Our Purpose
Guided by our purpose, Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, we are dedicated to excellence by making decisions that positively impact our product, our people, our communities, and the planet.
High Liner Foods
Sustainability
Our commitment to sustainability shapes the future of seafood, responsibly connecting our past, present, and the world ahead.
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OUR JOURNEY
What a journey 125 years has been. It s no surprise that our history has been marked by great achievements, challenges, opportunities, and breakthroughs a trajectory that many great companies face. These moments have shaped High Liner Foods into who we are today. Let s take a walk down memory lane to reflect on our key milestones.
2007First Fishery Improvement Project.
Supported the Barrents Sea Fishery Improvement project (FIP), the first of its kind.
2010Responsible Sourcing Commitment.
Publicly committed to source from responsible fisheries and aquaculture farms, working together with our NGO partner, Sustainably Fisheries Partnership.
2011Seafood Summit Sponsor.
Sponsored the 9th Annual Seafood Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
2012Doubled Certified Sustainable Seafood.
Announced certifiable sustainable seafood purchases had doubled in over 2 years.
2013Nearly 100% Seafood Responsibly Sourced.
Helped establish a Pacific (longline) cod FIP and started a Pollock Sustainability Alliance. Achieved 99% of target goal for responsible sourcing.
2014Introduced Supplier Code of Conduct.
Introduced Supplier Code of Conduct, detailing social compliance guidelines to help ensure safe working conditions in our supply chain. Founding member of G.S.S.I.
2015Top 10 Most Transparent Seafood Companies in the World.
Ranked top seafood company in North America and one of the top 10 worldwide for global sustainability reporting and transparency in a benchmark report by seafoodintelligence.com. Received the Grand Champion Award from SeaWeb.
2016Hunger Mission Launched.
Launched Hunger Mission with goal of donating 10M meals by 2025 to amplify our impact in local communities.
2017Ecovadis Bronze Rating.
Ecovadis applauded HLF for strong CSR policies recognized by GMRI as Program Partner of the year.
2018Founding Member of S.A.T.S. Coalition
Founding member of Stronger America Through Seafood Coalition, organization focused on supporting American aquaculture to feed our growing population.
2019From FIP to MSC Certified.
Pacific Cod FIP initiated in 2013 successfully achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
2020Supporting Employees through Covid-19 Pandemic.
Focused on employees COVID-19 Pandemic protection, health, and welfare.
2021Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life.
Launched our new company purpose, Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, meant to guide our decisions from the commercial, operational and sustainability ends of our business.
2022Commitment to ESG Goals.
Completed first annual analysis of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions and committed to 2030 reduction targets and Scope 3 emission inventory timeline. Committed to reducing food waste intensity 50% by 2030 in support of the United Nations' 10x20x30 initiative.
2024Scope 3 Carbon Footprint Complete.
Conducted our first Greenhouse Gas scope 3 inventory to understand the emissions from our supply chains
2024Giving Back to Our Community.
Donated $250,000 to the Health Services Foundation of South Shore in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
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- OUR SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK
We organize our sustainability initiatives under three key pillar areas, each aligning with specific United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and embodying how we care for each.
Nurturing a culture of wellbeing, safety and belonging whilst giving back to the communities we call home.
Caring for Our People & CommunitiesNurturing a culture of wellbeing, safety and belonging whilst giving back to the communities we call home.
Committing to consumer wellbeing through innovative product solutions, supply chain transparency and responsible, ethical sourcing.
Caring Through Our ProductCommitting to consumer wellbeing through innovative product solutions, supply chain transparency and responsible, ethical sourcing.
Managing our environmental impact by cutting emissions, minimizing waste, and supporting fishery improvement.
CARING FOR OUR PlanetManaging our environmental impact by cutting emissions, minimizing waste, and supporting fishery improvement.
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Our 2030 Goals
Climate Impact
Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 30% compared to our 2021 baseline.
Food Waste
Cut food waste intensity by 50% compared to our 2018 baseline.
2023 GOALS:
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This year we
Explore the progress we’ve made to achieve our targets in 2024 and beyond.
Product98%responsibly sourced seafood
Released an Updated Supplier Code of Conductand our first Modern Slavery Report
Sourced100%of our raw material from audited suppliers
AWARDED8scholarships across Canada and the US to help cover tuition costs.
Donated$250,000to South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Celebrated the graduation of our inaugural 2023 leadership academy class
Reduced Emissions7.15%reduction Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions (compared to 2021)
Reduced Food Waste12%reduction in food waste (compared to 2018)
Completed our Scope 3 GHG inventoryReduced Environmental Impact -
Our Sustainability Partners & Recognition
This year, we’re proud to announce the following awards:
- Sodexo 2024 Better Tomorrow Award
- BrandSpark’s 2024 Most Trusted Frozen Fish Brand
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Meaningful change in the seafood industry requires a collective effort. From governments and NGOs to researchers, trade associations, and investors, we work together to ensure seafood remains a sustainable source of nourishment for generations to come. Key partnerships include:
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GOVERNANCE & ETHICS
Our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team are committed to achieving high ESG standards.
Our ESG program is overseen by three committees of the Board: the Governance, Audit and HR committees.- The Governance Committee of the Board of Directors oversees our entire program, ensuring that management is implementing the Company’s ESG framework responsibly.
- On environmental compliance matters specifically, responsibility rests with our Environmental Steering Committee, which reports to the Audit Committee. Made up of representatives from across the Company and meeting quarterly, the Environmental Steering Committee oversees and acts on environmental topics such as regulatory compliance and evolving requirements, waste and hazardous substance management practices, air emissions, and occupational health and safety concerns.
- The Human Resources Committee (HR Committee) ensures that the health and safety of employees is protected and prioritized, and that management is effectively designing and pursuing goals related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
We adopted a new strategic plan that shapes our own ESG policies and practices, and sets guidelines for how we engage with others on sustainability initiatives. The plan establishes a framework that makes these considerations integral to our core business, and evaluates our collective and individual performance accordingly.
This Code of Conduct (CoC) outlines our company-wide commitment to honest, ethical behaviour among all employees, officers and directors of High Liner Foods. We require 100% of employees and directors to review and acknowledge the Code of Conduct annually, including specific online training for employees to further reinforce the CoC.
The SCOC establishes guidelines for suppliers regarding the ethical treatment of workers, using a risk-based approach for audit frequency. We continually review and revise policies to ensure they reflect changing circumstances in our industry while always reflecting our core values and commitments. Our original SCOC pertained only to fish suppliers; in 2024 we will extend it to include suppliers of packaging and ingredients. (This effort was postponed during COVID-19.)
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our sustainability reports
Read our latest report to learn more about the progress we've made on our sustainability journey.
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