Dec 14th, 2023
On 10 December, the international community pauses to reflect upon Human Rights Day and recommit to guaranteeing the rights which are inherent to all individuals, regardless of “nationality, residence, sex, ethnic origin, language or any other status.”
Demand for protein sources is predicted to nearly double by 2050. While producing enough food to feed the growing world is a significant challenge, doing so sustainably is an even bigger challenge, with the global food system currently accounting for one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
At the UN Climate Conference in Dubai, COP28, we witnessed a pivotal moment in addressing this issue with an increased focus on blue foods as a potential solution. Blue foods – seafood and other aquatic products – are not only vital for nutritional security but also can have a lower carbon footprint compared to terrestrial animal protein sources.
The role of blue foods was further brought into focus with the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, which included an objective to shift away from higher greenhouse gas-emitting practices to production practices that are more sustainable, including promoting sustainable aquatic blue foods.
Thai Union Group Chief Sustainability Officer Adam Brennan attended COP28 where he emphasized the significant role of blue foods in meeting the dual challenges of rising global protein demand and the need for decarbonization of the world’s food systems. On a panel discussion on Blue Foods for Sustainable Food Systems hosted by the UN Global Compact, he discussed Thai Union’s plans to decarbonize its supply chain to align with the 1.5°C set by the Paris Agreement. Thai Union is the first global seafood processor in the world to set 1.5°C aligned short-term and long-term goals verified by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi).
Thai Union’s SeaChange® 2030 sustainability strategy also commits to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent by 2030 and net zero by 2050; to ensure that 100 percent of Thai Union’s shrimp is produced minimizing ecosystem impact; will contribute THB 250 million (more than USD 7 million) toward the protection and restoration of critical ecosystems; will ensure that 100 percent of soy and palm oil is certified, ensuring zero deforestation across its supply chain; and will implement zero water discharge, zero waste to landfill and zero food loss at its five key global facilities.
At COP28, Thai Union also took another significant stride in its sustainability journey by becoming a signatory to two pivotal environmental initiatives: Ocean Breakthroughs and Transforming our Food Systems. These commitments reflect Thai Union’s dedication to sustainable practices and responsible stewardship of the planet’s resources.
The Ocean Breakthroughs initiative, led by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, focuses on unlocking the ocean’s potential to contribute up to 35 percent of the required GHG emissions reductions by 2050. This ambitious project calls on governments to develop and implement Sustainable Ocean Plans by 2030. These plans are a framework for ocean-related governance, balancing climate considerations, marine ecosystem protection, and economic development. They foster cooperation among ocean users and outline policies and mechanisms for the sustainable utilization of ocean resources.
The Transforming our Food Systems initiative addresses the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable practices in global food and agriculture. It aims for a resilient, fair, and sustainable transformation of food systems, ensuring food and nutrition security while reducing the environmental impact of these systems.
During COP28, Adam also joined a panel discussing the importance of protecting the world’s ocean, which also included Ambassador Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, and H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28.
Thai Union Group’s commitments at COP28 mark a significant milestone in the global effort to combat climate change and promote sustainable food systems. The Ocean Breakthroughs and Transforming our Food Systems initiatives, coupled with Thai Union’s SeaChange® 2030 strategy, demonstrate the Company’s serious responsibility as a leader in the seafood industry. These efforts contribute significantly to a sustainable future where oceans continue to sustain life and livelihoods globally.
Human rights also include certain workers’ rights, such as the fight to fair and just working conditions and the prohibition of slavery. As such, businesses are critical actors who have the ability to support the protection of these rights by ensuring their operations to not undermine or violate them through the provision of effective and sustainable action.
However, solutions can be fraught with challenges given the often complex nature of a company’s supply chain. The supply chain is the system by which a product or service makes its way from a supplier to a customer, and can involve various people, activities and organizations. The supply chain becomes more complex the larger it becomes and due to the increasingly globalized nature of the world, global companies operations are often scattered around the world. Generally, this development has benefited many people: almost one billion people have been lifted out of poverty thanks to the generation of jobs in manufacturing, farming, fishing and other industries.
However, these larger supply chains also pose a risk, as without due diligence and transparent measures, it is possible for forced labor practices and human rights violations to be hidden within the complex chain.
Public scrutiny has brought new attention to these challenges, and discussions have moved towards best practices to ensure responsible procurement. A foundational framework advocated by the United Nations is the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights, more commonly referred to as the Ruggie Principles. It highlights the need for companies to show how they are identifying, managing and mitigating the risk of human rights violations across their supply chains.
Building on this, countries have started to implement their own reporting requirements for companies over a particular size. In 2015, the United Kingdom passed the Modern Slavery Act which requires commercial organizations with a turnover of 36mn or more to publicly disclose the steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains and businesses. The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act similarly demands companies with worldwide revenues to report on specific actions taken to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from its direct supply chain for the goods offered for sale.
The legislation works by “peer pressure”, pushing organizations to conduct due diligence and consider the risks their operations could pose to human rights. Governance experts have commented that while there is no legal requirement for companies to take action, pressure will come from a need to avoid reputational damage and to show stakeholders how they are combatting these acknowledged risks.
Legislation, along with other initiatives such as traceability, provide a transparent channel to look at how a company working to combat unethical and unsustainable practices. Compliance is demonstrative of commitment to protect the human rights of those who work for them. Additionally, it offers stakeholders a way to hold companies accountable to previously made promises, enhancing trust between consumers and a corporation as publically available statements make it easy to see who is making the right moves. It also provides the opportunity for companies to engage in dialogue and learn from others in their industry to better understand which practices are the most effective and how to implement them on a large scale.
Legislation should be seen as an important part of the journey towards the successful eradication of practices such as forced labor, and should be supported as such.