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Hear from these leading experts:

Sustainable seafood sourcingHow business can manage global risk and collaborate for sustainable improvements effectively

25th-26th November | Coin Street Conference Centre, London

A changing seafood industry – Debate the pressures for reform, and hear NGO perspectives on the benefits of adapting business

How business is responding – Gain insight on how leading brands and retailers build alternative business cases and learn from supplier case studies the actions and priorities that enable sustainable supply

Tackling human rights issues in seafood supply chains – How do leading companies engage with suppliers to develop collaborative action plans targeting human and labour rights issues?

Beyond certification – A critical analysis of certification and its limits: understand the benefits and challenges, and learn how to avoid classic pitfalls

Policy and its implications – Debate the effectiveness of governments in developing national and international cooperation

Countering illegal fishing: collaboration and engagement – Practical steps for your business to unite brands and their suppliers to develop sustainable practices and avoid critical supply risks

Consumer roles in driving change – How can we educate and engage consumers and relevant stakeholders to create more sustainable practices?

Lasse Gustavsson executive director Oceana

Nick Kightley category lead food and farming Ethical Trading Initiative

Toby Middleton senior country manager Marine Stewardship Council

Dr. Darian McBain group director of sustainable development Thai Union Group, Thailand

Laky Zervudachi sustainability director Direct Seafood Group

Chris Ninnes CEO Aquaculture Stewardship Council Huw Thomas fisheries and aquaculture manager WM Morrison

Ally Dingwall aquaculture and fisheries manager Sainsbury’s

Anaïs Pauwels sustainable private brand manager Delhaize Belgium

Blake Lee-Harwood communications and strategy director Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

Three things you will get from this conference:

International attendance – network with figures across the supply chain, from all around the world

Focused sessions – discuss in depth the issues that really matter to you and your peers

Candid dialogue – open discussion between companies about their experiences, successes, and off the record challenges

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As with most commodities and raw materials, there has been a steady increase in awareness and interest as to where our

seafood comes from and how it is sourced.

According to a 2014 consumer study by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), 90% of people believe ocean sustainability to be “important”, with 41% claiming to actively look for fish products that have come from a sustainable source – an increase of 5% since the MSC carried out the same survey in 2010. Clearly, more people are concerned about the state of our seas and the impact of poor fishing practices on our environment.

Yet the seafood sector has a long way to go in appeasing the increasingly demanding consumer, NGO and investment communities, which are asking more and more questions about traceability in the supply chain. While disclosure of corporate sustainability information has improved in recent years, transparency in the sector remains fairly poor.

And there is still much work to be done across the sector to ensure that seafood is sourced in a way that is both sensitive to the environment and socially responsible for the people working throughout the industry.

Social concerns

As has been highlighted by the media and by NGOs in recent years, trafficking, excessive working hours, forced labour and discrimination remains commonplace across the seafood sector, particularly at the lower tiers of supply chains. The Ethical Trading Initiative has been particularly vocal about large-scale prawn and shrimp harvesting in Thailand, pointing to “deplorable practices adopted by local industry to recruit migrant workers from neighbouring countries to work in horrific conditions”.

The NGO community will no doubt continue to keep corporates on their toes, putting pressure on big businesses to enforce best practice along their supply chains and get to grips with the numerous social and environmental issues that are putting their long-term supply viability of seafood under threat.

With ongoing clashes between the interests of big factory trawlers and small-scale fishermen (who have a tradition of fishing sustainably, but who don’t get access to the quotas)

and widespread illegal fishing (partly as a result of a lack of data tracking), big brands have a key role to play in supporting international regulators that can develop and enforce better policies and legislation at both a national and international level.

Some food brands and retailers, such as Marks & Spencer’s, Sainsbury’s and the Co-operative Group, have made positive strides in recent years – pressured by NGOs or otherwise – by working with suppliers to trace where their seafood is coming from and how they can be sure it has been harvested sustainably.

Certification overload

Communicating this story to consumers is another challenge altogether. With a plethora of certification systems and eco-labels being used – from the MSC, to Fish for Life and the RSPCA’s Freedom Food badge – consumers can be forgiven for being confused, despite their growing interest in the subject.

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative’s benchmarking tool will help in bringing some consistency and openness in connecting labelling with seafood certification programmes. But as with other sustainable commodity certification systems, such as timber or palm oil, the role of standards has been called into question. While the strictly-defined criteria set out by the likes

Sustainable seafood sourcing: managing risk and making sustainable improvements Investors, campaigners and consumers want more transparency in seafood supply chains, and companies are responding, if slowly

of MSC and Aquaculture Stewardship Council offers a useful framework for compliance and best practice, some schemes have been criticised for taking too much of a lowest common denominator approach.

However, any tools that can help shift consumer behaviour and drive more responsible sourcing throughout the sector are welcome. By educating consumers – and changing their spending patterns – real change can be brought about. But helping business develop the right motivation to turn complex product metrics into clear consumer-friendly messaging to help bring about this change is an on-going challenge.

All of these issues, challenges and opportunities will be explored extensively during the forthcoming Innovation Forum conference – Sustainable seafood sourcing: How business can manage global risk and collaborate for sustainable improvements effectively – taking place in London on 25-26th November 2015.

Speakers include:

• Lasse Gustavsson, executive director, Oceana, Europe

• Chris Ninnes, CEO, Aquaculture Stewardship Council

• Toby Middleton, senior country manager, Marine Stewardship Council

• Huw Thomas, fisheries and aquaculture manager, WM Morrison

• Ally Dingwall, aquaculture & fisheries manager, Sainsbury’s

• Anaïs Pauwels, sustainable private brand manager, Delhaize Belgium

• Sylvia Low, Hilton Group, corporate responsibility manager Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide, Singapore

• Brendan May, chairman, Robertsbridge (former CEO, MSC)

• Hyacinthe Cloarec, director global fish management, Metro AG

• Laky Zervudachi, sustainability director, Direct Seafood Group

• Lucy Blow, sustainability specialist, New England Seafood

• Guy Dean, vice president, Albion Fisheries, Canada

• Dr. Darian McBain, group director of sustainable development, Thai Union Group, Thailand

• Blake Lee-Harwood, communications and strategy director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

• Gareth Butterfield, commercial manager, Marine Harvest

• Will McCallum, head of oceans campaigns, Greenpeace UK

• Tatjana Gerling, senior manager whitefish & markets, WWF

• Dr. Dierk Peters, markets outreach associate,

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), Germany

• Sam Stone, fisheries officer,

Marine Conservation Society

• Tony Long, director, Ending Illegal Fishing Project,

The Pew Charitable Trusts 

• Nick Kightley, category lead food and farming,

Ethical Trading Initiative

• Steve Trent, executive

director, Environmental Justice Foundation

• Dr Andreina Fenech Farrugia, director, Department of Fisheries and

Aquaculture, Ministry for Sustainable Development, Malta

• Kristian Teleki, director of

global engagement, Global Ocean Commission

• Yngve Torgersen, director, Department of Fisheries

and Aquaculture, Ministry

of Industry, Trade and

Fisheries, Norway

• Agathe Grossmith,

CSR manager, Carrefour

• Peter Andrews, sustainability policy adviser,

British Retail Consortium

• Eric Enno Tamm, team

leader, This Fish, Canada

• Simon Bush, lecturer environmental policy group,

Wageningen University

• Daniel Knoop, International Programme Coordinator

Aquaculture, Solidaridad

• Lesley Sander, director sustainability metrics and performance measures,

Sodexo

• Andy Hall, international relations advisor,

SERC

• Focused debate• Senior participants• Candid dialogue

Day One: Wednesday 25th November 2015

Welcome and opening remarks

Brendan May, chairman, Robertsbridge (former CEO, MSC)

Seafood governance: The state of play

Consumers, investors and NGOs all want to see more transparency in supply chains – and the seafood industry is no different. This is, however, a significant change for a sector that has had a poor record in terms of transparency.

The increased disclosure of company sustainability data has helped improve corporate reputation for some of the big brands in the industry. But this has not been a smooth process – some more progressive companies have taken a lead; others have been reluctant, to say the least.

The international governance of the seafood industry is playing a major role – companies are now benchmarking their performance against each other, making improvements and developing industry best practice.

In this opening session, with key note speaker Lasse Gustavsson from ocean strategy specialists Oceana, we will:

• explore what the industry must do to secure a sustainable future for seafood;

• determine the most pressing risks for supply chains; and

• focus on what individual companies must do to rebuild fish stocks and restore marine biodiversity.

Lasse Gustavsson, executive director, Oceana Europe

How are retailers and big seafood firms responding? The NGO perspective

Campaigning groups have targeted the seafood sector for some time, putting pressure on the big businesses involved to comply with best practices, take account of declining stocks and the subsequent implications for long-term supply viability, and to stick to quotas. There is an apparent clash between the interests of the big factory trawlers and the small-scale fishermen – and it’s the latter that have a tradition of fishing sustainably, and supporting local economies, but who don’t get access to the quotas.

Illegal fishing is a major concern – a lack of data tracking where fish come from means that significant amounts of the global seafood supply is unregulated and without traceability. International cooperation, supported by big brands, is essential to develop effective enforcement. Better policies and implementation, at national and international levels, can help identify individual vessels and their catch. New technologies have a clear and essential role to play.

In this session, leading campaigners will explain:

• how they have seen the seafood industry adapt in the face of pressure for reform;

• their experience on how to direct, moderate and improve collaboration, transparency and traceability;

• how engagement with companies has benefits for both sides; and

• where they think activists’ focus will be next.

Will McCallum, head of oceans campaigns, Greenpeace UK

Tony Long, director, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Sam Stone, fisheries officer, Marine Conservation Society

Tatjana Gerling, senior manager whitefish & markets, WWF

Business responses to seafood risk agenda: Brands and retailers respond

Food brands and retailers have made strides in the past few years to properly develop transparency in seafood supply chains – and not just because they’ve been the targets of concerted activist campaigning. They have worked with their suppliers to trace where seafood comes from, who is catching it, and how they are ensuring it is being harvested sustainably.

Thanks to effective campaigning that’s enjoyed a high media profile, seafood’s consumers are well informed and, to a higher degree than most other sectors, engaged with the sustainability debate. Leading retailers now report annually on the fisheries that supply them, the management practices in place that ensure transparency and best practices, environmental impacts, and relevant certification and verification. They are also developing the role of aquaculture practices in producing their seafood products – which is providing a rapidly increasing proportion of what’s on the shelves.

In this session we will examine how leading retailers have recognised the essential benefits of sustainable seafood supply; the business case for working with suppliers to ensure that the seafood consumers want is not only available now but also secured for the future, and how to develop effective partnerships in the supply chain, and with NGOs and other relevant stakeholders.

Anais Pauwels, sustainable private brand manager, Delhaize Belgium

Ally Dingwall, aquaculture and fisheries manager, Sainsbury’s

Sylvia Low, Hilton Group, corporate responsibility manager Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide, Singapore

Agathe Grossmith, CSR manager, Carrefour

The supplier perspective – actions and priorities that ensure sustainable supply. Corporate case studies

In this session we will engage with major seafood suppliers that are committed to providing their customers with sustainable fish and shellfish – including certified products when and where appropriate.

Seafood suppliers have the challenge themselves of engaging their own supply chain to find solutions for transparency and traceability, and developing clear visibility on where seafood is sourced from. Retailers also require this data to monitor and measure improvements, but mainly to enable them track their products from source to market.

This all requires significant education as end suppliers learn to deal with changing customer requirements – and we’ll find out how international suppliers engage with customers and all their sourcing partners.

Laky Zervudachi, sustainability director, Direct Seafood Group

Dr Darian McBain, group director of sustainable development, Thai Union Frozen Products

Gareth Butterfield, commercial manager, Marine Harvest

Lucy Blow, sustainability specialist, New England Seafood

Has – and can – certification deliver for sustainable seafood?

The pros and cons of certification and eco-label schemes has become one of the most hotly debated sustainable supply chain issues. While there are clear benefits from certification schemes that have strictly defined criteria and a transparent compliance process, many schemes have been criticised for taking too much of a lowest common denominator approach.

In this session, seafood certification experts will explain how effective schemes for the sector are avoiding the classic certification pitfalls, the benefits for fisheries and their stakeholders of achieving certified-sustainable status and what they mean for consumer-facing brands and retailers.

We will have critical commentary on what certification schemes do well, and less well, from a senior fishery manager, who will give his on-the-ground experience of implementing schemes, the challenges involved and the benefits he has seen for his business.

Chris Ninnes, CEO, Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Toby Middleton, senior country manager, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

Simon Bush, lecturer environmental policy group, Wageningen University

With commentary from: Guy Dean, vice president, Albion Fisheries

Aquaculture and sustainability – can it deliver?

As the global demand for seafood continues to grow, and wild stocks dwindle through over-exploitation, the lure of farming fish and shellfish is increasing. While farmed fish can, of course, help preserve ocean eco-systems, aquaculture processes can themselves be resource-heavy and environmentally damaging, particularly at a local level.

This session will explore the future of aquaculture, and how the industry is meeting these challenges. We will examine the impact from introduction of new innovative technologies and debate how best practices are effectively implemented.

• How is the aquaculture industry developing sustainable processes that maximise growth rates and minimise production costs in order to meet the increasing demand for fish and shellfish?

• What is the effect of this demand on natural stocks and how can regulation ensure their long-term future?

• Where are the key challenges for aquaculture in minimising environmental impacts?

• How can aquaculture provide a properly sustainable solution to consumer demand for seafood?

Chris Ninnes, CEO, Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Huw Thomas, fisheries and aquaculture manager, WM Morrison

Daniel Knoop, international programme coordinator aquaculture, Solidaridad

With commentary from: Lasse Gustavsson, executive director, Oceana Europe

Day One: Wednesday 25th November 2015

Support independent debate and progress

Innovation Forum are looking for a small number of partners to work with to push forward the agenda to make the seafood industry more sustainable. The conference along with our publishing of analysis and briefings on the subject provide the perfect platform to promote debate, innovation and action in the attempt to improve practices in corporate supply chain.

Three key facts:

1. Promote innovation and action amongst a room filled with your peers and wider stakeholders

2. Highlight your extensive, leading work in front of industry media, peers, NGOs, suppliers and government

3. Build relationships with key organisations to help promote action through collaboration

If you are interested in supporting independent debate around sustainability, get in touch to discuss partnership opportunities:

lea.vavrik@innovation-forum.co.uk | + 44 (0) 20 3780 7435

Day Two: Thursday 26th November 2015

Human rights and forced labour: seafood supply chains at risk

The supply of some seafood – such as large scale prawn and shrimp harvesting in southeast Asia – has been affected with serious labour rights issues, including trafficking, forced labour and dangerous working practices. These in turn impact the long-term viability of the supply chain for brands and retailers.

There are challenges for buyers to spread knowledge among relevant stakeholders and build capacity with suppliers to eliminate unsustainable labour practices.

This session will set the scene and specifically address how businesses are currently tackling issues to improve working conditions:

• Andy Hall, human rights activist in Thailand, will offer his on-ground experience to illuminate the reality and severity of Human rights issues in supply chains.

• Ethical Trading Initiative’s Nick Kightley will explain how the ETI’s base code can help companies engage their suppliers and develop key target and collaborative action plans.

• Steve Trent from the Environmental Justice Foundation will highlight the nexus between IUU fishing in Thailand and human rights issues.

Andy Hall, international relations advisor, SERC

Nick Kightley, category lead, food and farming, Ethical Trading Initiative

Steve Trent, executive director, Environmental Justice Foundation

How policy can drive marine sustainability – national and international cooperation

A number of high profile campaigns – such as chef and environmentalist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight in the UK – have highlighted some negative consequences of operating quota systems for fish and shellfish catches. However well-meaning the regulations are, their conservation aims can be undermined and diverted by problems including by-catch discarding and arguments over quota distribution.

Quotas also encourage, inevitably, an increase in illegal fishing as fishermen struggle to find ways to maintain income and a sustainable livelihood.

However, some politicians and administrators at regional, national and international levels do seem determined to achieve the balance between having a viable fishing industry, supplying the seafood that the global market desires, and maintaining wild stocks for the long-term.

In this session, we will address:

• The intricacies and apparent illogicality in quota systems – and, on the other hand, what they try to achieve.

• At the EU level, the challenges of agreeing quotas between member governments – how the competing interests can be best aligned.

• How local small-scale fishing boats can be encouraged and enabled to compete with the factory trawlers.

Dr Andreina Fenech Farrugia, director, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry for Sustainable Development, Malta

Yngve Torgersen, director, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Fisheries, Norway

Kristian Teleki, director of global engagement, Global Ocean Commission

Supply chain collaboration – the challenges from working with NGOs and other corporate stakeholders to drive sustainable change

To date much of the pressure for developing sustainable practices in the seafood industry has come from the activist NGO community. There is a growing movement within the industry that recognises the need for business engagement, and cooperation along the supply chain, if long-term sustainability is to be achieved.

In this session we will engage with seafood industry experts, and debate how companies at each stage of the seafood supply chain can best work together – with NGO partners when appropriate – focusing on developing collaboration and transparency to drive the required change.

We will also consider the risks of illegal, unreported and unregulated fish entering supply chains, and how to counter this – taking as a case study the impending ban on Thai products through the EU’s IUU regulations.

Guy Dean, vice president, Albion Fisheries

Peter Andrews, sustainability policy adviser, British Retail Consortium

Dr. Dierk Peters, markets outreach associate, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Germany

Blake Lee-Harwood, communications and strategy director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

Corporate case studies: Q&A panels – Leading by example

In these two moderated sessions leading retailers and suppliers, such as Metro AG and Thai Union Group, will talk about their work and experience in the seafood industry.

Day Two: Thursday 26th November 2015

Closing discussion: can consumers REALLY drive the sustainable fish agenda? Or is it down to business to make the necessary changes?

The impact of consumer engagement is one of the sustainable business movement’s most-debated topics. Some will argue that it’s only through education of customers – and resulting changes in their spending patterns – that real change towards a sustainable economy will be made. Others say that only corporate policy change, such as introducing minimum standards for products, is effective.

Either way, customers are hungry for information about products and their sustainability – so what do brands need to do to turn potentially complex product metrics into clear consumer-friendly messaging?

In this final session, we will draw together some of the arguments from the two days of debate, by looking at how seafood brands, and their suppliers, can work together to develop more sustainable practices and also engage consumers and relevant stakeholders.

Will McCallum, head of oceans campaigns, Greenpeace UK

Eric Enno Tamm, team leader, This Fish

Sylvia Low, Hilton Group, corporate responsibility manager Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide, Singapore

Lesley Sander, director sustainability metrics and performance measures, Sodexo

Key questions you may be asking

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?Who will be in the room? We will be hosting a truly international group, with senior executives representing large corporations from supply chain, sourcing, sustainability, public and corporate affairs, and communications job functions. Seafood and marine conservation NGOs, and certification bodies who can help you make a real difference will also be present. Experts from academic, governmental and science areas will be providing you with their expert knowledge. A minimum of 80% of attendees are corporate practitioners and key NGOs to ensure the conference delivers maximum value – and maximum action, allowing you to network with all key players from across the whole industry.

Is it just another talking shop? Will there be outcomes?The conference is specifically designed to promote action by providing the practical tools necessary to implement more sustainable practices. By bringing together an intimate group of corporate practitioners and seafood and marine conservation advocates, the conference provides a strong platform for delegates to take away actionable insight that can be implemented from the first day back on the office.

This conference will be our first of an ongoing series of annual events revolving around sustainability in the seafood industry. As for our other conferences, we will complement our events with insightful reporting and analysis.

Why will this event be different from others? While all event organisers like to tell you they are different and unique, we can tell you a few things about our approach, and you can decide for yourself if we’re worth your attention. The people behind Innovation Forum are experienced in the field of sustainable business. We’re very clear that we’re in this space for the long term, and we want to create an event that discusses the trends, debates the issues, connects key players and most importantly – drives change.

We are seeking to also host this event elsewhere in the world in the coming 12 months, and your support of this event helps us spread the word about solutions to the seafood sustainability problem.

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Download our reports for freeThe management briefing that complements this event has been put together as a result of cross-industry research with leading experts in the field. The report covers the current state of play in the industry as well as assessing and analysing some practical steps companies can take, and the challenges/opportunities that will result. The report is a useful tool in itself, but also works well to set the scene for discussion at the conference.

Make sure to download your copy for free from www.innovation-forum.co.uk/sustainable-seafood-sourcing

Sustainable seafood sourcingHow business can manage global risk and collaboratefor sustainable improvements effectively

25th-26th November | Coin Street Conference Centre, London

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If you're interested in any of these events, please do get in touch:Oliver Bamford | Tel +44 (0) 20 3780 7431 | oliver.bamford@innovation.forum.co.uk | www.innovation-forum.co.uk

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