Overview
Seafood plays a critical role in global food systems and economies, contributing to nutrition, livelihoods, and trade value in many regions. Yet as supply chains become more complex, the industry faces increasing scrutiny – as well as growing operational, reputational, and regulatory risks. These risks, which relate to environmental degradation, labour rights violations, and climate-related impacts, among others, can have material financial implications for companies.
This report discusses learnings and insights from the second year of FAIRR’s Seafood Traceability Engagement, supported by 45 investors with US$9.6 trillion in combined assets. This engagement is delivered in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, Planet Tracker, the World Benchmarking Alliance and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative's Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative.
The findings of this report can help investors to:
identify material environmental and social risks in portfolio companies that stem from poor supply-chain transparency;
engage portfolio companies on adopting leading traceability standards – such as those developed by the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) – to strengthen oversight and resilience;
clarify the limits of sustainability certifications versus full-chain, digital, and interoperable traceability.
Key highlights
Key findings from this report:
Four companies now have a robust traceability commitment, up from two companies in Phase 1. In 2025, Maruha Nichiro and Mitsubishi disclosed new traceability commitments, joining Thai Union and Charoen Pokphand Foods.
Two companies – Thai Union and Mitsubishi – now explicitly reference the GDST in their commitments, up from only one company in Phase 1.
Sustainable seafood certification organisations, such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Marine Stewardship Council, are enhancing their traceability efforts by conducting pilot projects and increasingly aligning their standards with the GDST standards.
However, progress remains uneven, and most companies’ operational traceability systems are not yet aligned with leading practice. While the majority of engaged companies disclose traceability commitments, none presently disclose comprehensive implementation strategies and milestones for meeting these commitments.
Companies cited consistent challenges related to scaling traceability systems. Paper-based systems, fragmented data, and complex and diverse supply chains present costly barriers and require cross-industry collaboration.
Written by
Manager, Research & Engagements - Oceans
