{"id":739,"date":"2017-06-05T02:45:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T02:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/uncategorized\/739\/update-towards-justtuna-how-a-big-canadian-brand-is-working-to-clean-up-its-sourcing\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T03:29:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T08:29:33","slug":"update-towards-justtuna-how-a-big-canadian-brand-is-working-to-clean-up-its-sourcing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/739\/update-towards-justtuna-how-a-big-canadian-brand-is-working-to-clean-up-its-sourcing\/","title":{"rendered":"UPDATE: Towards #JustTuna: How a big Canadian brand is working to clean up its sourcing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-content\">\n<div>\n\tOcean Brands\u2019 tuna commitment has been met! It\u2019s been almost exactly a year since we posted the blog below with the news that Ocean Brands had announced bold and forward-looking commitments to be rolled out through its canned tuna supply chains by 2017. And a year later, much has changed behind Ocean\u2019s tuna product labels. This move reflects a stronger sustainability policy and social responsibility code of conduct that seek to tackle the pervasive problems plaguing the tuna industry and support operations doing better for our oceans and seafood workers.\u00a0<br \/>\n<span>Soon, Ocean\u2019s customers will only see and have more sustainably-caught \u2018light meat\u2019 products to choose from, as products sourced under the company\u2019s past policy disappear from shelves. Caught either by pole and line or purse seiners fishing on free schools of tuna without the use of harmful fish aggregating devices (FADs), all skipjack and yellowfin tuna products now come from fisheries that take less of a toll on our oceans than some other popular brands.<\/span><br \/>\n\u00a0For albacore products, pole and line caught tuna is available, and a new line of products labeled \u2018circle hook caught\u2019 has been introduced. As Ocean\u2019s works to further strengthen its sourcing requirements for its remaining Ocean\u2019s and Gold Seal albacore supply, the company\u2019s attention to improving the highly problematic longline sector should not go unnoticed.<br \/>\n<span>Meanwhile, supermarket shelves continue to be stocked with unsustainable canned tuna. Canada\u2019s biggest brand, Clover Leaf, and major retailer brands like Walmart\u2019s Great Value still do not offer better options under these popular labels. As Greenpeace Canada prepares to release our 2017 Canned Tuna Sustainability Ranking, Canadian market leaders and laggards are becoming evident, while in-store surveys are revealing what\u2019s really going on in tuna aisles of major grocery chains across the country. The Ranking and the release of our updated Tuna Guide for Healthier Oceans (formerly the Sustainable Canned Tuna Guide app) will help direct tuna lovers towards better options. Retailers too should take note of which green-rated brands can help improve their overall sustainable seafood performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"article_container_bg_1\" class=\"row_wrap article_container_bg\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row_wrap\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div id=\"article_container_store_1\" class=\"columns seven  article_container_store mobile\">\n<div class=\"article_containerstore_meta\">&#8211;\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<span class=\"article_meta_date\">MON MAY 23, 2016<\/span><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"article_containerstore_title\">Towards #justtuna: How a big Canadian brand is working to clean up its sourcing<\/h3>\n<p>Significant change is afoot in the canned tuna aisles of supermarkets across Canada. Real change. Ocean Brands, a major Canadian seafood company, is taking some big steps forward to complete its sustainability vision for its Ocean\u2019s brand tuna. Retailers and tuna brands, take note &#8211; this is what actual implementation of a sustainability commitment looks like.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Today, Ocean Brands, owner Ocean\u2019s and Gold Seal brands, announced the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Starting end of 2016, completed by 2017, all \u201clight meat\u201d and value added (flavoured tuna, etc) Ocean\u2019s brand products will be sourced from pole and line and purse seines fishing on free schools (FAD-free!)<\/li>\n<li>Suppliers will sign and adhere to a new Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure all products meet a higher social responsibility standard<\/li>\n<li>All supply chains will be audited by a third party against the company\u2019s social responsibility standards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This all sounds good, but what does it really mean? Let\u2019s break it down.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/><strong><big>Better for our oceans<\/big><\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>For those following the Esperanza in the tuna fishing grounds of the Indian Ocean, you will have seen lots of images of sharks and other beautiful creatures swimming around bizarre looking floating objects. Known as fish aggregating devices or FADs, these devices are placed adrift in the ocean to attract tuna. Often with the help of high-tech sonar devices, the FADs are later tracked down where large purse seine nets encircle them for the catch.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Tonnes of marine life also attracted to the FADs are killed each year. This includes baby tuna from vulnerable stocks, unable to reproduce before being caught. FADs also significantly increase the fishing capacity of the fleets, way beyond what\u2019s sustainable. Thousands are deployed in the ocean every year, making it impossible to know the actual number being used. Many FADs then end up as debris, washed up on reefs, beaches and polluting our oceans.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2018\/06\/GP0STPRFR_Web_size_with_credit_line.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"><\/p>\n<p>By Ocean\u2019s prioritizing sourcing from pole and line fisheries, a fishing method with minimal impacts on other marine life, and also going FAD-free for the rest, it is seriously reducing its ocean footprint.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Ocean\u2019s isn\u2019t alone in this step, more and more brands are deciding that FADs are not good for biz. Tesco and Waitrose in the UK are the latest, with food service giant Aramark going FAD-free and pole and line for its US business, and of course all major brands in Australia. Various brands and retailers around the world have introduced a more sustainable product line, and some leaders in sustainability only offered better options from the get-go. For our rankings and to learn more about those progressive brands,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/tuna.greenpeace.org\/en-CA\/info\/greenpeace-tuna-guides\/\">click here<\/a>.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/><strong><big>Better for industry workers<\/big><\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>The other key piece of the responsible tuna sourcing puzzle is ensuring the fair, ethical and respectful treatment of the workers who bring these products from sea to consumers\u2019 cupboards.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>In the wake of the various investigations that have shone a spotlight on the global seafood industry\u2019s hidden horrors of forced labour, despicable working conditions, and beyond, the voices are getting louder, calling for stricter standards from governments and businesses alike. As companies heed the call and create internal social responsibility code of conducts for their suppliers, it\u2019s hard to know which ones have teeth and which ones do not.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Strong criteria relating to workers\u2019 and human rights are a good start. However, if the company isn\u2019t implementing it or conducting audits to ensure it is being adhered to, then it\u2019s basically meaningless.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2018\/06\/GP0EWC_PressMedia.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Ocean Brands\u2019 plan to conduct third party audits on its supply chains will help identify whether its suppliers, like Thai Union, are in fact able to actually meet social responsibility standards. The more companies putting pressure on Thai Union to think harder about its global tuna supply chains, the more apt the company will be to chart a clear course for how it intends to deliver on more its buyers\u2019 requests.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/><strong>What\u2019s left to tackle?<\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>For Ocean\u2019s brand \u201clight meat\u201d products, things are looking up indeed. But what about albacore tuna products? And Gold Seal products?<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Currently Ocean Brands is sourcing albacore from pole and line fisheries or longline fisheries using circle hooks, a modification to hooks that help reduce the catch and kill of sea turtles. While this is a great start, we encourage Ocean Brands, and other brands working to source more responsible albacore products, to prioritize more selective methods like pole and line and troll. But in the meantime, it is important to ensure sourcing requirements eliminate transshipment at sea, require observer coverage onboard all longline vessels, and that mitigation methods used to reduce catch of other species not only address turtles but other species like sharks and seabirds that fall victim to this fishing method. Transshipment also creates the conditions for human and labour rights abuses, so a strong social responsibility policy must consider this.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>As for Gold Seal tuna products, those customers are going to have to wait a little longer. But given the company\u2019s current momentum, Greenpeace is hopeful that a transition of this brand is on deck.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/><strong>Green talk versus green action<\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>As members of the global tuna industry prepare to convene in Bangkok for the InfoFish World Tuna Trade Conference, puffing their chests about all they are doing to save the oceans and source ethically, Greenpeace will be there with our greenwash radar on, challenging companies that are all talk and no implementation. We need real leadership, particularly from the world\u2019s biggest tuna company, Thai Union, and its brands.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/notjusttuna\"><strong>Take Action Here.<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>To all those brands and retailers saying \u201cbut we are already sustainable\u201d, \u201cwe are implementing our policy\u201d, or \u201cwe can\u2019t do it, it\u2019s too difficult.\u201d Try harder. Ocean Brands, and a growing number of companies, are proving you wrong. And tuna lovers are watching.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>For Greenpeace\u2019s official reaction to the Ocean Brands\u2019 announcement,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2018\/06\/STATEMENT-Greenpeace-applauds-Ocean-Brands-initiative-to-clean-up-its-tuna-supply.pdf\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ocean Brands\u2019 tuna commitment has been met! It\u2019s been almost exactly a year since we posted the blog below with the news that Ocean Brands had announced bold and forward-looking commitments to be rolled out through its canned tuna supply chains by 2017. And a year later, much has changed behind Ocean\u2019s tuna product labels. This move reflects a stronger sustainability policy and social responsibility code of conduct that seek to tackle the pervasive problems plaguing the tuna industry and support operations doing better for our oceans and seafood workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[31],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature","tag-oceans","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27108,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions\/27108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}