June 2017: Private companies continue to announce support for Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below water) implementation. Albertsons Companies and Calysta are the latest to relay how they will help the international community meet targets on oceans. Their initiatives focus on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, in particular, and join announcements from other industry players like Dell, Adidas and the New Plastics Economy, which address marine plastic pollution.

Albertsons Companies, one of the largest US supermarket companies, announced its support for SDG 14. It joined the Seafood Task Force and signed on to the pledge on Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture, a voluntary commitment made by the private sectors, NGOs and the UN, during the UN Ocean Conference. The Seafood Task Force, a multi-stakeholder alliance that is combating human rights and environmental issues in seafood supply chains, was initially formed to address issues of forced labor, illegal fishing and human trafficking in Thailand’s seafood supply chains, and aims to serve as a model for global supply chains. Albertsons Companies has already established a Responsible Seafood Policy, which lays out standards that the top wild and farmed seafood products sold by the company are expected to meet.

Calysta, a company that produces sustainable products to improve global food security, pledged to support SDG 14 by advancing technology to promote sustainable aquaculture, which is the world’s fastest growing food production system and is increasing demand for new protein sources. Calysta produces FeedKind protein, a sustainable, traceable and natural feed ingredient that does not rely on wild fish catch. The company intends for FeedKind to meet protein demand while helping to restore fish stocks and mitigate damaging conventional fishing practices. Calysta also supports FAO’s Blue Growth Initiative, which uses market-based initiatives to increase sustainable aquaculture practices by 2020.

In addition, Dell and Adidas made commitments to reduce the impact of plastic pollution during the Oceans Conference, which convened in New York, US, from 5-9 June 2017. Dell has created the first commercial global ocean plastics supply chain, and will reuse plastic collected from beaches, coastal areas and waterways as packaging for its products. Adidas will make one million pairs of ocean plastic shoes in 2017, equivalent to 11 million plastic bottles, and five million pairs in 2018.

Leading up to the conference, a three-year initiative called the ‘New Plastics Economy’ launched a US$2 million prize for innovation in packaging to keep plastics out of the ocean. The three-year initiative supported by the Oak Foundation and The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, among others, has Core Partners including Amcor, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, MARS, Novamont, Unilever, Veolia and PepsiCo.

At the conclusion of the UN Ocean Conference, the private sector accounted for 6% or 79 of the 1,372 voluntary commitments made in the Conference Registry, according to a UN graphic. Private sector entities listed in the registry include: Baleen Filters Pty Limited; Cermaq; Dell Inc; ESRI mapping services; International Chamber of Shipping (ICS); METRO AG Wholesale & Food Specialist Company; North Atlantic, Inc./PT Bali Seafood International; Norwegian Shipowners Association; Odaku Online Servies Private Limited; Searious Business; Vulcan Inc., a Paul G. Allen Company; World Ocean Council; Xeros Technology Group; and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS). [Albertsons Companies Press Release] [Seafood Task Force] [Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture] [Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Website] [Calysta Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Voluntary Commitments for Ocean Conference] [UN Conference Webpage on Voluntary Commitments] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on the New Plastics Economy]