In 2016, we signed a partnership with WWF® Italia and WWF® International designed to improve the sustainability of our procurement activities for the Rio Mare, Palmera, and Saupiquet brands. As a result of this, by 2020 70% of all tuna used by these brands came from responsible fishing practices. Last year, we included all brands in the Food Business Unit in the boundary of analysis for our sustainability commitments.

In Spain, our ISABEL brand became the first brand in the world to sell exclusively tuna products with the APR (Atun de Pesca Responsable – Responsibly Caught Tuna) label. Issued by AENOR, Spain’s product certification organisation, the certification is a way for us to communicate our commitments to consumers. APR certification guarantees the implementation of binding standards in fishing activities, food safety, and social/labour conditions in the supply chain. On the French market, Saupiquet launched the Équitable tuna line, which has both MSC and Fair Trade environmental and labour certifications.

We’ve continued to strive to meet the objectives we agreed with Greenpeace, with whom we’ve been collaborating for a number of years. The objective is for our Rio Mare, Saupiquet and Palmera brands to be using 50% tuna from low environmental impact fishing practices within the two-year period. Suitable techniques include handline and pole and line, while the agreement also includes specific limitations on the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) by our fish suppliers. FADs are rafts or buoys equipped with transceivers, which are placed in the water a few days before fishing is due to take place, in order to attract large shoals of fish.