SeaBOS connects the world’s seafood companies with scientists to transform industry sustainability (Part 2)
INTERVIEW
Thai Union is the world’s largest canned tuna manufacturer. It has production bases and distribution networks in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, operating well-known brands in these regions. In 2016, Thai Union launched the SeaChange® sustainability initiative in response to challenges within the tuna supply chain. Since 2021, they have consistently ranked top in the Seafood Stewardship Index, which evaluates the most influential 30 global seafood companies according to the World Benchmarking Alliance. Let’s hear more about the situation from Adam Brennan, the head of Thai Union’s sustainability efforts.
Adam Brennan
Adam Brennan is Thai Union’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and a member of its Global Leadership Team. He spearheads the development and implementation of the global sustainability strategy “SeaChange® 2030”. Before joining Thai Union, he held sustainability management roles in Asia at Puma, Saitex, and C&A, among others. He graduated from Harper Adams University and earned a master’s degree in Renewable Energy: Technology and Sustainability at the University of Reading.
–I heard you were in the fashion industry before joining Thai Union. That’s quite a bold career change.
I joined this company in the autumn of 2021. Before that, I worked in the fashion industry for over 10 years, mainly in shoes and apparel.
To understand my career change, it might help to know about my childhood. I was born in the UK but left when I was 10. I grew up moving around Southeast Asia, living in Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Around the early 90s, many international companies relocated their production bases to developing countries. As someone living in those countries, I witnessed firsthand the issues caused by factory relocations.
Naturally, my interest turned towards social and environmental issues from there. I returned to the UK for university, and since sustainability has always been at the forefront of my interests, I pursued it both in my undergraduate and master’s studies.
After that, I returned to Asia to apply what I learned. I first joined Puma, and my job there was to help reduce environmental impact in the global supply chain. Next, I joined a denim manufacturer and became directly involved in the manufacturing scene. Later, I joined the European fashion company C&A and became responsible for managing the supply chain.
After spending many years in the fashion industry in such roles, I was invited to join Thai Union.
Sustainability initiatives have a long history in the world of shoes and apparel, dating back to the early 1990s. The industry has also accumulated extensive social compliance practices and inter-company collaboration is thriving. The thought of applying what I learned over those ten years to the seafood industry was incredibly appealing. It’s often said that sustainability efforts are universal across industries, so I was eager to see how far my skills could be applied in the seafood sector.
Before joining Thai Union, Brennan was responsible for sustainability at several companies in the fashion industry. (The image shows Brennan speaking at a 2015 event for Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), an NGO aiming to eliminate hazardous chemical discharges in the textile and leather industries.)
–I see, so that’s how you transitioned to a completely different industry.
In truth, the technical sustainability expertise I could apply from my previous industry was quite limited, but the overarching principles and approaches were very similar. Some compare shrimp farming to cotton farming, but there were countless things I had to learn regarding the seafood industry’s unique challenges and difficulties.
The seafood industry faces significant risks across various areas. Since 2016, Thai Union has been implementing a sustainability strategy named SeaChange®, initially launched to address two specific pressing themes at that time.
The first issue is worker protection. In 2016, Thai Union encountered challenges within the tuna supply chain, one of its major operations at the time. As Thai Union does not own or operate fishing vessels, the company engaged with supply chain stakeholders—the direct parties involved—from the outset of its initiatives and explored ways to incentivize them.
We also reexamined our responsibilities, explored measures to protect the workers in the supply chain, and officially introduced policies, tools, and systems, applying them across the entire value chain.
Another challenge was responsible fishing. Thai Union needed to ensure the tuna sourced worldwide was sustainably caught. In 2016, it set a goal that 75% of the tuna we source are responsibly caught by 2020. “Responsible” here means advancing Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPS) or sourcing from fisheries that are MSC-certified or undergoing assessment. We significantly exceeded this goal before 2020 ended, reaching 87%. We then committed that 100% of the tuna will be sourced from the responsible catch by 2025.
–Have you worked in your current position since joining Thai Union two years ago?
Yes, that’s right. Luckily, top management was very supportive of sustainability efforts. We wouldn’t have succeeded without the company’s unified commitment.
The seafood industry cannot thrive without a healthy ocean. If one fishery collapses, it can take decades to recover. In other words, responsible sourcing was also in our best interests.
To lead the sustainability initiative within the industry, we had to cultivate all sorts of knowledge, methods, and systems internally. It was rather costly, but it became a source of substantial value. Today, nearly all our clients worldwide demand at least FIP or MSC certification for tuna, proof of our leadership in setting new standards. Through collaboration with partners and stakeholders towards global frameworks, the whole tuna industry is changing.
And so, our strategy became part of our clients’ sustainability strategy in the process, creating even more business opportunities. We support and promote the establishment of sustainability goals and declarations for client companies, becoming a driving force in their implementation.
–Following SeaChange® in 2016, Thai Union announced SeaChange® 2030. I see you were the driving force behind this.
Over the past few years, Thai Union has topped the Seafood Stewardship Index (2021, 2022, 2023). In 2022, we ranked first in the food industry sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. However, we cannot relax, despite our reputation as a top leader. With ongoing advancements in tools and discoveries, we must consistently update our challenges and initiatives.
In creating SeaChange® 2030, I worked with the management team to define what leadership meant and outlined a broad definition of “sustainability” from the SDGs, identifying all areas likely to be important for our company.
To discern the critical aspects of Thai Union’s business and identify materiality, we interviewed our employees as well as the stakeholders, including external parties like research institutions, NGOs, investors, and related community stakeholders.
When you look at our Materiality Matrix (see diagram below), you’ll notice many items in the upper right quadrant: human rights, climate change, transparency and governance, responsible sourcing, and marine plastics. This placement highlights their significance to us and reflects our holistic approach. In other words, we realized that focusing solely on the tuna supply chain isn’t enough; we must also consider other critical areas.
Thai Union’s Materiality Matrix. The upper right quadrant, where “Importance to Stakeholders” and “Importance to Business Success” intersect, is concentrated with items, including “Human Rights and Labor Ethics,” “Climate Change and Environmental Protection,” “Transparency and Governance,” “Responsible Sourcing,” “Long-term Commitment,” and “Innovation and Product Responsibility.”
–Thai Union is already a large organization. Was it challenging to propel new initiatives within the company?
Considering our size and the scope of our operations, implementing strategies through a top-down approach wasn’t ideal. Instead, we deliberately formulated our strategies from the ground up, embracing a bottom-up approach that begins with the on-site.
Specifically, we held discussions focused on various sustainability topics, and our sustainability team and different departments co-created goals, visions, action plans, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Though it was time-consuming, involving hundreds of people in formulating the strategy allowed everyone to take it as a personal matter. Once we completed the strategy, obtaining approval from the management team was smooth. Since every team was involved, it was almost equal to every department reaching a consensus.
I took on the challenge of instilling awareness throughout the company, specifically that sustainability is more than just the responsibility of the departments in charge, that it is integrated into all business activities, and that it is a personal matter for everyone.
A fishing boat bringing its catch from the Indian Ocean to Thai Union’s processing plant.
–What made you think of a bottom-up approach in the first place?
Collaboration has always been my management style. Throughout my experience in past organizations, I’ve learned that it’s meaningless to formulate a strategy unless it aligns with the stakeholders’ awareness. For example, if we try to define sustainable shrimp, we must talk with the shrimp product team, procurement team, and even the shrimp farmers. Without directly seeing the challenges on-site, we can’t align our awareness with theirs.
–Did the management expect your approach?
I believe my approach aligns well with Thai Union’s culture. I joined two years ago, but we announced this strategy just four months ago (in July 2023, with the interview conducted in November 2023). Before planning, I needed to take time to understand the company’s culture and adopt suitable approaches.
However, if you ask me if this method works well in every organization, my answer would be “no.” Many European companies I’ve been involved with operated mostly top-down. In contrast, Thai Union is better suited to a bottom-up approach, as its culture embraces collaboration, allowing every team from every department to effectively co-work.
Original Japanese text: Keiko Ihara
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