Skretting Italy has had its Carbon Footprint Systematic Approach certified according to ISO 14067:2018, a move that offers the country’s fish farmers the opportunity “to accelerate sustainability as climate leaders,” according to a 25 January announcement.
With its ISO 14067:2018 approval, the company said it can now “provide certified carbon footprint figures on any of the aquaculture feed products in its portfolio.” Aquaculture operations of all sizes partnering with the firm can also calculate the carbon footprint of their products, and make adjustments to reduce their impact where needed, Skretting Italy said.
The company said it is the first aquafeed producer to achieve this status. The certification covers Skretting Italy’s entire production process, from raw material procurement and formulation through to final product dispatch.
“We have entered a critical phase of climate recovery. Through carbon neutrality, fish farmers in Italy and beyond have the opportunity become part of the solution as climate leaders. They can accelerate progress by making these bold but essential commitments to our planet’s health and well-being, while at the same time establishing a platform that will enable them to increase revenues, reduce costs and risks, and engage many more consumers,” Skretting Italy Marketing Manager Umberto Luzzana said.
The pursuit of ISO 14067:2018 certification, which was carried out by DNV, advances the company’s CarbonBalance efforts, it said. Launched in 2020, CarbonBalance involves a set of supportive services for fish farmers and Skretting’s carbon neutral feed concept, Feed4Future.
“This first-to-market offering has paired Skretting’s extensive knowledge of the nutritional requirements of aquaculture species with sustainable, lower-impact feed ingredients responsibly sourced from carefully selected suppliers,” the company said.
Feed4Future diets come with a 10 percent lower carbon footprint than standard diets, according to Skretting Italy, with remaining CO2 emissions compensated for by carbon credits. The company uses its MicroBalance technology and innovative raw materials sourced from the food industry for Feed4Future aquafeed composition.
Skretting’s feed formulations have been increased by the concept, it said, with the CarbonBalance suite of services – available to all users of Feed4Future solutions – expanding to include marketing support to help users “share their carbon neutral stories.”
“The expansion of our carbon neutral programme further demonstrates our commitment to empower our customers so that aquaculture can do more about its environmental footprint. Food supply chains are seeing consumers looking for clear, transparent, and credible statements of climate action by businesses. Similarly, industry standards are increasingly focusing on carbon footprints and seeking robust data from value chains. This is an opportunity for our industry to shine – producing healthy products whilst also meeting the public’s environmental expectations,” Luzzana said.
Skretting Global Sustainability Manager Trygve Berg Lea commended Skretting Italy on its proactive approach to the enterprise’s sustainability aims.
“Skretting Italy continues to take an extremely proactive approach on sustainability issues. Once again, it is first to the market with a solution that benefits the broader value chain through responsible climate action. Providing the means through which carbon footprints can be properly determined and subsequently reduced whilst also improving cost-efficiencies is another important step towards our global ambition of being a lead partner to a sustainable aquaculture industry,” Berg Lea said.
Skretting in its entirety is building a “Life Cycle Assessment” (LCA) model, with details set for release over the coming months.
“Furthering the pioneering endeavours undertaken by Skretting Italy and the knowledge gained from building a global organisational Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model for Skretting in 2020, a new action plan specifically designed to accurately calculate the environmental footprint of its global operations and to thereby also identify the best ways to reduce these impacts will soon be launched by Skretting. More details of the Skretting LCA Action Plan will be announced in the coming months,” Skretting said.
Photo courtesy of Skretting
