assess carbon footprints for both wild-caught and farmed seafood products. Retailers input data about their supply chains, such as fuel use, processing, packaging, and transportation information, and SCEPT generates a carbon footprint they can use to compare the product or processors to other options.
“At Waitrose, we’re committed to sourcing seafood responsibly and reducing the environmental impact of our supply chains," Waitrose Partner and Manager for Fisheries and Aquaculture Ben Lambden said. "By adopting the SCEPT we will work with our seafood supply chain to receive the data we need to identify carbon hotspots and work with those suppliers to make meaningful reductions.”
Seafish said in a release that the tool could be used by seafood businesses “to identify hotspots where emissions are highest in their supply chains; benchmark performance against industry averages; track progress towards their reduction targets and report carbon data with greater accuracy and transparency.”
The push is part of a commitment by Waitrose parent company The John Lewis Partnership to run net-zero operations by 2035, and across its entire supply chain by 2050. Waitrose is not the only U.K. grocer to implement the tool; 125 seafood businesses across the U.K., including retailer Tesco, have so far adopted the SCEPT.
Seafish Head of Responsible Sourcing Stuart McLanaghan said that he was pleased to see that Waitrose would use the tool to reduce carbon emissions in its supply chain.
“Waitrose’s commitment will further strengthen the U.K. seafood sector’s support to integrate the tool and we’re also currently working with other leading U.K. retailers to advise how they too can implement the tool. We remain committed to keeping the tool at the cutting edge of science, [and] evolving with industry needs and aspirations,” McLanaghan said.
The SCEPT tool was developed by Seafish through intensive industry feedback, with the support of food system sustainability expert Blonk Milieu Advies B.V.
