MSC and ASC
3
• Independent, not-for-profit, third
party certification & labelling
program
• Market based instrument to
transform the seafood market
towards sustainability
• Recognize and reward responsible
wild harvest and farming of seafood
• Support purchasing of certified
seafood
• Consumers recognize ASC and
MSC labels and choose certified
sources
Introduction to the MSC
Our vision
is of the world’s oceans teeming with life, and seafood
supplies safeguarded for this and future generations.
Our mission
is to use our ecolabel and fishery certification program to
contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by
recognising and rewarding sustainable fishing practices,
influencing the choices people make when buying
seafood and working with our partners to transform the
seafood market.
4
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Our Vision
A world where aquaculture plays a major role in
supplying food and social benefits for mankind whilst
minimising negative impacts on the environment.
Our Mission
Transform aquaculture towards environmental
sustainability and social responsibility using efficient
market mechanisms that create value across the chain.
5
Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
Introduction to the ASC
• ASC aims to be the world’s leading
certification and labelling programme
for responsibly farmed seafood
• Primary role is to manage,
operationalise, review and develop
global standards for responsible
aquaculture
• Seaweed aquaculture accounts for
96% of global seaweed production
• Setting a seaweed standard is an
opportunity to promote industry best
practice to minimise the
environmental and social footprint of
commercial aquaculture
Certification
and ecolabeling:
Use the market as a
mechanism for
recognizing and
rewarding sustainable
seafood production
while incentivizing
improvements
where needed
Farms that meet the
seaweed standard are
independently certifiedASC/
A traceable supply chain
assures consumers that
only seaweed from a
certified operations carry
the ASC/MSC label
the ASC/
About Chain of Custody (CoC)
7
• CoC provides assurance that products with the MSC and/or ASC label came
from a certified MSC fishery and/or ASC farm
• ASC and MSC use the same CoC Standard to ensure traceability of certified
products.
• Certified products are identified and segregated from non-certified products to
ensure no mixing or substitution of certified
CoC certified CoC certified
8
MSC certified fisheries
Benefits for fisheries can include preference in existing
markets, access to new markets and for some fisheries,
the potential for a price premium.
306 MSC certified
fisheries in 36
countries
83 fisheries in
MSC
assessment
~10% of the total global
wild-caught
seafood supply is
certified
9.6 million tonnes of
seafood caught
by MSC certified
fisheries 2015-16
11
The market for sustainable seafood continues to expand,
giving consumers more opportunities to reward
sustainable fisheries through their purchasing power.
23,244 MSC labelled
products sold in
98 countries
>660,000 tonnes of MSC
labelled
seafood sold in
2015-16
108certified species
in MSC labelled
products
An estimated
US$4.6bnwas spent by
consumers last
year
MSC labelled products
17
ASC-MSC Seaweed Certification
• International Certification Program for
environmentally sustainable and socially
responsible seaweed production
• First joint standard developed by MSC and ASC
• ASC-MSC Seaweed Standard
- Standard development since 2016
- Released on 22nd November 2017
- Became effective on 1st March 2018
Sustainable and traceable
1) Seaweed Standard
• Principle 1: Target species
• Principle 2: Ecosystem
• Principle 3: Management system
• Principle 4: Labour
• Principle 5: Community Impacts
2) Chain of Custody Standard
• Segregated chain of custody system
• Traceable back to a certified seaweed operation
• Only labelled products can claim to be MSC/ ASC
19
Why develop a Seaweed Standard
1.Address ecosystem issues
2.Address social issues
3.Provide tools for market to
confirm sustainability
4.Demand from retailers and
processors
5.Recognise global best
practices for seaweed
management
21
How do the other standards compare?
Standard-setter Sto
ck s
tatu
s (1
.1)
Har
vest
str
ateg
y (1
.2)
Gen
etic
imp
act
on
wild
sto
ck (
1.3
)
Hab
itat
(2
.1)
Eco
syst
em s
tru
ctu
re a
nd
fu
nct
ion
(2.2
)
ETP
sp
ecie
s o
utc
om
e (2
.3)
ETP
sp
ecie
s m
anag
emen
t (2
.4)
Oth
er s
pec
ies
ou
tco
me
(2.5
)
Oth
er s
pec
ies
man
agem
ent
(2.6
)
Was
te m
anag
emen
t an
d p
ollu
tio
n
con
tro
l (2
.7)
Ener
gy e
ffic
ien
cy (
2.8
)
Dis
ease
an
d p
est
man
agem
ent
pra
ctic
es (
2.9
)
Tran
slo
cati
on
Ou
tco
me
(2.1
0)
Tran
slo
cati
on
Man
agem
ent
(2.1
1)
Intr
od
uce
d s
pec
ies
man
agem
ent
(2.1
2)
Lega
l an
d/o
r cu
sto
mar
y fr
amew
ork
(3.1
)
Co
nsu
ltat
ion
, ro
les
and
resp
on
sib
iliti
es (
3.2
)
Farm
s an
d f
ish
ery
spec
ific
ob
ject
ives
(3
.3)
Dec
isio
n-m
akin
g p
roce
sses
(3
.4)
Co
mp
lian
ce a
nd
en
forc
emen
t (3
.5)
Ch
ild la
bo
ur
(4.1
)
Forc
ed, b
on
ded
or
com
pu
lso
ry
lab
ou
r (4
.2)
Dis
crim
inat
ion
(4
.3)
Hea
lth
, saf
ety
and
insu
ran
ce (
4.4
)
Fair
an
d d
ecen
t w
ages
(4
.5)
Free
do
m o
f as
soci
atio
n a
nd
colle
ctiv
e b
arga
inin
g (4
.6)
Dis
cip
linar
y p
ract
ices
(4
.7)
Wo
rkin
g h
ou
rs (
4.8
)
Envi
ron
men
tal t
rain
ing
(4.9
)
Vis
ibili
ty, p
osi
tio
nin
g an
d
ori
enta
tio
n o
f fa
rms
... (
5.1
)
Iden
tifi
cati
on
an
d r
eco
very
of
sub
stan
tial
gea
r (5
.2)
No
ise,
ligh
t an
d o
do
ur
(5.3
)
Dec
om
mis
sio
nin
g o
f ab
and
on
ed
farm
s ..
. (5
.4)
Friend of the Sea
EU Organic
Soil Association
USDA Organic
IOFAG (Irish Organic Farmers and Growers)
Naturland
Seafood Watch
AFRISCO
KRAV
Organic Pasifika
Organic Farmers & Growers
ECOCERT
AsureQuality
Australia Certified Organic
BioGro
FairWild
Standards Council of Canada
PRINCIPLE 1
Sustainable
wild stocks PRINCIPLE 2 - Environmental impacts
PRINCIPLE 3 - Effective
management PRINCIPLE 4 - Social responsibility
PRINCIPLE 5 - Community
relations and interactionKey
Yes
No
Partial
N/A
Seaweed Standard – structure
22
The Standard was developed from indicators
found in the ASC and MSC Standards
31 Performance Indicatorsagainst which the performance of the
wild/farm system is scored (# depends on the
category, 21 minimum)
68 Scoring Issuesthe single parts of the assessment tree that
need to be assessed
5 Principles
Sustainable wild populations1
Environmental impacts2
Effective management3
Social responsibility4
Community relations & interaction5
Seaweed Standard – indicators (examples)
23
• Stock status and management
• Genetic impacts (if translocations)…
• Habitat status, ecosystem functions
• ETP Species (endangered, threatened,
protected)
• Waste management, pollution
• Energy efficiency
• Diseases and pest management
• Introduced species management
• Child labour, forced labour
• Discrimination, freedom of association
• Fair wages, working hours
• Health and safety
5 Principles
Sustainable wild populations1
Environmental impacts2
Effective management3
Social responsibility4
Community relations & interaction5
What is a sustainability standard?
25
• Defines a set of environmental, social or
economic sustainability best practice criteria
• Provides a market incentive for improvements
towards sustainability goals
• Voluntary alternative to legislation
A credible standard also…
• Is developed with stakeholder input using a
transparent process
• Tracks and reports on the outcomes of
certification
• Stays current with best practice
ASC-MSC Seaweed Standard
26
Credible, Inspirational, Transformational
Outcome and science based
• not prescriptive on methods
• scientific determination of sustainable outcome
Global best practice
• “Just behind the crest of the wave”
• Following closely, but not leading, new science and
management best practice
Consulted
• 200+ stakeholder around the world
• Seaweed industry, scientific community, commercial
sector, environmental organisations
Third party certification
Standard Body
Assess & certify
Define
Co
ntra
ct
AccreditsAccreditation
Body
Conformity Assessment
Bodies(CABs)
Standard
Seaweed Producer
Stakeholders
Develop &
Review
Engage &
Review
Operations in assessment
• Wakame farms in Korea
• Commitment from government to certify 100 farms
• Interest received
• Micro algae operations in USA, Europe and Israel
3232
Demand in Europe
• Seaweed is getting more popular as super healthy
food in Western countries
• Demand for ASC-MSC certified seaweed in
Germany and Denmark, and more
3333
Demand in Japan
• AEON and COOP are two big
retailers who support MSC and ASC
certified seafood
• AEON and COOP are willing to sell
ASC/MSC labelled seaweed
Take homes:
34
1) Businesses and consumers
have a big role to play in driving
conservation impacts
2) Standards provide a credible
and robust tool for the private
sector to engage in
conservation
3) Credibility is critical for success
of certification scheme
4) Too many labels may confuse
consumers