Sustainability Scorecard – a simple checklist for the products on our platform.
Our sustainability scorecard helps us check off some of the things that are most important to us when it comes to seafood: species, source, process and mileage.
For now, our scorecard is simple, but over time, we hope to be able to incorporate specific milestones (e.g. certification, international best practices) for each criteria so that we can all make sure that our seafood chain is open, transparent and held to high standards.
Feel free to use this when you’re ordering at a restaurant or haggling at a wet market too!
The first criteria on our scorecard is the population of the species. Some marine animals are in high demand and/or reproduce slowly, and we need to take extra care that we are not depleting their populations. When possible, we refer to the IUCN Red List to determine the score for this section.
We tend to give higher score for farmed species as they create the least impact on the population of marine animals in the wild.
Whether farmed or wild-caught, we want to make sure that our seafood has minimal impact on the environment. We want our sources to adopt sustainable practices on the farm or boat.
For example, wild-catching in the ocean needs to comply with regulations that consider the long-term vitality and population of harvested species. There should be no exploitation of habitats, nor environmentally destructive fishing methods.
For farmed seafood, waste management is high on our list. Systems that recycle and reuse water without releasing waste to the sea get higher scores. Other considerations include the source and amount of electricity used.
We want to make sure that the process of getting our seafood from farm to fork is green, leaving minimal carbon footprint. This criteria in our scorecard takes a look at the method of processing, packaging, and electricity consumption.
Imported seafood travels a long way from farm or seabed to your plate, emitting carbon along the way. We want to reduce these hidden “food miles” by encouraging everyone to buy from your friendly neighbourhood farmers (that’s us!) when you can.
It’s important to also note that not all fish can be or should be reared locally. Fish such as Cod and Salmon need colder water than our tropical climate can provide. Cooling water for them to grow in will require a lot of electricity, which will increase carbon footprint.