A shrinking carbon footprint
Sealord’s reduction in its carbon footprint has largely been achieved through reducing fuel consumption across its fleet of deepwater fishing vessels, through frequent and robust vessel maintenance, more efficient fuel usage generally and the retirement of Sealord’s chartered vessel The Professor.
“Our carbon footprint reduction initiatives align with international science-based targets linked to the Paris Climate Agreement. Towards the end of 2023 we were exceeding these targets in our New Zealand operations, and we are on track to do so again this year,” says Doug.
While steadily reducing its footprint, Sealord acknowledge that to achieve these targets long term, it will require carbon offsets. In 2023, Sealord announced a partnership with iwi and NZ Carbon Farming, to grow a forest.
“We are investing an initial $10 million over the next 10 years to the development of a carbon offset programme, which will see underused, non-productive whenua developed into permanent native forest over the next 70 years,” Doug says.
Playing our part with plastic
Sealord has reduced the use of plastic across all arms of its operations – from its export product production lines to the cups at the staff water cooler.
Boxing tinned tuna in cardboard rather than plastic wrap has removed 20,000 kg of plastic packaging from New Zealand waste streams each year since 2021. Sealord is now planning to carve this back further by investing in automatic pallet wrappers, which can stretch plastic wrap up by to 70 per cent – meaning less is needed to secure a pallet.
Recycling is a no-brainer
Recycling is commonplace across all Sealord sites, with the company now recycling all its expired nets and batteries.
A waste management programme is also underway for vessels when they return to port and unload cargo and crew in Nelson.
“When a ship comes in is this incredibly busy period where one crew and the catch comes off, and the ship is turned around for the next crew and supplies loaded on. People are understandably tired, but we have worked waste sorting and recycling into the system so that it doesn’t feel like another task.
“And our staff feel good about it – they can tell their kids what they do in their workplaces to keep waste out of landfills,” Doug says.
Caring for freshwater as well as the salty stuff
On the Nelson site, new water-efficient showerheads have been installed to reduce freshwater use by 56 per cent.
“There’s nothing like a good shower at the end of a factory shift, or when you’ve spent a few hours unloading fish, but we can provide these without compromising sustainability efforts,” Doug says.
