Washington, DC, 16 March 2017 – Following global pressure on pet food companies, industry giants Mars and Nestl\u00e9 have announced that they will take steps to ensure their pet food supply chains are free of human rights abuses and illegally caught seafood. Their commitments to act on transshipping at sea increase the need for global seafood giant Thai Union, a supplier for both companies, to eliminate any outstanding risks of human rights abuses and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in its own supply chains.<\/p>\n
Nestl\u00e9 has committed to a full ban on transshipment at sea in its supply chains, while Mars has committed to suspend the use of transshipped products in their supply chains if its seafood suppliers cannot adequately address the human rights and illegal fishing issues associated with the practice in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cPet owners and activists have demanded that companies eliminate human rights abuses from their pet food supply chains. This move toward stopping out of control transshipment at sea means we\u2019re finally seeing results,\u201d said Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaigner Graham Forbes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the two largest pet food companies in the world, and their commitments to address transshipping at sea will put significant pressure on suppliers like Thai Union to show the leadership needed to clean up their own seafood supply chains. We\u2019ll be closely monitoring Mars\u2019 and Nestl\u00e9\u2019s progress to ensure these policies lead to real changes on the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenpeace launched a campaign in 2016, Cats vs Bad Tuna<\/a>, to demand that Mars ensure its supply chains were free of any potential human rights abuses. A Greenpeace Southeast Asia report, Turn the Tide<\/a>, demonstrated the unacceptably high risk of tainted seafood entering numerous supply chains throughout 2016, including Nestl\u00e9 and Thai Union\u2019s. Nestl\u00e9 immediately committed to address the concerns when they were raised in the report. Mars committed to tackle unchecked transshipment at sea in its pet food supply chains this month.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past several years, Nestl\u00e9 and Greenpeace have worked together to strengthen Nestl\u00e9\u2019s policies governing the procurement and responsible sourcing of seafood,\u201d said Nestl\u00e9 Purina PetCare Head of Sustainability Jack Scott<\/strong>. \u201cIn light of Greenpeace\u2019s research findings, Nestl\u00e9 has committed to a ban on all transshipments at sea.”<\/p>\n Transshipment is a process through which companies move fish from one vessel to another, enabling them to remain at sea for extended periods of time to plunder the oceans, dodge regulations, and keep fishers as a captive workforce. In addition to its connections to human rights abuse, transshipment at sea provides an opportunity for illegal fishing vessels to unload their illegally caught loads into supply chains, away from port authorities. In 2015, an estimated 40 percent of these transfers happened on the high seas, outside of the jurisdiction of national authorities. Transshipment at sea has also been linked to other organized crime, including drug, weapon, and wildlife trafficking.<\/p>\n Mars\u2019 and Nestl\u00e9\u2019s commitments send a strong message to Thai Union to address transshipment in its supply chains. Greenpeace is currently pressuring Thai Union to make sweeping changes for workers and our oceans across its seafood supply chains. Greenpeace has campaigned on Thai Union since 2015, and is asking the company to lead the seafood industry by ending transshipment at sea, addressing overfishing and destructive fishing, and increasing traceability from sea to plate.<\/p>\n “Mars recognises the risks of transshipment at sea. We want to see human rights respected and the environment protected in our seafood supply chains” said Isabelle Aelvoet, Global Sustainability Director, Mars Petcare<\/strong>. “The current problems associated with transshipment are serious and demand urgent attention. We are committed to working with our suppliers to remedy these problems, but if we cannot resolve these issues to our satisfaction quickly, we will seek to end the use of transshipped products in our supply chains until these serious problems are fixed.”<\/p>\n Today\u2019s news follows a new report from Global Fishing Watch<\/a> highlighting the problems with transshipment at sea. The report found that from 2012-2016, refrigerated cargo vessels participated in more than 5,000 likely transshipments. Concerns were raised about Mars and Nestl\u00e9 supply chains in a 2015 New York Times investigation<\/a> into human rights abuses at sea.<\/p>\n Many of the famous internet cats from Greenpeace\u2019s original Cats vs Bad Tuna campaign are featured in a new victory video celebrating the progress in the pet food industry. To watch the new video, click here<\/a> or download it in the Greenpeace media library here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ENDS<\/p>\n Notes to editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n [1] Nestle and Mars\u2019 brands include Purina (Nestl\u00e9), Fancy Feast (Nestl\u00e9), Iams (Mars), Whiskas (Mars), and Dine (Mars).<\/p>\n [2] To access Greenpeace\u2019s demands of seafood companies, click here <\/a><\/p>\n Photos and Videos:<\/strong><\/p>\n Video: here\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n