The global consumer’s spending power may have weakened but, if media reports are to be believed, his interest in ‘green’ practice and collaboration stands robust. For a steadily growing number of consumers around the world, one item on the shopping list dictates the choice of all the others: a healthier planet.
Recent media and consumer campaigns warn that after climate change overfishing is the most serious environmental concern facing us today. Sustainable seafood is seafood from either fished or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was retrieved. And its achievement represents a real concern for fisheries, supply lines, retailers, and consumers.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is one of several international non-profit groups that address seafood sustainability. The organisation has a certification programme for consumer seafood products, and lists certified products on its website. Against the backdrop of a markedly strengthening sustainable seafood movement in South Africa, the MCS’s eco-label is expanding its reach in the local market. The eco-label, underwritten by a thorough, independent and science-based assessment process, takes the guesswork out of sustainable buying.
As the central manufacturer-consumer go-between, the retailer holds a unique ability to push the adoption of environmental ethics full circle. Woolworths is doing just that. The retailer recently became the first South African retail chain to offer MSC products from a variety of fisheries. An extension of the Woolworths Sustainable Seafood Policy, the move demonstrates the retailer’s commitment and practical contribution to the preservation of marine biodiversity, and represents another milestone in the steady enactment of its highly publicised Good business journey. The MSC eco-labels’ physical extension of the policy to the point-of-purchase is expected to increase consumer awareness and prompt responsible purchase decisions.
An exciting addition to the Kraft Foods biscuit category
1 comment:
"Recent media and consumer campaigns warn that after climate change overfishing is the most serious environmental concern facing us today"
I would love to see the source of this claim.
Very interesting, thanks!
William Wall
www.fishwise.org/blog
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