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Press release: 5 February 2019
New roadmap targets responsible sourcing improvements in Spanish seafood industry
A coalition of environmental organisations have today launched a roadmap for the Spanish seafood industry to increase responsible sourcing in its supply chain.
The coalition, which includes ClientEarth, Greenpeace, Oceana, Our Fish, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and WWF, launched 10 recommendations detailing how companies can address the growing concern about sustainability throughout the supply chain, from source to table.
They include:
- Complying with the law – retailers must ensure their supply chain strictly complies with all current legislation.
- Conducting risk assessments of the environmental, legal and social issues to identify risk areas for illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fish.
- Preparing improvement plans that are quantifiable and time-bound to help businesses achieve a more sustainable supply, and evaluating them annually.
- Ensuring full transparency, with independent third-party traceability throughout the supply chain, from seafood product origin to sale.
Sustainable seafood project coordinator Paloma Colmenarejo, from environmental law charity ClientEarth, said: “There is growing demand for environmental and social sustainability for businesses in the supply chains of the Spanish seafood industry, but there is a lot work to be done and it is extremely urgent.”
Policy and advocacy manager Javier López, from Oceana Europe, said: “Legal is not necessarily sustainable. To be a truly responsible supply company, besides ensuring that fish products are legal, companies must commit to environmental sustainability, and these 10 recommendations will contribute to this goal.”
The roadmap has other recommendations for seafood sustainability, such as ensuring supplies are from well-managed, legal, fair and sustainable fisheries. The coalition urges businesses in the supply chain to ensure their suppliers also fulfil the 10 recommendations, thus improving responsibility along the entire supply chain.
ENDS
About ClientEarth
ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.