Driving Sustainability
Benchmark’s mission is to drive sustainability in aquaculture by delivering products and solutions that improve yield, quality, and animal health and welfare for aquaculture producers.
We are committed to contributing towards a future that meets the need for an ethical, sustainable and nutritious source of animal protein in fish and shrimp.
Increase in aquaculture production by 2030
Aquaculture supplies more than 50% of the seafood market
Source FAO
We focus on three complementary business areas – genetics, advanced nutrition and health – that are critical to the productivity and sustainability across the production cycle.
Genetics is the very starting point of aquaculture’s production chain. Good genetics have a material impact on efficiency, incidence of disease and survivability – thus improving sustainability across the value chain, from egg to plate.
We apply the latest genomic tools in our salmon, shrimp and tilapia breeding programmes to deliver genetic traits that drive growth quality and disease resistance. These are vital to allow for less resources to be used for more nutritious and healthy animal protein, creating a more efficient and environmentally-favourable production cycle.
Early stage nutrition plays a critical role in the development of fish and shrimp up until the time of harvest. By supporting a healthy development of fish, we contribute to longevity and quality, which are key elements of a sustainable aquaculture industry.
Together with our innovative solutions and expert technical support, we enable our customers to optimise their production. Our focus on the early stages of the aquaculture cycle compounds the positive impact of our solutions by influencing growth and health in the later stages.
Sea lice is one of the biggest sustainability challenges in salmon farming, affecting yield and animal welfare whilst constraining growth. By tackling this challenge, we are allowing the industry’s benefits to reach a wider population.
By addressing one of the biggest sustainability challenges in salmon production, our breakthrough solutions Ectosan® Vet and CleanTreat®, which add to Salmosan® Vet, mean that we are contributing towards a more predictable and capable global food supply chain. Ectosan® Vet and CleanTreat® is highly efficacious, has an environmental profile and improves animal welfare.
Our Commitments:
Environment
As a responsible operator, Benchmark is committed to a programme of continuous improvement across all our operations to achieve our Net Zero Goals and reduce our overall environmental impact.
- Climate change
- Energy
- Water resources
- Waste
- Biodiversity
- Achieve Net Zero scope 1 and 2 by 2030 and scope 3 by 2050
- Operate using only energy from renewable sources by 2030
- Reduce energy intensity by 5% every year
- Zero waste to landfill by 2030
Animal Health & Welfare
We are committed to protecting and promoting animal health and welfare both in our own operations and in the development of new products and solutions.
- Operate health plans that adhere to best standards
- Tailored training
- Build and operate facilities that promote animal welfare
- Incorporate animal health and welfare as critical parameter in product development
We are guided by the Five Freedoms Principle (FAWC).
- 100% trained staff
- 100% compliance with health plans; no incidents
People and Communities
We are committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of our people, the people in the communities where we operate and the people that work in our supply chain.
- Making Benchmark ‘A Great Place to Work’
- Supplier policy
- ‘Benchmark for Better’ community programmes
- Health and safety
- Above industry engagement scores
- Training and development
- Diversity and inclusion
- Supplier engagement – 100% adherence to policy
Proactive Industry Leader
We contribute to worldwide sustainable food production through our core activities, product innovation and partnerships.
We lead in developing and adopting new and improved standards, systems and technologies that overcome aquaculture challenges and create beneficial results for customers, suppliers, communities and the environment.
We engage in, support and develop initiatives that promote sustainability across the food chain through our strong collaborations and partnerships. We focus on promoting and growing the aquaculture industry and increasing market opportunities for sustainable products and services.
Responsible Operator
We safely and ethically conduct our activities in ways that respect and support our people, neighbouring communities, suppliers, customers and the environment.
We operate well-designed facilities that support animal health and welfare and promote ecosystem health – continuously seeking improvement through our sustainability programme. Our people are empowered to help us achieve our goals, supported by good governance and engaged leaders.
Impact Across the Value Chain
The positive impact we make extends across our value chain.
Our contributions to advancing environmental stewardship in aquaculture create real benefits for many. We share the wealth created through our business with the communities associated with our supply chain through purchases, operations and sales. We support neighbouring communities through job creation, education, training, investment in infrastructure and charitable donations. We contribute to governments through taxes, employment, procurement opportunities and local investments.
Net Zero
Our strategies and policies align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. We have committed to net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and total net zero emissions by 2050.
This commitment is based on a science-based targets (SBTI) approach of absolute contraction following the 1.5C scenario. We have adopted the following definition of net zero:
‘A net zero organisation will set and pursue an ambitious 1.5C aligned science-based target for its full value-chain emissions. Any remaining hard-to-decarbonise emissions can be compensated using certified greenhouse gas removal’.
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