BlueNalu Joins UN Global Compact, Showing Early Commitment to Sustainable Practices
BlueNalu, a world pioneer in cell-cultured seafood production, announced that it joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, showing the company's commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices.
The UN Global Compact is the world's largest business sustainability project, with over 16,000 companies from 160 countries participating voluntarily.
The initiative guides its members in doing actions that advance social goals by employing ten fundamental principles in human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption.
BlueNalu, as a member, is dedicated to adopting these principles into its strategy, setting the norm for public accountability and transparency in the cell-cultured seafood business, and publishing an annual Communication on Progress.
Lou Cooperhouse, president and CEO at BlueNalu, said:
"As innovators of a critical new source of sustainable protein, creating seafood products responsibly and with integrity isn’t just a goal – it's paramount. From the species we select to the seafood we produce and the markets we prioritise, every step is thoughtful and centred around helping to support the health of our planet, especially our ocean, the economies and livelihoods of people who depend upon it, and the welfare of animals and ecosystems.
"With this mindset, we selected bluefin tuna as our initial product, as this species is vulnerable to environmental and social challenges and limited in supply. We believe that a healthy ocean is essential for all life forms, and BlueNalu is committed to the preservation of our ocean’s biodiversity by championing SDG 14 –Life Below Water.”
The ocean is the world's largest ecosystem, supplying 99% of the planet's livable habitat and covering more than two-thirds of the earth's surface. It is also the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing approximately 25% of carbon emissions.
Blue carbon, or carbon stored in ocean ecosystems and marine species, could have a big impact on climate change mitigation. According to an International Monetary Fund study, a great whale has a carbon capture potential of roughly 33 tonnes of CO2 when left in the wild, whereas a tree absorbs only up to 48 pounds of CO2 annually.
While more research is needed to determine the quantity of blue carbon linked to other marine animals, such as bluefin tuna, new research predicts that commercial fishing prevents the sequestration of 28.8% to 94.6% of the extracted carbon when wildlife is taken out of the ocean. In a recently issued whitepaper on bluefin tuna, the company's first product to market, BlueNalu investigates blue carbon, as well as other environmental and societal concerns, and the possible impact of cell-cultured seafood.
Source: BluNalu
