Feed group raises the sustainability bar

FEED group BioMar has reached four out of five of its sustainability goals for raw materials three years ahead of schedule, the company announced today. BioMar has now decided to raise the bar further and has set new targets for 2020.
‘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,’ said BioMar CEO Carlos Diaz.
The company’s Integrated Sustainability Report, which is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, looks at the role of traceability and data analytics in the future of sustainable aquaculture. Traditionally, feed comprises about 80 per cent of the impact in raising fish.
In 2015, BioMar addressed the sustainability of its raw materials by setting ambitious targets for the use of certified products.
These key performance indicators (KPIs) included 100 per cent certification of all soy protein, krill and palm oil, and 70 per cent of all fish meal and fish oil.
While soy protein remains on track to achieve its 2020 objective, all other ingredients have met or exceeded expectations. BioMar will now raise the bar on their targets for fish meal and fish oil to 80 per cent certified material by 2020.
‘Sustainability and responsible sourcing is an ongoing challenge,’ said Diaz. ‘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.’
By the end of this year, BioMar will have finalised a full source-to-market sustainability rating of its entire raw material portfolio. This will enable the company to steer its raw material purchasing towards more sustainable solutions, and enable farmers and the wider value chain to have a more complete understanding of the sustainability of every raw material found in aquaculture feed.
Picture: BioMar Group CEO Carlos Diaz