Saving Seafood

GSSI working to benchmark social compliance; welcomes new members

May 18, 2018 — The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) is collaborating with the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative in order to create a benchmark and recognition tool for social compliance schemes in the global seafood sector.

The Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) provides auditing and certification of sustainability criteria, with a focus on social issues. It is operated by the Consumer Goods Forum, an industry network encouraging the global adoption of practices and standards for the production of consumer goods.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the CGF’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative on such an important initiative for the industry. Addressing social compliance has long been on the horizon for GSSI and to do this now with the CGF will deliver great value to the seafood industry,” GSSI Managing Director Herman Wisse said. “Utilizing GSSI’s global partnership to support the development of the SSCI Benchmark Tool for social compliance schemes brings us one step closer to our vision of more sustainable seafood for everyone.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

GSSI’s Accomplishments, Challenges Take Center Stage at SeaWeb Seafood Summit Panel

SEATTLE (Saving Seafood) – June 7, 2017 – The Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI) was established in 2013 as a collective, non-competitive approach for industry, NGOs, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and government agencies to address growing confusion in the seafood certification landscape. Over the last four years, they have achieved considerable success in addressing this goal.

At Tuesday’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit panel, “GSSI – Benchmarking and the Certification Landscape,” members of the GSSI Steering Board (Bill DiMento, High Liner Foods; Lesley Sander, Sodexo; Ron Rogness, American Seafoods; Andrea Weber, METRO AG; and Herman Wisse, GSSI Program Director) shared their perspectives on the initiative’s importance, the extent to which the GSSI has already been recognized, and the GSSI’s future.

The GSSI’s most important achievement is the completion of the Global Benchmark Tool in October 2015. This was designed and implemented through broad participation and consultation; engaging stakeholders, NGOs, scientists, managers, harvesters, seafood suppliers, and consumers; and creating a public/private partnership with FAO. Through this unique relationship with FAO, the Benchmarking Tool has been developed in close conformance to the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

Success to date can be measured in two ways: use of the Benchmarking Tool to recognize existing certification schemes, and adoption of the GSSI standard by producers, processors, suppliers, and consumers. Three certification schemes have already successfully completed the benchmarking process: the Marine Stewardship Council, Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM), and Iceland RFM. Additionally, two aquaculture certification schemes are currently being benchmarked. Thus, use of the Benchmarking Tool is already demonstrating noteworthy success.

Adoption and recognition of the GSSI standard is also showing considerable success. Large and small organizations in all sectors are joining the initiative with an increasing number of substantive commitments to source seafood under the GSSI hallmark. The recently announced commitment by the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to endorse the GSSI standard for seafood served during the games is a significant endorsement.

The panel session was very well attended, as panelists communicated the GSSI concept, the remarkable amount of work that has been done to develop and implement the Benchmarking Tool, and its successful application. Panelists also shared their enthusiasm for GSSI, and the potential for GSSI to promote more sustainable seafood across the industry.