Heiploeg initiated the current GLOBALG.A.P. Auaculture standard. This standard sets strict criteria for animal welfare. Heiploeg is also a member of GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture. Our farmed fishery products are certified according to the GLOBALG.A.P., the Best Aquaculture Practices and/or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council standards.

To reduce food waste in the Out of Home market in Germany, the German government funded the project ELoFoS (Efficient Lowering of Food Waste in the Out-of-Home Sector) in which Deutsche See collaborates with client Maritim Hotels to optimize their supply chain and to collect data on waste and waste streams in the supply chain.

Project Green Nudging aims to help companies to improve their energy- and power balance. In the pilot phase, Deutsche See was one out of ten companies selected to participate in the project in the Bremen/Bremerhaven area. Together, four simple issues were identified to save costs and decrease our environmental impact.

Orthongel undertakes numerous initiatives aimed at further improving the overall sustainability of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean tuna purse seine fishery. As a member of Orthongel, our tuna company CFTO is part of Fishery Improvement Projects for the Eastern Atlantic Ocean purse seine tuna fishery and the purse seine tuna fishery in the Western Indian Ocean.

The Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association (PFA) does research and works with scientific organizations all over the world to maintain a sustainable fishery for pelagic fish stocks, both now and in the future. As a member of the PFA, we are involved in numerous highly relevant sustainability research and innovation projects. The most important ones for our CSR strategy and ambition include:

• PelAcoustics project.
• Species ID project – developing tools for species discrimination.
• Year of the mackerel project.
• Self-sampling the pelagic fleet.
• Fish condition project.

Read more about these projects in the PFA annual Research Report 2019.

The bottom trawl fishery for Atlantic Seabob shrimp (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) in Guyana and Suriname uses trawls equipped with both a Turtle Excluder Device (TED) and a Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD). The BRD is a Square Mesh Panel (SMP). We participate in research projects to further improve the selectivity of this fishery, by modifying the net configuration, TEDs and/or BRDs.

Our German company Doggerbank Seefisherei is active in the fisheries on demersal species (cod, haddock, saithe, redfish, and Greenland halibut) in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Most of these fisheries are certified against the MSC criteria and Doggerbank Seefisherei is very active to further improve the sustainability of these fisheries.

Our safety coordinator has also assisted the Dutch Pelagic Ship-owners Association (of which several of PP Group’s companies are members) with the composition of the Occupational Risks per Workplace for Pelagic Freezer-trawlers manual for our crewmembers. This document has been distributed as a booklet to not only the crewmembers of our own vessels but also those working for other fishing companies.

We are a member of the Fishing for a Clean Sea covenant. Within this covenant we will, together with peers and nature and environmental organizations, support projects that focus on responsible waste management on board fishing vessels.

In 2016, we signed the Green Deal with which we endorsed the efforts to move towards a circular economy. We committed to the initiative, launched by the Dutch Government, aimed at minimizing the impact of fisheries on the environment. With the motto “together for a clean sea”, the Green Deal focuses on the fifth Marpol area: prevention of pollution by garbage from vessels. This principle prohibits the discharge of all garbage into the sea - domestic and operational waste, all plastics, cargo residues, incinerator ashes, cooking oil, fishing gear, and animal carcasses generated during the normal operation of the vessel.

Heiploeg is looking for the best packing materials that comply with food safety rules, and that are as sustainable as possible. One of the latest developments is biodegradable materials of lactic acid and starch. This material retains full quality and food safety guarantees and will be used in the near future.

As PP Group we want to get most out of our yields. Valuable materials and nutrients that are not suitable for human consumption should not end up in residual streams, considered as “waste”. We are exploring circular business models to create value out of these residual flows. Promising industries where these can contribute to are the pharmaceutical industry, the pet food industry or the cosmetics market.