The context that we operate in, and the importance of blue foods

Not only do fish, shrimp and other wild-caught and farmed aquatic foods provide more than 3 billion people with at least 20% of their animal protein - the high nutritional profile, considerable species diversity and abundance of these so-called “blue foods” mean they are also ideally-positioned to help establish resilient and sustainable global food systems.

Food security

The production and harvesting of these foods often have a much lower carbon footprint and fewer biodiversity impacts when compared to the production systems of most livestock categories. Many supply chains also stand up to close consumer scrutiny in terms of their environmental responsibility, ethical sourcing and production processes, as well as offering heightened levels of transparency and trust. As such, fish and shellfish are increasingly being recognised for their role in food security, while most health organisations have long advocated including fish or seafood in the human diet a minimum of two to three times a week.

In the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (SOFIA), FAO states that prioritising and better integrating fisheries and aquaculture products in global, regional and national food system strategies and policies should be a vital part of the necessary transformation of agrifood systems. The UN body also reports the global per capita consumption has doubled since the 1960s – from a level of 9.9 kg to 20.2 kg in 2020, with the average annual rise consistently outpacing both the world population increase and the growth in consumption of all other animal protein foods and all terrestrially-produced meats.

Looking ahead, FAO expects that rising incomes and urbanisation, improvements in post-harvest practices and changes in dietary trends will lead to a 15% increase in aquatic food consumption – to supply on average 21.4 kg per capita in 2030.

Over the course of the next 10 years, aquaculture must expand sustainably to satisfy the gap in global demand for aquatic foods, especially in food-deficit regions, while also generating new or securing existing sources of income and employment.

FAO, the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (SOFIA)

According to SOFIA, global aquaculture production reached a record 122.6 million tonnes in 2020. This was despite the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the total including 87.5 million tonnes of aquatic animals. It also confirms aquaculture accounted for 56% of the aquatic animal food production made available for human consumption.

The report estimates this supply will rise to 106 million tonnes in 2030 and should break the 100-million-tonne-threshold for the first time in 2027. To achieve this, the report projects aquaculture expansions will continue on all continents, with wide variations in the range of species and products. But at the same time, it insists that over the course of the next 10 years, aquaculture must expand sustainably to satisfy the gap in global demand for aquatic foods, especially in food-deficit regions, while also generating new or securing existing sources of income and employment.

The report also highlights that priority areas for innovative aquaculture practices should include aquafeeds and feeding, digitalisation and the promotion of efficient and pro-environment practices. It adds that implementing these solutions requires adequate capacity and skills, training, research and partnerships, and that these can benefit from developments in information and communications technology and wider access to mobile applications and platforms.

Read the SOFIA report

Aligning with the SDGs

Our purpose is ‘Feeding the Future’, which inspires us to help solve one of humanity’s biggest challenges. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched by the United Nations in 2015 are reaching its halfway point. As stated on The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, and when we are at the halfway point of their implementation, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is in grave jeopardy due to multiple, cascading and intersecting crises. COVID-19, climate change and conflict predominate. Each of them, and their complex interactions, impact all of the Goals, creating spin-off crises in food and nutrition, health, education, the environment, and peace and security. To put the world on track to sustainability will require concerted action on a global scale.

Below, you can find the UN SDGs that Skretting and Nutreco have identified as relevant for the business, and the actions that we are taking to address them directly.

SDG2 (Zero hunger)

Develop a local supply of raw materials for production in areas where it does not yet exist (Africa and Asia)
Expand community development and community engagement initiatives to touch the lives of 12,000 people in the communities where we operate

SDG3 (Good health and well-being)

Ensure no use of prophylactic antibiotics employed in feed, forage or water.
Ensure absolutely no use of any antibiotic that are listed on the World Health Organization’s list of “Critically Important for Human Health"
Ensure the use of antibiotic medication can only be applied to feed and water with a valid clinical diagnostic result demonstrating bacterial infection and under direct and approved medical supervision by a qualified veterinarian

SDG 5 (Gender equality)

One out of three hires is female (starting in 2020)
We target having 30% women in senior leadership by 2025
We implement the “Taking the Stage” program, beginning in 2020, to help facilitate this transition

SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy)

Commitment to Science Based Targets
Reduce our carbon footprint linked with fuel and coal to zero
Increase our share of renewable energy
Explore possibilities to enter Virtual Power purchasing agreement

SDG 13 (Climate action)

Commitment to Science Based Targets
The innovation stage gate process includes a sustainability filter (qualitative and quantitative) to ensure no environmental impact trade-offs and encourage the most significant environmental impact

SDG 14 (Life below water)

Source 100% of marine ingredients from sources audited and certified by MarinTrust or MSC
Ensure that where MarinTrust or MSC certified marine ingredients are not available, all non-certified ingredients will be engaged in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP). That FIP will publicly report developments annually

SDG 15 (Life on land)

Conduct an analysis to understand the risks of deforestation and conversion in our supply chain, focusing on our highest volume plant ingredients and ingredients known to have global risks (i.e., soy and palm oil)

SDG 17 (Partnerships for the goals)

Engage with local, regional and national governments to encourage and promote regulatory reform for the responsible use of antibiotics. This includes public speaking, blogs, articles, letters to political representatives and industry workshops to transfer technology that should be adopted to ensure responsible usage

Some highlights from 2022

5% reduction to global carbon footprint per feed produced from 2021 to 2022

84% of marine ingredients purchased were certified or from a FIP

Skretting Norway named PwC’s 2022 Climate Winner

Implemented the EcoVadis IQ and Ratings programs

97% of soy purchased in 2022 is categorised as class A or B according to our sourcing policy

54.7% of electricity used in our operations is renewable

Skretting AI opened its new Guayas Research Station in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Next: Roadmap 2025

Our sustainability RoadMap 2025 outlines our ambitions under three pillars – health and welfare, climate and circularity, and good citizenship – and includes clear, measurable targets for 2025. It was approved by Nutreco’s Management Board (formerly Nutreco’s Executive Leadership Team) in June 2020. On the following pages we present our progress towards meeting the goals outlined in the RoadMap.

Skretting Sustainability Report 2022