For Thai Union’s President and CEO Thiraphong Chansiri, bringing together the world’s largest seafood companies to find solutions to the industry’s most intractable problems was a natural fit for his own company’s ambitions.
SeaBOS is unique bringing together ten of the world’s largest seafood companies collaborate with science to implement a joint vision to develop more sustainable seafood production and improved ocean health. According to Thiraphong Chansiri, there is a synergy between what SeaBOS want to achieve and the goals and ambitions of Thai Union.
The company has steadily grown since its launch in 1977, reporting a net profit of US$195 million in 2020. It has some 49,000 staff located across 14 production locations around the world and owns 15 seafood subsidiaries located in seven different countries.
Their strategy builds on the determination to “provide healthy and tasty products to consumers and on our commitment to industry-leading sustainability.”
But for the sustainability part, it is not enough to do well in isolation, he said.
‘Such is the enormity of the challenges facing the sector, one company cannot do it alone,’ he said, commenting that this is what convinced him to have Thai Union join SeaBOS, of which he is also the Vice Chair.
‘Bringing together the world’s largest seafood companies and using a science-based approach to find solutions to the industry’s most intractable problems, was a natural fit for our own ambitions to drive positive change across the industry,’ he said.
‘When you bring together likeminded businesses that are equally ambitious you can achieve change on a global scale. Collectively, we have the strength and reach to make a difference. Plus, with our pursuits firmly grounded in scientific evidence, it makes SeaBOS a truly unique proposition.’
He believes SeaBOS enables the companies to work together to pursue change – whether it be for the sustainable stewardship of fisheries, labour conditions on vessels, or ocean plastics.
But the seafood industry runs deep and SeaBOS companies alone will not be able to transform the entire seafood industry.
He commented that it is important to find likeminded and credible organisations capable of supporting scaling-up global action and providing critical on-the-ground expertise and outreach. In addition, he is adamant that companies need to understand their own supply chain, build trust and partnerships with their suppliers.
Five years on, SeaBOS has a clear vision, but much work remains. For Thiraphong Chansiri, it is crucial that the work of the individual member companies remains aligned with that of SeaBOS.
‘We have a high level of trust among all of the SeaBOS partners, and by adopting a science-based approach to solutions for the challenges facing the industry we are making an enormous difference,’ he said.
‘Thai Union’s own goals and ambitions align with those of SeaBOS, and so together we want to deliver strategies and initiatives that protect our oceans, ensure fisheries around the world are sustainable, and protect workers across the entire industry.’
