Balticsea 2020

Article: Six years with the MSC

From its beginnings in 2010 and for the past six years, BalticSea2020 has been contributing to the establishment of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in the Baltic Sea region. The objective has been to establish a credible certification of fish and fisheries that easily show consumers which fish have been legally caught from sustainable and well-managed stocks. The project and elements of the MSC’s final report describing the work and what it has resulted in up to now are presented below.

In 2009, BalticSea2020 allocated funds to support the establishment of an MSC office in the Baltic Sea region, with representatives in Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The head office, situated in Stockholm, has the tasks of disseminating knowledge among consumers in Baltic Sea countries concerning the MSC ecolabel, managing the work of certification of Baltic Sea fisheries in accordance with MSC’s standards, and of ensuring that MSC-labelled products are available in-store in freezer cabinets. In 2013, the foundation awarded additional funds for enhancing the MSC’s activity around the Baltic Sea by establishing local offices in Finland and Poland.

Stage 1: Sweden, Denmark and Germany
During the first three years (2010-2013), the MSC experienced rapid growth in the Baltic region. 13 fisheries obtained MSC certification in Sweden and Denmark, and three in Germany. In addition, 18 percent of the fish landed in Sweden and 23 percent in Denmark were MSC certified. The MSC also involved all major retailers in Sweden, Denmark and Germany in making a commitment to certify their fish counters (i.e. they would only sell certified fish, irrespective of whether it was caught in the Baltic or in other waters), and this included the Swedish Fish Traders Association (Svenska fiskhandlarföreningen). At the same time, the MSC was intensively involved in the MSC Fish & Kids project, which is a teaching material whose objective is increasing awareness among students, teachers and parents of the MSC’s work and of eco-labelling, as well as inspiring school kitchens to obtain MSC certification. During the period, 100 schools and more than 100 pre-schools in the region received certification.

Stage 2: Finland and Poland
In 2013, work began in Finland, which in recent years has been one of the major markets for the growth of MSC labelled consumer products – from 310 to 475, in two years (2014-2016). Several retailers in Finland also chose to obtain MSC certification, which means that all fish and shellfish on sale are required to be fished from sustainable stocks. To date, 15 retailers have completed a certification process, and a further three are in the pipeline. During the project, two Finnish fisheries also joined the programme – sprat in the Baltic Sea and vendace in Lake Saimaa – and both of these are currently involved in the process of certification.

One great success for the MSC in Finland has been the certification of IKEA, which means that all seafood sold and served in their department stores is from sustainable and responsible sources. The outcomes of this have been an increased awareness of the organisation and its brand and that more restaurant chains are wanting to join the programme. For example, successful negotiations have been completed with Kotipizza OY, which is the largest pizza restaurant chain in Finland (about 300 restaurants). Kotipizza will begin their certification process during the autumn of 2016, with the goal of serving MSC-labelled seafood.

In Poland, a country where historically there has been suspicion and scepticism concerning the labelling of food products and where the MSC is hitherto unknown, the work has gone somewhat more slowly. Nonetheless, the MSC has succeeded in certifying several companies and products. Today, there are 467 MSC-labelled products in the country, compared with 215 in 2013. Meanwhile, the MSC has also started a collaborative effort with Frosta (Poland's largest frozen food producer), and several other major retailers in the country. In 2014, all Frosta’s frozen fish products were MSC certified and their commitment has increased pressure on other leading producers of frozen food in Poland, such as Abramczyk (Frosta’s leading competitor) who received their certification in 2015.

Just as it was in Finland, the MSC in Poland has also benefited from the certification of IKEA. The IKEA brand name, along with their fish dishes in the restaurant, is very popular; their nine stores receive 22 million Polish visitors each year! The biggest challenge for the MSC in Poland has been the ratification of the Polish cod fishing industry, which having received its certification, then had it withdrawn eleven months later with the discontinuation of all cod fishing in the Baltic Sea, in 2015*. The break resulted in a delay to the establishment of the MSC on the Polish market. Certification of the cod fishing industry has still had an important impact in Poland, since it opened the door for more certifications, such as for herring and sprat. The chances of herring and sprat being awarded the MSC’s ecolabel appear good and the MSC has hopes that 65% of the Polish catch in the Baltic Sea will be MSC certified by 2019.

To sum up, the MSC has established itself well in the Baltic Sea region. Over the years, it has reached a wide audience and strengthened the commitment by retailers and suppliers. Awareness of the blue ecolabel is high and the MSC has a good climate for further development of its operations in the Baltic Sea arena.

*All fishing of Baltic Sea cod was stopped in 2015, when the assessment was made that stocks were insufficient for advice to be given on stock estimates and to develop reference points – the preconditions for long-term fisheries management.

The MSC’s standards
The two standards of the MSC define the requirements that professional fishing organisations need to fulfil for their operations to be certified as sustainable, and for companies to sell MSC labelled products. The MSC sets two standards: the MSC Fisheries Standard for sustainable fishing and the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. Read more about the standers here.

For more information about Marine Stewardship Council, visit their website here.