World Oceans Day: Thai Union Group reports plastic waste collection efforts to protect seafood chain

11 Jun 2024 --- Thai Union Group employees from Thailand, the US, Africa and Europe came together for World Oceans Day (June 8) to collect trash in their local communities. More than 470 participants joined the commitment to divert 1,500 metric tons of ocean-bound plastic from entering waterways and oceans by 2030.

The Thai Union teams collected a total of 11,036 kgs of trash from nine clean-up sites including mangroves, rivers, beaches and cities in Thailand, two sites in the US, Ghana, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, France and Italy.

Among the most common items collected were plastic bags, plastic bottles, foam, old fishing gear and over 10,000 cigarette butts.

“As a global seafood company, protecting the ecosystems we operate in is fundamental to our purpose,” says Thai Union CEO Thiraphong Chansiri. “Our business depends on healthy oceans and thriving ecosystems, which is why we have committed to the broadest-reaching sustainability plan in the industry.”

“Our aggressive goals impact the entire seafood value chain on a global scale but being a responsible community member is equally vital to us. We have four more clean-up events planned and will continue these efforts year-round.”

The trash collected on World Oceans Day was sorted and recorded following International Coastal Cleanup guidelines.Global collection efforts
In Thailand, 26 volunteers from Thai Union Group, Thai Union Manufacturing, Okeanos Food and Thai Union Feedmill, along with 224 volunteers from local organizations and four local schools joined the effort. The teams collected 2,237 kgs of waste at the Mangrove Forest Research Center in the Samut Sakhon region.

In the US, 47 volunteers collected 65 kgs across two locations. The teams organized their clean-ups near one of their commercial offices in Los Angeles, California, at the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium, and near their manufacturing facility in Lyons, Georgia, at the Bullard Creek Wildlife Management Area Hazlehurst.

In Ghana, where Thai Union operates Pioneer Food Cannery, 97 employees as well as members from partner organizations and the community came together to clean the canoe landing beach and the surrounding area close to the PFC factory in Tema. 

They collected 8,600 kgs of trash and old fishing gear. PFC also ran blood donations for the Tema General Hospital.

In Europe, 77 volunteers from Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, France and Italy cleared 134 kgs of trash from urban areas, rivers and beaches.

The trash collected on World Oceans Day was sorted and recorded following International Coastal Cleanup guidelines. Recyclable items were processed by local waste handling companies, while non-recyclables were managed by local waste organizations.

Since Thai Union launched its global cleanup campaigns, volunteers worldwide have collected 25,171 kgs of trash, reports the company.

“One hundred percent of our branded products will be in sustainable packaging by 2025, eliminating non-recyclable plastic from our brands. We also advocate for at least 60% of private label products to be in sustainable packaging,” says Adam Brennan, chief sustainability officer at Thai Union. 

“We are addressing plastic on multiple fronts: within our operations, through our Global Ghost Gear Initiative partnership to recover and repurpose abandoned fishing gear, and through major collaborations to divert 1,500 tons of plastic from our oceans by 2030.”

Edited by Benjamin Ferrer