Sustainability FAQ
What is Chicken of the Sea’s sustainability strategy?
At Chicken of the Sea, we pride ourselves on our long-standing commitment to
operating a socially and environmentally responsible business. We realize that
our sustainability obligations don’t end when the seafood is caught, but extend
all the way through the processing, packaging, and delivery to our consumers.
We work with our industry peers, environmental advocates and scientists to
ensure that our suppliers’ fishing practices protect ocean stocks for decades to
come. We also believe that our success as a business is dependent on the
goodwill and support of our employees, our vendors and our communities. At
the core of it all, we place the highest priority on delivering delicious, nutritious
and safe seafood to our consumers and retail partners.
The four pillars of our sustainability strategy include employees, facilities,
products and suppliers.
How does Chicken of the Sea track its sustainability progress?
In our 2013 report (the most recent year data is available) we set measurable
goals for the first time to be met by 2020. Our goals and the progress made in
2013 include:
•
•
•
•
•
20 percent reduction in electricity and natural gas use (per standard
case) by 2020 – We saw a 4.4 percent decrease in electricity usage in 2013,
when adjusted for production. Natural gas use increased by 10.2 percent
on a production-adjusted basis and is a focus for future efficiency
improvements.
30 percent reduction in landfill waste (per standard case) by 2020 – In
2013, we experienced a 27.8 percent decrease in the amount of waste it
takes to produce a case of product, making significant progress toward
our goal.
15 percent reduction in water use (per standard case) by 2020 – We saw a
12.8 percent decrease in the amount of water it takes to produce a
standard case of product as a result of water conservation efforts.
Maintain or reduce safety incidents by 2020 – In 2013, we saw a 40
percent lower incident rate than the previous year, experienced only six
lost workdays and averaged a 2.5 incident rate compared to the state of
Georgia’s 5.4 average safety incident rate.
Audit 90 percent of seafood procurement spend (on a three-year rolling
basis) by 2020 – We audited 37 percent of its vendors and suppliers in
2013 as we launched a formal sustainability auditing process. The third-
party audits look at our suppliers’ labor and human rights performance,
environmental management systems, and overall business practices. We
will audit additional suppliers each year and re-issue audits every three
years.
How does Chicken of the Sea enforce social sustainability throughout its
supply chain?
We are fiercely committed to preventing human rights violations of any kind and
stress ethical procurement of our products throughout our supply chain. This
means abiding by local and international laws and standards – including those
outlined under the International Labour Organization’s Good Labor Practices –
for upholding the human rights of workers.
Our supplier code of conduct also explicitly prohibits child and forced labor,
forbids any discriminatory acts, respects freedom of association and collective
bargaining, and promotes safe working conditions and occupational health and
safety. Without compromise, if a supplier has been found to be in violation of
our code of conduct to any degree, this will result in immediate termination of
trade relationships.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct explicitly lays out our expectations on social and
environmental issues for our first-tier suppliers. You can read our Code of
Conduct in more detail on our website.
How does Chicken of the Sea responsibly source its seafood?
We've joined forces with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation and
World Wildlife Fund, some of the world's most respected ocean experts, to
develop and implement programs designed to drive sustainability to the heart of
our procurement practices. We specifically utilize best practices for conservation
measures put forth by these two groups.
To learn more about Chicken of the Sea’s sustainability initiatives, please visit
our website: ChickenoftheSea.com/Sustainability. You can also read through our
most recent sustainability report at Sustainability.ChickenoftheSea.com.