Understanding sourcing in different markets

Reflections from our team and suppliers

Working together for sustainability goals

In severe market circumstances, it is not always easy for suppliers to align with our relatively high sustainable sourcing policy in the region. However despite the challenges, we continue to hope for earlier development, like the inclusion of alternative ingredients.

Our region is traditionally heavily dependent on fish meal and fish oil for warm water fish species. Although we face challenges in daily operations, we are aware it is important to remember that we are one Skretting, one Nutreco, and one planet. As such, we are in the same boat.

Even though the competition is severe and there may be raw materials which do not meet the Nutreco criteria, we keep a dialogue with suppliers regarding aligning with our requirements. Through information and collaboration, we believe we can influence external stakeholders and provide our voice that there is clear demand.

We have found that when we help each other and work together toward our goal, we can find a solution that we did not expect. In the past, we have been successful in increasing the inclusion of certified f ishmeal / LAPs / vegetable ingredients while maintaining performance and quality, with significant support from internal and external stakeholders.

We learn from best practice in OpCos all around the world and take advantage of the global expertise and innovative minds

Yosuke Sakurai, Procurement Manager, Skretting Japan

We learn from best practice in OpCos all around the world and take advantage of the global expertise and innovative minds. Recently sustainability has received more attention in Japan and through global and local experience, we will be able to support customers who have an interest in sustainable aquaculture.

However, we are not able to do it alone, we are all connected in the supply chain. For that, it is crucial and appreciated to have the support and understanding of our customers, suppliers, consumers, colleagues, and communities around us.

Building sustainability awareness in Japan

In most Asian countries, including Japan, the attention to sustainable action in fishery and farming is gradually increasing, but it’s still not satisfactory, especially in the aspect of the visible ways such as the acquisition of certificates. It may take a much longer time to cement these actions, as that will never be achieved by a single part of the value chain, and the recognition by the end-consumer would be one of the most important factors to accelerate such efforts despite the slow-paced spread

We’re pleased to kick off more advanced action with the Skretting team and some of our loyal partners here step-by-step

Yoshiaki Tatsumi, Assistant Manager Protein Meal and NGFI Section Grain and Feedstuff Department, Kanematsu Corporation

Against this background, however, we’re pleased to kick off more advanced action with the Skretting team and some of our loyal partners here step-by-step. For one, we have launched a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for Japanese sardine, which is one of the most important species in the domestic aquaculture industry, with a fishmeal manufacturer, a purseseine fisherman in Japan toward MSC. We strongly expect this project could contribute to a stable supply of marine resources in the future.

Now, our challenge is how do we expand that circle to other stakeholders. Also, we would like to mention that the development of the consultation system to address a higher level of sustainability, which is not enough in Asia, would also be very important.

Working with customers to drive sustainability in Italy

The sustainability and circularity themes are certainly the hottest topics in recent years. Addressing these started out as a significant challenge for Skretting Italy, as it was not easy to explain our mission to our suppliers and how we wanted to reach our goals.

Bringing them on board was not easy at all in the beginning, as nobody had a ready solution to offer. Thankfully, our enthusiasm inspired our collaborators to the point that they themselves, in some cases, provided innovative proposals. The maturity and the sensitivity of suppliers were crucial for this journey.

We know now that sustainability and circularity doesn’t necessarily mean cost saving. In fact, buying packaging with a minimum 50% of recycled plastic, for example, costs even more than 100% virgin material.

COVID-19, followed by the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the subsequent severe disruptions to the supply chain, has seen raw materials prices and logistic rates increase to never-beforeseen levels. This has made the sustainability path even more challenging and forced some withdrawal.

This was true in the case of marine ingredients, where the price difference between certified and non-certified sources was sometimes so high that we needed to force a temporary stop to remain competitive. On the positive side, the need for greater competitiveness has provided further acceleration to the “re-use” culture by pushing the demand for by-product ingredients (for example from the poultry and pork, fish, and baking industries) higher and higher.

Big efforts have been placed on keeping the supply chain as short as possible to reduce the carbon emission of logistics

Adamo Caldori, Purchasing Responsible, Skretting Italy

Big efforts have been placed on keeping the supply chain as short as possible to reduce the carbon emission of logistics; and high emphasis has been dedicated to new ingredients (for example insect and algae).

These days, we speak the same language as our suppliers, and together we are aware that challenges and dilemmas are not finished. At the same time, we are tuned in to the fact that in sustainability and circularity there are future opportunities.

A culture of sustainability

At Berlin Packaging, we do our part to fight climate change by minimising our environmental impact and offering sustainabilityfocused products and services to our clients across all end-use markets and geographies.

That’s not easy, because the response from the market, especially in Italy, is not ready to pay more for a sustainable packaging as it is now. Huge investments to produce lighter containers with high performance must be incorporated in prices and this is not in line with customers’ expectations.

Working with Skretting Italy was acknowledgement that we were going in the right direction, and provided further motivation to stay focused on the matter to take advantage of any other innovation which can bring improvement to the sustainability and circularity targets.

We pledge to promote a culture of sustainability throughout the packaging value chain, from our customers to our suppliers, within our teams, and in the local communities in which we operate.

We pledge to promote a culture of sustainability throughout the packaging value chain, from our customers to our suppliers, within our teams, and in the local communities in which we operate.

Fabrizio Mondolfo, General Manager, Berlin Packaging Industrial Italy

Berlin Packaging’s success as a global packaging leader depends on our ability to serve a wide range of markets and geographies. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical enablers of our business model and our commitment to these values is unwavering – across all our work around the world.

We strive to create sustainable growth by promoting the values of integrity and respect, and by earning trust with all our internal and external stakeholders alike.

Next: Soy ingredients

Our 2020 Soy and Oil Palm Sourcing Policy shows our commitment to achieving a deforestation-free supply of soy and oil palm ingredients by 2025. The policy categorises soy and palm ingredients into four different classes based on deforestation risks and shows which sustainability certificates can be used to mitigate these risks.