In 2015 BioMar addressed the sustainability of their raw materials by setting ambitious targets for the use of certified products. These goals included ensuring 100 percent of all the soy protein, krill and palm oil and 70 percent of all fish meal and fish oil that they use in the aquaculture feeds were certified as sustainable by 2020.
© BioMar
The group’s Integrated Sustainability Report, published today, shows they have reached these targets for krill oil, palm oil, fish oil and fishmeal three years ahead of schedule, while soy protein remains on track to achieve its 2020 objective. As a result, the company now plans to raise the bar on their targets for fishmeal and fish oil to 80 percent certified material by 2020.
“Sustainability and responsible sourcing is an ongoing challenge. To continue to be leaders in sustainability we will look to set even more demanding targets beyond 2020 that will help drive us to new heights,” stated Carlos Diaz, CEO of BioMar Group.
Today’s sustainability report is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, offering complete transparency on BioMar operations, not only with their sustainability KPIs but their finances and growth ambitions. The report takes an in-depth look at the role and importance of traceability and data analytics in the future of sustainable aquaculture.
Traditionally, feed comprises about 80 percent of the impacts in raising fish – feed ingredients and operations account for most of the mass energy flows in the value chain and hence it plays a crucial role in the overall sustainability, and the environmental and social development, of aquaculture.
“Sustainability in the aquaculture industry begins with the feed and in BioMar we believe it is our responsibility to provide our customers with innovative, high performance feed solutions that also reduce the impact on our environment,” added Diaz.
The company has also pledged to continue their commitment to driving sustainability by finalising a full source-to-market sustainability rating of their entire raw material portfolio by the end of 2018. This comprehensive assessment tool will enable the company to steer their raw material purchasing toward more sustainable solutions, and enable aquaculturists and the wider value chain to have a more complete understanding of the sustainability of every raw material found in aquaculture feed.
