Plastic

Challenges

Every year, more than eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea, and more than 90 percent of all seabirds have plastic in their stomachs. In 2050, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish. Plastic in itself becomes a problem when it is carelessly disposed of, represents a threat to animal life and ends up as microplastic in the sea. Microplastics accumulate in the food chain, bringing with them environmental toxins that negatively affect food safety in the food we eat.

Half of all the plastic manufactured is only used once and then thrown away. The carbon footprint for every kilogram of plastic manufactured and disposed of after single use is 5 kg CO2.

Our ambitions in this area

Our ambition is to prevent inappropriate disposal of plastic. We shall achieve this by reducing our use of plastic and introducing routines that ensure plastic is disposed of properly.

How we take action / What action has been taken

As part of the 50/50-5 project, Lerøy has introduced sub-projects throughout the value chain to reduce general plastic consumption and consumption of non-recyclable plastic by 50% within 2024. Each segment is measured in terms of development, and initiatives are shared across the Group. For Farming segment; Purchased feeding tube & ropes are measured, for wildcatch and the VAPS&D segment purchased vacuum film, single use plastic and EPS are measured.

Lerøy is also taking part in a number of measures to reduce plastic consumption and to clear up plastic in the environment. Lerøy takes part in the Fishing for Litter (FFL) project, via Lerøy Havfisk. This is an initiative to combat marine littering in Norway, managed by the Norwegian Environment Agency. Lerøy contributes by picking up any plastic and other waste they find at sea. The waste they collect is disposed of at the closest Fishing for Litter facility. To date, 734 tonnes have been removed from the ocean.

Lerøy is also an active participant in the beach cleaning day. This national annual event for beach cleaning is organised by Hold Norge Rent.  On this day, people in Norway are encouraged to clear the beaches and coastal areas of plastic. Lerøy provides working boats in areas of rugged ground to pick up the plastic collected by people cleaning the beaches and coast. Lerøy also supports local organisations and schools to encourage more people to take part, providing transport and food for children and young people and covering other costs that may be required when they are out picking up plastic.  

Over the past two years, Lerøy has also deposited more than 930 tonnes of nets from cages for recycling via the Norwegian company Nofir. Nofir works on collecting discarded equipment from fisheries and fish farming in Norway and Europe, and recycling these to produce clothing, furniture etc. This prevents discarded tools from ending up in the sea, and boosts recycling in the form of new products. 

Link

Policy:  Plastic

How we measure our impact

All companies report their results every quarter via the Cemasys reporting tool. Impact is illustrated both at Group and company level with the PowerBI analysis tool. If the performance trend deviates from the target (0 or negative), the cause must be identified and specific measures implemented, the effect of the measures evaluated and possibly adjusted towards the next quarterly measurement.

Action taken due to results per KPI

• Lerøy has taken part in a project together with NORCE to investigate the amount of microplastic in fish fillets and organs in farmed salmon – SalmoDetect.
• By reducing a chamber previously used to label products in plastlink, we were able to reduce our plastic consumption by 10,000 kg. Labels are now placed directly on the foil.
• By reducing the thickness of vacuum film for certain products, we have been able to substantially reduce our plastic consumption without having an impact on the technical properties of the film.
• By collaborating with our customers, we have increased the percentage of filling for our products so that we use less plastic in kg per kg of product.
• Lerøy shall have an overview of plastic purchased throughout the entire Group. Lerøy shall also assess waste management and recycling of these types of plastic to determine the level of sustainability across national borders.
• We shall limit the use of plastic when other sustainable materials meet the technical requirements. We shall play an active role in the development of alternative packaging materials for consumer packages and distribution packages.

Targets per KPI and Results per KPI

For 2021 the group used 6 029 351 kg of plastic within the identified areas, about the same level as 2020. We believe that better reporting quality of plastic use in the organization is the reason why volume do not decrease.

* data from 2019 is deficient or not complete. Base years must therefore be evaluated from the year 2020.