Certifications are an important tool to incentivize sustainable natural resource management, including fisheries. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the leading wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabeling program. Globally, about 16% of volume of wild-caught seafood is certified to the MSC standard and over 40’000 seafood products carry the MSC logo.
The MSC provides more than a trusted label for consumers to identify sustainable seafood options: it can also serve as a practical tool for investors. Fishery-related investments can be negatively impacted if the underlying natural resource is not sustainably managed. The MSC process independently verifies the ecological health of a fishery. It captures information on several risk factors that can inform investment analysis and monitoring processes. Investors can build on the MSC process to implement their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements including reporting and tracking contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Clarmondial was invited by the MSC to explore how the MSC program and tools could be used to support private and public financial institutions that are considering sustainability in their investment decisions in the seafood sector. We are glad to share the resulting report ‘Guidance for Investors’ (available here).