The Marine Stewardship Council released its annual report, outlining some of the organization’s current and future plans and showcasing the growing consumer awareness of seafood sustainability around the world.
Titled Working together for thriving oceans, the report highlights key statistics and the growing pool of MSC-certified seafood available to consumers. For the first time, over one million tons of MSC certified sustainable seafood was sold, and 15 percent of the global marine catch is now recognized as sustainable by the MSC.
The model, 22 years on, is undoubtedly working, MSC CEO Rupert Howes told SeafoodSource. People tend to make the right choice if they’re given the right information, and that’s what MSC is trying to do.
The MSC’s core philosophy of utilizing market forces to increase sustainability, Howes said, has been proven to be effective as more and more consumers recognize the importance of eating sustainable seafood and are willing to seek it out. Any additional costs sustainability requires to producers, he added, are well worth it in the long run.
There are costs involved, but any review of cost has to be looked at in terms of the benefits they can bring, Howes said.
Since 2008, the number of products available with the MSC label has grown from just over 1,000 to over 37,000, and an estimated USD 9.1 billion (EUR 8.2 billion) was spent on seafood with the MSC label, according to the report.
The report highlighted that consumer awareness of sustainability has increased, according to a GlobeScan survey of 25,000 consumers across the world the MSC commissioned in 2018. The survey showed 83 percent of seafood consumers agreed with the need to protect seafood for future generations, and that 41 percent of consumers recognize the blue MSC label.
The report also highlighted four emerging markets: China, Japan, Italy, and Poland. China, the world’s largest consumer of seafood, is an important target for the organization, the report states.
2019 Diversified Communications