Iglo Austria has been engaged in promoting conservation of the oceans’ natural ecosystems for years. As part of the Unilever group it helped set up the MSC programme – now an independent, internationally recognised certification and ecolabelling scheme – with the WWF over 15 years ago. Iglo was one of the first frozen food companies to do so, placing sustainability and traceability at the heart of their supply chain policy. Today, all the ocean-caught fish in the Iglo range (33 products in total) carry the blue ecolabel as evidence that they are fully traceable to fisheries that are certified to the MSC standard for sustainable fishing.
“We need to establish trust for people to consume fish responsibly. This is why transparency and information are a top priority at Iglo Austria. Each of our fish products can be traced back to the original catch area thanks to a tracking code on the packaging. Now being 100 per cent MSC certified, Austrian consumers can be certain that all Iglo ocean-caught fish come from independently certified, sustainable fisheries,” says Dr Rainer Herrmann, Managing Director of Iglo Austria.
Blue Ecolabel to Protect Our Oceans
The MSC is an independent, not for profit global certification and ecolabelling program which works in partnership with industry, scientists and conservationists to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The blue ecolabel on-pack is an assurance to consumers that the product is traceable to a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
“Fish is a primary renewable source of protein. As such we have a moral responsibility to safeguard fish supplies for this and future generations,” says Nicolas Guichoux, MSC Global Commercial Director.
“To pursue this ambitious goal, we have to act collectively and take a forward-looking approach to managing fish resources and maintaining the diversity in our oceans. For MSC to achieve its mission, we need committed partners like Iglo Austria, who support our aim and help recognise and reward certified fisheries.”
Transparent Monitoring Processes
A fishery is considered sustainable if stocks are kept at renewable levels and impacts on the wider marine ecosystem are reduced to a minimum. To verify this, the MSC ecolabel is based on a comprehensive list of criteria and indicators that were defined in collaboration with international scientists, conservationists and other interest groups.
Fisheries that are eligible to apply the MSC ecolabel to their catch have gone through a certification process that often takes several years. They are audited annually by independent experts and must renew their certification every five years.
“Every fishery that receives the MSC certificate has to demonstrate it meets our standard,” says Nicolas Guichoux.
“During the course of their participation in the MSC programme, Fisheries have made management improvements that have brought about environmental gains, such as reduced bycatch of fish and other marine species, and increased stock levels. Their efforts not only safeguard the future health of the oceans and seafood supplies, they also protect livelihoods in the fishing industry.”
Iglo Social Media Campaign Promotes Active Involvement
To raise awareness about sustainable fishing, Iglo Austria has launched a social media campaign with a focus on proactive involvement. By entering the fish tracking code that can be found on every pack of Iglo ocean-caught fish, consumers add to a virtual shoal of fish, which triggers a donation to an MSC-related awareness project. This means that everyone has the opportunity to join Iglo Austria in supporting a project that raises awareness among school children about the oceans and the importance of managing our natural resources responsibly.
