Executive vice-president for aquaculture business at CP Foods Pairoj Apiruknusit has said that the company, as a leading company in food businesses, has recognised the urgency of the ocean waste problem which severely threatened the marine ecosystem, the key source of the worlds food security
To tackle such a global issue, the company has continued to drive the sustainability of the aquaculture production chain that is socially responsible and environmentally conscious. The company is collaborating with multiple agencies across the world in a bid to protect the global marine environment by ensuring food security.
The company has worked with the Thai Sustainable Fisheries Roundtable (TSFR) to improve and develop sustainable trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand, the source of raw materials for the production of fishmeal. CP Foods has sourced fishmeal and promoted sustainable fishmeal acquisition through the Fishery Improver Project (FIP) by setting up the Fishery Action Plan (FAP) of the project.
The action plan has been accepted into the MarinTrust Improver Programme for improving and developing fisheries since 2020 according to the requirements of the MarinTrust standard; the Multi-species Assessment Methodology. The project is the world's first which serves as the standard that prevents, combats, and eliminates illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU Fishing).
CP Foods said it also joined the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship or SeaBOS, a global collaboration consisting of leading seafood companies from around the world and a group of researchers for the conservation of ecosystems and sustainable production of quality seafood.
In addition, the company co-founded the Songkhla Fisherman Life Enhancement Center (FLEC) since 2015 with the goal of improving the quality of life of fishermen and their families, eliminating all forms of illegal labor in the fishing industry. In the second phase (2021-2025), FLEC Songkhla has further enhanced the participation of fishers in marine waste management in the Gulf of Thailand.
The company has raised awareness on the plastic waste problem among fishermen and encouraged them to reduce the ocean waste and take back all litters from fishing activities to shore. It is also working on a pilot project to produce T-shirts from PET plastic bottles for the second year in a row to distribute to employees.
In 2021, approximately 500 T-shirts from 7,900 bottles (over 120 kg) were produced from PET bottles. This is equal to planting 90 trees. This year, T-the company will continue to support this upcycling project.
The company has also implemented the CPF Grow-Share-Protect Mangrove Forestation Project in areas in which great importance has been placed on the study of aquatic biodiversity.
In addition, under the mangrove forest strategy, the company initiated the marine waste trap project by launching a pilot at Bang Ya Phraek Subdistrict, Samut Sakhon Province in Thailand, to create the participation of civil society in the management of marine debris, develop an appropriate and efficient marine debris management model, provide added value for marine debris, protect and restore ecosystems, and enrich marine and coastal biodiversity.
