As part of the new fish feed contract for the next two years, Salmones Camanchaca signed an agreement with BioMar and Skretting to advance steadily, proactively and progressively in the management of environmental and social risks associated with its value chain.
“Sustainability is one of the pillars of creating value for our company and this year we have continued to advance in line with the goals of our model, which identifies very specific objectives and action plans, such as the agreement we signed with our feed suppliers,” said Manuel Arriagada, general manager of Salmones Camanchaca. “Customers expect their suppliers to adopt better standards and goals, such as implement initiatives that demonstrably contribute to minimizing their social and environmental impacts.”
Alfredo Tello, sustainability manager at Salmones Camanchaca, said that “feed production is a significant component of the social and environmental footprint of salmon farming, due to the diversity of raw materials and supply chains involved in its production. To actively contribute to the sustainable development of salmon farming, it is essential to work in alliance with our feed suppliers, and this commitment is a great step towards that path.”
Trygve Berg Lea, director of Sustainability at Skretting Global, said that “we are committed to achieving the sustainability goals of each of our clients. Through our parent company, Nutreco, Skretting has made a worldwide commitment to establish the so-called Science Based Targets, which allow reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Added to this action is the recent agreement signed by Skretting Chile for the supply of 100% renewable energy, as well as other initiatives on health and well-being, climate, circularity and good citizenship, that allow us to accompany Camanchaca in its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025.”
Ronald Barlow, general manager of Skretting Chile, added that “our operations have internal processes that seek to reduce the use of water and fuels, in addition to focusing on the reduction and reuse of materials such as plastic and pallets, by monitoring our CO2 emissions and our carbon footprint, indicators that we report periodically to our headquarters in Norway. In this area, we have a significant investment planned for 2021, which will allow us to optimize the use of thermal energy based on alternative sources. All these initiatives seek to reduce our impact on the environment, demonstrating our commitment and our role within the supply chain of the global aquaculture industry.”
On behalf of the BioMar Group, the global sustainability director, Vidar Gundersen, said that “we have been analyzing the life cycle of our feed for several years, allowing us to make well-informed sourcing decisions. We are proud to advance alongside companies like Salmones Camanchaca on this journey towards sustainability, committed not only to vital goals such as greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication and a deforestation-free supply chain but also to the incorporation of alternative raw materials.”
Likewise, general manager of BioMar Chile, Eduardo Hagedorn, expressed his interest in continuing to advance hand-in-hand with Salmones Camanchaca “through our BioSustainTM program. We work on the control and optimization of sustainability, allowing our clients and ourselves to make informed decisions in this regard. Without a doubt, we will move forward aligned with Salmones Camanchaca and we will continue to search together for the best solutions for the sustainable development of our sector.”
The agreement
The initiative, a pioneer in the local industry, establishes that in the first quarter of 2021, both companies will present a plan according to four specific objectives:
- Provide diets whose raw materials have not contributed to the deforestation of native forests, in any geographical area of the planet.
- Set greenhouse gas reduction goals, according to the guidelines of the Science Based Targets initiative.
- Use 100% renewable energy.
- Implement the Life Cycle Analysis methodology, so that the ingredients used in fish diets can be chosen based on their lower impact on the environment.
For proper implementation, Skretting and Biomar must indicate goals, deadlines and KPIs, in addition to attaching accreditations if applicable.
