Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cooking shows. In addition, relationships formed during the event continue to es-
tablish the aquarium as a reliable resource, and we experienced an increase in
interviews and mentions on related topics by USA Today, TIME and even in Oprah
magazine.
17.4.4
Sustainable seafood for big businesses
Bon Appetit Management Company is the major sponsor of the Cooking for Solu-
tions event and in 2007 Delaware North Companies (ranked fourth in revenue by
Food Management magazine's Top 50 list) joined as a sponsor to demonstrate its
increasing commitment to sustainability. Businesses have become a major audience
for the Seafood Watch programme as the consumer demand for sustainable seafood
has grown (Box 17.2). For some companies, reaching the triple bottom line (3bl) is
certainly a motivator. The 3bl model calls for financial, social and environmental
success, but there are concerns that such an ambition tends to 'promise more than
it delivers' (Norman & MacDonald 2004). Therefore, we work closely with our
major business partners to:
ensure that their sustainable seafood purchasing policy is feasible based on an
analysis of current purchasing activity, purchasing needs, available alternatives
and existing contracts or agreements with suppliers;
ensure that the policy is consistent with the goals of the broader sustainable
seafood movement;
assist with the implementation of the policy including the development of edu-
cational and promotional materials and training programmes;
in partnership with organisations within the broader sustainable seafood move-
ment, identify new sources of environmentally preferable products/product
types; and
require a reporting mechanism to ensure the policy is successfully implemented
and/or to work towards improving any compliance issues.
Major businesses purchase seafood in large quantities through brokers and suppliers
so they have better access to, and are more accustomed to, information about
country of origin and harvest method. Therefore, our research team conducts a
more in-depth analysis and evaluation of fisheries and aquaculture operations for
the species such as tuna, shrimp and salmon that are important to major food service
companies. Some of this information (such as our chart of alternatives) is available
on our website (www.seafoodwatch.org) on specific pages geared for businesses
since such detailed resources may not be considered user-friendly by the average
consumer.
During the process of identifying environmentally preferable alternatives for our
food service partners, we experienced a few positive surprises. First, we found that
some sustainable alternatives were typically cost-neutral or cost-beneficial when
compared to the price per unit for the 'unsustainable' item. It should be noted,
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