Thai Union Group PCL

2017

Top CSR Advocates in Asia

Thai Union Group PCL

Top CSR Advocates in Asia

2017

Thai Union Group PCL

“Importantly, Thai Union assumes responsibility for improving the lives of those living and working in the regions in which the company operates—this ranges from cleaning marine environments and food donations to educating children and providing nutritional information for local communities.”

Established in 1977, Thai Union Group PCL is a global seafood leader, regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 125 billion (US$ 3.7 billion) and a global workforce over 46,000 people. Its portfolio of brands includes convenient consumer favorites which have brought nutritious and tasty seafood to tables around the world for over a century.
During the past year, Thai Union has championed numerous corporate social responsibility programmes in line with its sustainability strategy, SeaChange®. Some of these initiatives include implementing a digital traceability pilot programme with key human rights and environmental implications, signing a partnership with the World Food Programme to conduct an impact study on school meals in Kenya, and collaborating with the Clinton Climate Initiative to generate clean energy. Thai Union also committed to the World Economic Forum’s Tuna 2020 Traceability Declaration, signed the ambitious Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship Pledge, and earmarked $90 million in initiatives to increase the supply of sustainable tuna.

Importantly, Thai Union assumes responsibility for improving the lives of those living and working in the regions in which the company operates—this ranges from cleaning marine environments and food donations to educating children and providing nutritional information for local communities.
For instance, the company donated 25,000 cans of its SEALECT brand seafood to flood victims in Thailand last year. Thai Union also opened and funded its third preschool for children of Thai migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, as well as held science camps, football academies and a mangrove learning project for those students—activities involving employee participation. Thai Union also works with local NGOs on numerous human rights, labor and environmental initiatives, such as providing multi-lingual labor rights booklets to migrant workers in Thailand and working to improve coastal regions.

The previously-mentioned digital traceability pilot tests scalable platforms for electronic catch data and traceability systems is a key example of how the company is working to improve the lives and communities of those in the fishing industry. The programme is currently demonstrating true electronic end-to-end traceability and supply chain management on Thai fishing vessels. Additionally, workers on the vessels can now use ‘Fish Talk’, a compressed chat function that allows crew to communicate with loved ones and peers back on shore—an industry first for Thai fisheries.
In recognition of the company’s sustainability achievements, the company received numerous awards in 2016. Thai Union was also recently named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the fourth consecutive year, and debuted on the FTSE4Good Emerging Index, helping investors integrate environmental, social and governance factors into their investment decisions, a framework for corporate engagement and stewardship.

Thai Union puts sustainability at the heart of its business with a vision to be the world’s most trusted seafood leader, caring for the world’s resources to nurture generations to come. Moving forward, the company aims to be the fishing industry’s leading agent of change, making a real positive difference to consumers, customers and the way the category is managed.

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