A moral duty
Sustainability put front and centre of Bakkafrost’s operations
IT came as no surprise when egin Jacobsen, C of Bakkafrost, was appointed co-chairman of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) a few weeks ago. His company’s philosophy on sustainable aquaculture has always run parallel with that of the GSI, an organisation which is publicly committed to minimising the industry’s environmental footprint. As he said on appointment last month: ‘We are all facing the huge challenges which continue to emerge on climate, biodiversity and food security’.
In fact this has been part of the Faroese salmon farmer’s DEA long before it became fashionable.
His late father Hans had a vision to create a shared value for society when he and his two brothers founded Bakkafrost 52 years ago. Back then, of course, terms such as sustainability and climate change were often derided, usually only whispered as being a serious threat to the world among a few small scientific circles.
Today, it is at the very heart of his business. The company believes a rapidly growing global population, coupled with an ever increasing demand for protein is putting unprecedented pressure on the planet.
The challenge to produce more food efficiently and sustainably is one aquaculture is stepping up to meet. As the largest salmon farmer in the Faroe Islands, Bakkafrost believes it has a moral duty to ensure it does this responsibly; and this means thinking long-term on economic, social and environmental issues.
The company has pledged a 50 per cent cut in carbon emission over the next decade, with work on that goal well underway. It has also produced its own Healthy Living Plan.
Jacobsen told Fish Farmer Dagazine he is happy with progress since his sustainability plan was first launched:
‘We’ve made great strides certifying our farms to the best-practice Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard.
‘We doubled our number of certified farms last year and we are positive we will meet our commitment to the Global Salmon Initiative to have all sites in the Faroe Islands certified by the end of 2020.
‘Working with customers to promote ASC in Asia has also been a highlight for us. Fish health and welfare remains a top priority for us and, through large investments in biosecurity, we’ve managed to significantly improve salmon survival rate in 2019. ‘
The company has constructed the Faroe Islands’ first waste-to-power biogas plant which came into operation last month.
It converts waste from salmon and dairy farms and will save more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, while providing enough power for almost 2,000 homes. ‘This will have considerable local impact,’ said jacobsen.
The sustainability message runs through the company like a seaside town’s name on a stick of rock. The C said:
‘I think one of the most meaningful measures of success for us in the past year was how employees responded when we asked them to rate us on our approach to sustainability, in our first company survey.
‘They not only felt we were taking responsibility for our role in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but they also felt they had a good understanding of how they could contribute in their roles.
‘Having sustainability embedded into our culture is a must if we are to be fit for the future.’
Last year Bakkafrost surprised a few people when it swooped for the Scottish Salmon Company, regarded within the industry as a highly valued prize.
That too will soon oin the sustainability programme, although full details have yet to be worked out. The company would only say at this stage:
‘We will be working very closely with Scottish operations to integrate our sustainability policy and strategy and we see lots of opportunities for learning from both sides.
‘We are ahead in many areas but we can also learn from them on others. Nothing has been announced yet but more information will be included
“We are all facing the huge challenges which continue to emerge on climate, biodiversity and food security”
in the next sustainability report in arch.’
Jacobsen also said in a recent report
‘One of our main priorities will of course be the integration of the Scottish Salmon Company into Bakkafrost, and we are looking forward to sharing best practice in addressing the common challenges shared by us, such as improving fish health and welfare and minimising environmental impacts.
‘We will be looking at how we can best deliver this updated sustainability strategy with maximum impact.’
The eco message is integrated into virtually everything the company does. In June the inister of Nordic Collaboration, Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen, and egin Jacobsen signed an intent to facilitate a competition to build a new eco-friendly workboat.
The project was initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the overnment of the Faroe Islands and the goal is to discover new green solutions for remote locations, with Bakkafrost participating in the project.
It was a similar message when earlier this year the company ordered a new carbon friendly wellboat capable of containing , tonnes of salmon.
Designed by the leading Danish company, Knud E. Hansen, it will be equipped with special battery storage systems, making energy consumption optimal at all times. It will also be capable of producing fresh water from seawater to use in de-licing operations.
Like many island communities, the Faroes has a deeply ingrained spirit of resourcefulness which has influenced the company’s approach to community investment, job creation and the care it takes of its people. But there has also been growing interest from both customers and investors.
Aquaculture provides one of the lowest carbon animal proteins in the world. Those who work in the industry know that, but it is a message that doesn’t always get out to the rest of a sometimes sceptical world.
The company believes that by planning sensibly it can play a critical role in improving nutrition for an ever growing population along with better fish health and a lower carbon footprint.
The pressure is clearly on. In short, Bakkafrost views a more sustainable approach to fish farming as a no-brainer for any company which wants to be successful in the future.