Skretting Sustainability Report 2021

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Our position on deforestation

With the launch of our Sustainability Roadmap, it was a natural transition to create a policy specific to soy and oil palm ingredients, aligning our sourcing of these to our targets. The impact on sourcing has been varied, from developing new supply-chains from regions with low deforestation-risk, to working with existing partners to change their sourcing policies along with ongoing research into new ingredients as alternatives to soy and oil palm. By the end of 2025, our ambition is to source soy and oil palm ingredients that are free of both legal and illegal deforestation, with the purpose of limiting our impact on biodiversity and climate change.

Forest

Following many years of research, tremendous progress has been made to create flexibility in the raw materials we use. Even after all this research into alternative feed ingredients, soy continues to play a role in aqua feeds, in traditional product forms such as meal, oil and concentrate. More recently due to developments in technology, newly derived soy materials are being introduced to the market, providing additional benefits such as lower anti-nutritional factors.

We anticipate soy ingredients will remain an important source of protein and oil for the animal feed sector in the future. But as applies for all our raw materials, we must be responsible with our sourcing and where improvements are needed, use our influence within the value-chain to support positive change. The deforestation issues with soy and oil palm ingredients are complex and Skretting is focused on minimising any negative impact we have through our sourcing of feed materials.

Skretting is focused on minimising any negative impact we have through our sourcing of feed materials.

We are proud of our position but do not underestimate the challenges to achieve our ultimate ambitions. Dialogue throughout the value-chain involving all stakeholders is crucial and only through collaboration with like-minded partners can we inspire a change to halt deforestation. This undertaking is part of our everyday discussions in the markets, promoting only deforestation-free ingredients for use in animal feeds.

We appreciate not everyone is working to the same timescale or indeed not everyone has the same aspirations, but becoming deforestation-free in our supply-chains is exceptionally important to Nutreco and Skretting and failure to meet our ambition is not a consideration. We believe it should be a priority for every stakeholder within animal feed production and we will continue to advocate for these changes.

Salmon farming shows that deforestation-free is possible

“Stop Brazilian deforestation” is a strong demand from consumers and retailers. 2020 was the first full year of 100% deforestation and conversion-free supply chain for the Brazilian soy suppliers to European salmon. An independent report stated that this goal was accomplished for the supplier’s entire soybean business, also outside the salmon value chain. A move described by the Rainforest Foundation as a historic commitment and a game changer in Brazil.

“Hats off for this achievement! What sticks out for us as sellers and retailers of sustainable seafood is that this demonstrates that we can do more to protect the environment by working with partners, than walking away and just boycotting soy”, says Andrew Davie on behalf of Aquascot and Waitrose.

Modern satellite techniques to prevent cheating

The international certification foundation ProTerra established a monitoring and verification method to verify that no farmer that had removed any forest would be allowed to sell soy to the suppliers. Using satellite techniques and embargo lists an independent audit confirmed that the soy supply chain had become deforestation and conversionfree. The audit report also checked that the farmers did not have any work related to slavery or illegal labour and that there was no agriculture overlaps with indigenous lands.

The Rainforest Foundation says the European salmon industry sets an important example.

“It is great news that Brazilian soy producers for the very first time are confirmed to be fully deforestation and conversion-free in all their operations”, says Nils Hermann Ranum, head of Drivers of deforestation program at Rainforest Foundation Norway.

“Demanding that suppliers are fully deforestation-free is necessary to stop ongoing deforestation in Brazil. Private sector companies have a responsibility to avoid contributing to deforestation and environmental damage, and the salmon industry and their suppliers set an important example that other food producers must follow,” says Ranum.

Demanding that suppliers are fully deforestation-free is necessary to stop ongoing deforestation in Brazil.
Nils Hermann Ranum, head of Drivers of deforestation program at Rainforest Foundation Norway

Working together

There are three companies that deliver soy to the European salmon industry. Two of them, Caramuru and CJ Selecta have undergone the audits. The third company, Cervejaria Petropolis-Imcopa, is in a corporate change and a separate audit is conducted now for them. There was no non-conformity observed by the Auditor, only improvement opportunities.

“European fish feed producers were punching above our weight here. Even combined we are not a big player in the Brazilian soy market, but our combined effort made a complete value chain become 100% deforestation and conversion-free. Now we need to show them our support to make this important effort continue”, says Leif Kjetil Skjæveland, Manager of Sustainability and Public Affairs in Skretting Norway.

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The origin of our ingredients

Skretting is focused on minimising any negative impact we have through our sourcing of feed materials. Read our pdf report for details on how we source ingredients and innovate to achieve our goals.

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Sustainability report 2021