Princes meets 100% goal

At the same time, its Austrian Vier Diamanten brand was sourced principally from FAD-free and pole-and-line fisheries.

In 2018, Princes announced its ambition to only purchase responsibly sourced tuna for all its brands from fisheries that are either already MSC-certified, engaged in a FIP that is working towards MSC certification, or from verified and well-managed FAD-free or pole-and-line sources.

Princes Group Director for Seafood, Neil Bohannon, said the business applied itself fully across all areas of its tuna sourcing to reach its target.

“This has been achieved despite the significant supply chain pressures that businesses across the industry are continuing to face during this turbulent time, as a result of the pandemic.”

Bohannon added, “This has not been a short or simple journey, but it is a testament to what can be achieved through close collaboration with suppliers, hard work and a firm commitment to driving sustainability. Our efforts now turn to continuing to uphold this pledge, to support the continuous improvement and long-term sustainability of tuna fisheries.”

Princes said that it works closely with suppliers to encourage improvement and FIP participation as well as playing an active role in advocacy through the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) and the Tuna Protection Alliance (TUPA) to improve tuna sustainability.

In 2019, it was one of the founding partners of Senegal pole-and-line tuna FIP in Senegal. This followed its investment as a founding member of the Sustainable Indian Ocean Tuna Initiative (SIOTI), a partnership of tuna processors, vessel owners, government agencies and WWF to help the purse-seine fishery in the region meet MSC sustainability standards.

Its two tuna processing sites in Mauritius are MSC Chain of Custody certified and both hold SA8000 certification for social accountability.