WWF said it will evaluate M&S’s entire range of seafood products over the next few years and help them identify and develop more sustainable sources, in line with the M&S’s Plan A environmental commitments.

 

The aim of the Seafood Charter is to encourage a favourable market for sustainably caught and farmed seafood. WWF said that the depletion of fish stock’s in Europe is well documented, but they believe that positive steps are being taken.

 

For instance, in Scotland, the pioneering Conservation Credit Scheme where fishermen are rewarded for sustainable fishing, is yielding signs of improvement in some fish stocks. Also some fisheries are now in the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification process. WWF believes that this model could be replicated by more fisheries across Europe.

 

The Seafood Charter is mainly targeted at retailers and processors, but will affect thousands of UK fishermen whose income depends on a healthy supply of fish, and ultimately the millions of people who buy, cook, and eat fish.

 

"We've had a sustainable fishing policy for over a decade, but now we're going even further by being the UK's first company to sign WWF's Seafood Charter. As part of Plan A, our GBP 200 million eco-plan, we are working with WWF to ensure that by 2012, all of our wild fish are MSC certified or where MSC-certified sources are not available, our fish comes from fisheries that have sustainable practices in place that respect the natural environment", said Paul Willgoss, Head of Technology for M&S.

 

Sally Bailey, Head of Fisheries and Seafood Policy for WWF UK said: "We are delighted to be working with one of the UK's best known retailers to protect our fish stocks and safeguard the health of our oceans. The Seafood Charter may be directly targeted at retailers and processors, but it has implications for the thousands of fishermen in the UK and other parts of the world that depend on a healthy supply of fish to support their income, and ultimately the millions of people who buy, cook, and eat fish. Fish and shellfish are a renewable resource, if managed properly, and it's vital we take action now to prevent any further decline in their stock levels."

 

About Marks & Spencer 

 

M&S is one of the UK’s leading retailers, with over 21 million people visiting their stores each week. M&S employs over 75,000 people in the UK and abroad, and has over 600 UK stores, plus an expanding international business.
M&S clothing and homeware sales account for 49 per cent of the business, while the other 51 per cent is in food, including everything from fresh produce and groceries, to partly-prepared meals and ready meals.

 

 

M&S is also known for their green credentials as a result of their five-year eco plan, Plan A, which will see the company, amongst other things, becoming carbon neutral and sending no waste to landfill by 2012.  

 

 

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada.

 

It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 90 countries, supporting around 1300 conservation and environmental projects around the world. It is a charity, with approximately 60 percent of its funding coming from voluntary donations by private individuals. 45 percent of the fund's income comes from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

 

The group says its mission is "to halt and reverse the destruction of our environment".Currently, much of its work focuses on the conservation of three biomes that contain most of the world's biodiversity: forests, freshwater ecosystems, and oceans and coasts. Among other issues, it is also concerned with endangered species, pollution and climate change.

 

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