Global furniture and food retailer IKEA is now selling Pacifical tuna that carries Marine Stewardship Council certification at its 16 stores in Spain.
The purchasing decision was made following a 2015 commitment by the company to source seafood solely from MSC- and Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified fisheries, IKEA said in a press release. IKEA’s food business represents more than five percent of the IKEA Group’s total revenue and was recently valued at more than EUR 1.7 billion (USD 1.55 billion) annually.
"IKEA aims to work closely with our suppliers to achieve people and planet positive impacts over the long-term,” IKEA Spain Food Manager Kevin Johnson said. “IKEA recognized the opportunity to help transform a significant share of the seafood market by supporting demand for certified fish and working to increase MSC and ASC fisheries, farms and supply chains around the world, now in partnership with Pacifical too."
Pacifical is the global marketing company offering tuna caught by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), an organization of eight island nations in the Central Pacific Ocean. Pacifical’s free-school skipjack and yellowfin tuna is MSC-certified as sustainably caught.
"IKEA's commitment towards seafood sustainability delivers an influential message; Regardless of the nature of our business, we are all accountable as market participants to guarantee tuna species are available for generations to come,” Pacifical Managing Director Henk Brus said. “We congratulate IKEA Spain for its leading and bold step in marine conservation and look forward to continue working closely together to supply other regions with Pacifical MSC certified tuna.”
The decision of IKEA Spain illustrates the company's solid global leadership towards tuna sustainability as well as their support to PNA economies, which are largely dependent on tuna, according to Laura Rodriguez, MSC’s program director in Spain and Portugal.
"Demand of sustainable seafood is growing among Southern Europe consumers. Moreover, in Spain the value of MSC-certified seafood has grown over 110 percent in value in the last year,” said Laura Rodriguez, MSC’s program director in Spain and Portugal. “The partnership of IKEA and Pacifical to provide certified MSC tuna at IKEA restaurants, is a great opportunity to raise awareness on the sustainable choices in the market and to bring support to the fisheries more committed to sustainable practices.”
