Peru, through the fishing company Austral Group, leads the certification of sustainable purchases in Latin America, with the ISO 20400 certification delivered by AENOR, which makes it the first company in the region to receive this recognition.

The certification guarantees that Austral carries out the acquisitions of its goods and services with maximum responsibility and efficiency and that it takes into account the best environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

Adriana Giudice, general manager of Austral Group, stressed the importance of implementing good sustainable practices in the value chain, encouraging suppliers to improve their operations, and thus, contribute positively to society, especially in a sector as important for the Peruvian economy as industrial fishing.

"We are proud to be the first company certified by AENOR in Latin America. We believe that this commitment not only defines us as a socially responsible company but also consolidates our relationship with suppliers. Thus, together, we guarantee a solid commercial future and sustainable fishing," Giudice said. “By being the first company in the country to obtain this certification, we have a positive impact not only within the organization but also in our sector.”

The sustainable purchasing model promoted by Austral Group allowed it to redefine the categorization of its suppliers, determine supply chain risks, and normalize and integrate ESG criteria into its purchasing process.

Likewise, thanks to this model, more than 230 Austral suppliers were evaluated, especially SMEs in the fishing sector, in order to identify their level of maturity in terms of sustainability to propose the design of the Supplier Development Plan.