Source: Bolton Alimentari Press Release
Bolton Alimentari, the market leader in the Italian market and a major player in many other European canned tuna markets, with their brands Rio Mare and Saupiquet, has announced it will further strengthen its commitment to sustainability, continuing in the direction taken in April 2011 with the launch of the “Responsible Quality project†and the publication of the first Sustainability Report. The “Responsible Quality project†has been verified by Det Norske Veritas Italia (DNV), one of the world’s leading independent certification body that positively assessed the consistency between what Bolton Alimentari stated in the Report and values and policies implemented by the company. DNV will continue its ongoing monitoring and checking activities next years. The full document issued by DNV Business Assurance is available on www.riomare.com and www.riomare.it.
Bolton Alimentari believes important to implement a more detailed communication about concrete initiatives and efforts made by the company. With the aim of consolidating the dialogue with key stakeholders, the company presents some important new activities:
Provide more and more clear and transparent information to the consumers about the products and their origin
Since 2012 the oceans where tunas are fished will be detailed on Rio Mare packaging, in addition to the indication of the species of tuna. These data will complete the other information consumer is already able to find on the company’s website, by inserting the production code in the dedicated areas, i.e. name of the vessel that fished the tuna, geographical area, date of fishing, used fishing technique.
Sale 100% sustainable products by 2017
The aim of Bolton Alimentari is to bring on the consumer’s table tuna fished with the best sustainable methods in the industry. The company is working to achieve 100% of sustainable tuna by 2017, as a natural evolution of the objective of 45% by 2013, declared on April 2011 in the Sustainability Report. On this regard, Bolton Alimentari confirms its support to initiatives aimed at improving scientific and technical practices and methods used by the tuna fishing vessels around the world. The continuous technological progress and scientific research, combined with awareness and training of crews, are key elements to improve the sustainability and the protection of the marine ecosystem.
Strengthen the partnership with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)
ISSF, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, is a global non-profit organization of which Bolton Alimentari is an active member and founder. It brings together leading members of the international scientific community, WWF and canned fish companies, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of tuna stocks in the long term and the sustainable use of existing stocks, reducing “by catch†and promoting the protection and health of marine ecosystem.
In December 2011, ISSF launched the largest global project for the preservation of deep-sea fishing, called “Major Tuna Conservation.†This initiative involves the joint participation of WWF, Birdlife International, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), RFMOs (Regional Fisheries Management Organizations) and FAO. The “Major Tuna Conservation†will work to reduce the environmental impact of fisheries and the dissemination of best practices. For this, GEF (Global Environment Fund), the largest international organization providing funding for environmental projects, will provide $ 28 million.
In addition ISSF, constantly engaged in monitoring, surveillance and data collection on health status of tuna stocks, recently published an update of “Status of the World Fisheries for Tuna†Report. It analyzes the conditions of the 19 tuna stocks in different oceans, highlighting the best stocks and those over-exploited or at risk of over-exploitation. Bolton Alimentari meets the guidelines that emerge and their resolutions.
“We are determined to push ahead with the Responsible Quality project and we set sustainability goals increasingly integrated with the business strategy, fully respecting environment and people - says Ernesto Trovamala, CEO of Bolton Alimentari. On one hand the first results we obtained confirm the validity of our choices; on the other hand these encourage us to further intensify our efforts, conscious that only the personal commitment can effectively contribute to economical, social and environmental development of our society. We are leader in Europe and this awareness puts us in front of an even greater responsibility: the great complexity of the market and the high number of not predictable variables that impact on this process ask us to think globally, flexibly and with a long term horizonâ€.
Bolton Alimentari’s “Responsible Quality†expresses a concept of quality pursued responsibly throughout the value chain, from the moment the fish is caught until the product arrives on the table; a choice that confirms and enhances the company’s commitment over the years and points the way on which it continues its development. The specific areas in which Bolton expresses the Responsible Quality are: tuna fishing and the protection of the ecosystem, environment, respect for people, product traceability, selection and management of raw materials, analysis and controls, nutrition and wellness.