Sustainable seafood continues to be among the highest priorities for High Liner Foods as we look to feed a growing world population now and in the future. The strict criteria we use to define responsibly source wild-caught and farmed seafood is based on various certification schemes the Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI) and industry experts assure will protect the integrity of the species, stock and environment.
High Liner Foods
Sustainability
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OUR PURPOSE
At High Liner Foods, we recognize our responsibility to support healthy oceans, planets and communities. This is the foundation of our purpose, Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, which guides every decision we make and every action we take. Nothing exemplifies our purpose more than our three pillars of sustainability:
- Nourishing the health and wellness of our employees who are the backbone of our success
- Supporting people and the communities in which we operate through volunteerism, philanthropy activities and activism
- Regenerating Ecosystems to ensure we have the resources to provide our consumers delicious seafood for generations to come
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OUR JOURNEY
For over 125 years we have operated as a responsible corporate citizen and in the past two decades in particular, we have deeply embedded sustainability practices into our DNA. We are committed to continuous improvement and to build on our progress to date
2007First Fishery Improvement Project.
Supported the Barrents Sea Fishery Improvement project (FIP), the first of its kind.
2010Responsible Sourcing Commitment.
Publicly committed to source from responsible fisheries and aquaculture farms, working together with our NGO partner, Sustainably Fisheries Partnership.
2011Seafood Summit Sponsor.
Sponsored the 9th Annual Seafood Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
2012Doubled Certified Sustainable Seafood.
Announced certifiable sustainable seafood purchases had doubled in over 2 years.
2013Nearly 100% Seafood Responsibly Sourced.
Helped establish a Pacific (longline) cod FIP and started a Pollock Sustainability Alliance. Achieved 99% of target goal for responsible sourcing.
2014Introduced Supplier Code of Conduct.
Introduced Supplier Code of Conduct, detailing social compliance guidelines to help ensure safe working conditions in our supply chain. Founding member of G.S.S.I.
2015Top 10 Most Transparent Seafood Companies in the World.
Ranked top seafood company in North America and one of the top 10 worldwide for global sustainability reporting and transparency in a benchmark report by seafoodintelligence.com. Received the Grand Champion Award from SeaWeb.
2016Hunger Mission Launched.
Launched Hunger Mission with goal of donating 10M meals by 2025 to amplify our impact in local communities.
2017Ecovadis Bronze Rating.
Ecovadis applauded HLF for strong CSR policies recognized by GMRI as Program Partner of the year.
2018Founding Member of S.A.T.S. Coalition
Founding member of Stronger America Through Seafood Coalition, organization focused on supporting American aquaculture to feed our growing population.
2019From FIP to MSC Certified.
Pacific FIP initiated in 2013 successfully achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
2020Supporting Employees through Covid-19 Pandemic.
Focused on employees COVID-19 Pandemic protection, health, and welfare.
2021Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life.
Launched our new company purpose, Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, meant to guide our decisions from the commercial, operational and sustainability ends of our business.
2022Commitment to ESG Goals.
Completed first annual analysis of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions and committed to 2030 reduction targets and Scope 3 emission inventory timeline. Committed to reducing food waste intensity 50% by 2030 in support of the United Nations' 10x20x30 initiative.
- ONGOING COMMITMENT & FUTURE GOALSOur purpose, Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, reveals itself in our actions and results. Below are just a few of the 2023 sustainability highlights we are proud to share.
Water UseWater intensity increased 2% versus 2021
GHG Emissions3.2% reduction in GHG emissions compared to our 2021 baseline
Employee SafetyThe number of safety incidents declined 48% compared to 2018 benchmark
Responsible Sourcing96% of the seafood we procured met our Responsibly Sourced criteria
Ethical Sourcing100% of raw materials were sourced from suppliers audited for compliance to High Liner Foods' Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC)
Day of Nourishment1,500 volunteer hours donated by High Liner Foods' employees
The urgency with which the world needs to address climate change requires more action from us all and we are committed to advancing the following goals.Setting new, public goals ensures High Liner Foods' stakeholders can hold us accountable to achieving new successes and continue nourishing our communities and planet. -
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RESPONSIBLY SOURCED FISHING
- WILD-CAUGHT SEAFOOD
FARMED SEAFOODAquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified or from suppliers undergoing full ASC assessment;
Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certified (1-4 stars);
From credible, publicly documented Aquaculture Improvement Projects (AIP);
or OceanWiseTM recommended or rated Best Choice of Good Alternative by Seafood WatchTM
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GOVERNANCE & ETHICS
The rigorous governance and oversight mechanisms that support the success of our business also underpin the quality and rigour of our sustainability initiatives. From carefully developed policies to clear lines of reporting and accountability, we ensure that our rules and practices reflect the strength of our commitment to making our organization truly sustainable. -
Our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team are committed to achieving high ESG standards.
Our ESG program is overseen by three committees of the Board: the Governance, Audit and HR committees.- The Governance Committee of the Board of Directors oversees our entire program, ensuring that management is implementing the Company’s ESG framework responsibly.
- On environmental compliance matters specifically, responsibility rests with our Environmental Steering Committee, which reports to the Audit Committee. Made up of representatives from across the Company and meeting quarterly, the Environmental Steering Committee oversees and acts on environmental topics such as regulatory compliance and evolving requirements, waste and hazardous substance management practices, air emissions, and occupational health and safety concerns.
- The Human Resources Committee (HR Committee) ensures that the health and safety of employees is protected and prioritized, and that management is effectively designing and pursuing goals related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
We adopted a new strategic plan that shapes our own ESG policies and practices, and sets guidelines for how we engage with others on sustainability initiatives. The plan establishes a framework that makes these considerations integral to our core business, and evaluates our collective and individual performance accordingly.
This Code of Conduct (CoC) outlines our company-wide commitment to honest, ethical behaviour among all employees, officers and directors of High Liner Foods. We require 100% of employees and directors to review and acknowledge the Code of Conduct annually, including specific online training for employees to further reinforce the CoC.
The SCOC establishes guidelines for suppliers regarding the ethical treatment of workers, using a risk-based approach for audit frequency. We continually review and revise policies to ensure they reflect changing circumstances in our industry while always reflecting our core values and commitments. Our original SCOC pertained only to fish suppliers; in 2024 we will extend it to include suppliers of packaging and ingredients. (This effort was postponed during COVID-19.)
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PARTNERING ON SUSTAINABILITY
The seafood industry is a complex global network that touches communities, economies and ecosystems around the world. We strive to play a positive role, setting high standards for ourselves and collaborating widely — with stakeholders large and small — to support responsible and sustainable practices everywhere. We work with governments, NGOs, researchers, trade associations and investors on our shared objective: securing seafood as a sustainable source of nourishment for everyone. Key partnerships and affiliations include:
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- WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
High Liner Foods is one of the first companies in the world to pilot the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) universal fishery ID codes. The codes, which are being developed by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and the FAO, combine key information about fisheries (species common and Latin name, management unit, gear type and vessel flag) to create a unique ID code for every fishery in the world. High Liner will be working with suppliers of Namibian hake to use the IDs to track fish from vessel to customer as part of the pilot project, and exploring how the IDs can be used more broadly in their traceability, marketing and reporting systems. Globally, development and uptake of the codes will help reduce confusion, increase transparency and traceability, and could help deter fraud and IUU fishing in seafood supply chains. High Liner’s participation in this pilot phase will help build the system and show proof of concept.
Brad Spear, Global Policy Director, Sustainable Fisheries PartnersWHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYINGFor well over a decade, High Liner has been one of SFP’s most active and engaged partners. They have been a vocal champion of seafood sustainability, including speaking at numerous SFP forums and industry events, and contributing to our communications and outreach. They have put significant time and resources into supporting fishery and aquaculture improvements through involvement in our Supply Chain Roundtables and other precompetitive platforms, and over the years several of our staff have traveled with High Liner to far flung places around the globe to engage suppliers in launching fishery improvement projects. We have been honored to be included on High Liner’s internal Sustainability Council and in regular company Sustainability Summits, working with senior leaders from all parts of the company to help ensure sustainability is a core part of their business.
Jim Cannon, CEO, Sustainable Fisheries PartnershipWHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYINGConsumer insights show that sustainability is an increasingly crucial component of what consumers demand. Gordon Food Service continually searches for ways to enhance our sustainability offerings and communicate with our customers about this topic. High Liner Foods’ dedicated and thorough approach to sustainability allows us to confidently service our customers and provide them with a plethora of seafood solutions that are both exciting and sustainable.
Blake Groll, Category Manager at Gordon Food Service -
SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS
We believe providing High Liner Foods' stakeholders with transparent annual assessments of our sustainability initiatives is a critical component of our governance process and instills confidence that we are held accountable for the sustainability commitments we make. Read our latest report to get more details of the progress we have made on our sustainability journey. -
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Historical Sustainability Reports
