The case in summary: – Norwegian salmon producers are tightening controls after the discovery of plastic and styrofoam packaging on Asian beaches. – The Norwegian Seafood Council, Sjømat Noreg and the EPS association have launched an initiative to ensure higher material recycling of fish boxes in exposed areas. – The aim of the initiative is to gain more knowledge about what happens to the fish boxes when they reach their final destination. – The seafood industry wants the fish boxes to be part of a circular value chain. – WWF urges to reduce the use of plastic and adopt sustainable alternatives in addition to ensuring increased reuse. – Norway will spend up to NOK 1 billion in the fight against plastic pollution in developing countries over the next four years. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Norway’s Seafood Council, Seafood Norway and the EPS association presented a joint initiative on Wednesday to “ensure higher material recycling of fish boxes in exposed areas”. The background is reports about salmon packaging on Asian beaches which have been an embarrassment to the industry and the entire nation. – I get sick and pissed off by these pictures. It is embarrassing to be Norwegian when these areas overflow with styrofoam packaging with Norwegian flags on it, said Greenpeace leader Frode Pleym to news in April. Where Europe has developed good systems for recycling EPS boxes (styrofoam in the vernacular), the fate of the boxes has been more random in Asia. When the fish is sold on to local sub-suppliers, the Norwegian producers no longer have control over the shipment. WWF Thailand Anusit Srisra – Most of the styrofoam waste we collect is packaging from Norwegian salmon producers, which can be recognized by the Norwegian flag, says Anusit Srisra, who owns the sorting center on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. WWF Thailand The sorting center on the island of Koh Samui – Unfortunately, it is the case that many countries still do not have regulations or political tools for proper waste management, and even less requirements and infrastructure for recycling, says Henrik Horjen in Sjømat Noreg. WWF Thailand The sorting center on the island of Koh Samui The majority of the EPS boxes (styrofoam in the vernacular) end up as new plastic raw material in the form of recycled pellets, but not all. WWF Thailand The sorting center on the island of Koh Samui – Plastic litter is a global crisis that requires global measures, says secretary general of the WWF World Wildlife Fund, Karoline Andaur. – I hope the mapping can provide useful answers – The purpose of the initiative is to gain more knowledge about what happens to the fish boxes when they reach their final destination, says Mounir El’Mourabit. He is responsible for policy and development in the EPS association, which is part of the Norwegian Confederation of Business and Industry (NHO). The new initiative from the seafood industry was presented in connection with the clean-up operation Rein Sognefjord, which began on Wednesday afternoon. On the same day, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre served Norwegian salmon and seafood to Chinese consumers on a shopping trip in Shanghai. – We are working with Chinese authorities to create predictability and good market access for Norwegian seafood companies, said Støre. – Chinese people know how to appreciate good fish and seafood. It was pleasant to see that the Chinese customers I met appreciate the Norwegian seafood, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Photo: NTB Southeast Asia is a growing market for Norwegian seafood. In 2023, Norway exported seafood worth NOK 8.5 billion to the region. – EPS boxes are a good solution as they are recycled. We want the fish boxes to be part of a circular value chain, says Henrik Wiedswang Horjen at Sjømat Norge. Åshild Nakken is the Norwegian Seafood Council’s envoy to Southeast Asia. – We hope that this survey can provide useful answers and, in the long term, secure a system for recycling fish boxes, she says. – We will not solve the plastic crisis only with good waste systems WWF has prepared studies which categorize which plastic products are “necessary” and which for some of them can be replaced with less polluting alternatives. The styrofoam boxes that Norwegian fish are exported fall into the last category. – It is good to see that the seafood industry wants to take responsibility, but we will not solve the plastic crisis only with good waste systems and recycling. We must reduce the use of plastic and adopt sustainable alternatives in addition to ensuring increased reuse, says secretary general of WWF Verdsnaturfondet, Karoline Andaur. She adds that it is “urgent to put in place a global and legally binding plastic agreement, followed by strong national measures”: – We hope that the industry invests resources to develop products that maintain functionality, and have less risk of ending up in nature. Norwegian seafood suppliers supply technology to the project The Ocean Cleanup, which as of today has collected 10,000 tonnes of plastic and rubbish from the world’s oceans. Mørenot has been chosen as supplier for the project, which has been named “System 03”. The company’s experience in fisheries and aquaculture was emphasized when they were given the assignment. Norwegian seafood suppliers supply technology to the project The Ocean Cleanup, which as of today has collected 10,000 tonnes of plastic and rubbish from the world’s oceans. The EU announced in April that they are tightening the rules for packaging. The new directive covers the entire value chain from production, via use to reuse and material recovery. The Norwegian Environment Agency expects the regulations to be implemented in Norway during 2025. At the same time, the government announced that Norway will spend up to NOK 1 billion in the fight against plastic pollution in developing countries over the next four years. The support is a continuation of the aid program against plastic pollution that was established in 2019. Private Christine Molvik, project manager Rein SognefjordWe are very positive about all initiatives that reduce waste in nature. We need circular systems that ensure that valuable resources are kept in a cycle and do not disappear into nature. This applies to all parts of business, but especially the seafood industry. With this initiative, Norway is helping to show the way in a market by developing a return system for waste disposal. Rolf-Ørjan Høgset, chairman of the association In the same boat It is great that Norway and Norwegian exporters of seafood are taking responsibility in other countries, both developing countries and other nations that buy our seafood products, but the state must also take greater responsibility here at home in Norway. It is amazing to see how Norway is draining resources on clean-up in other countries, while in Norway they have reduced the post office in the national budget to almost nothing. Carl Höjman in the organization Salt, which works against marine litter It is great that the industry is taking the initiative to obtain knowledge about how their packaging products are handled as waste after export. I hope that the industry not only makes recyclable fish boxes for the export market, but that they also expand their responsibility by ensuring capacity in recipient countries to actually win back the boxes. Lars Haltbrekken, SVThere must be established collection arrangements like we have in agriculture. The salmon billionaires must be forced to take care of their plastic waste, whether it ends up on the beaches of Norway or Thailand. Rasmus Hansson, MDGI countries without waste management, Norwegian fish boxes are scattered in millions of small, almost eternal pieces. Norwegian industry that sells seafood must enter obligations to handle its own plastic waste as part of all salsa agreements. Several Norwegian seafood companies already do it, and I don’t understand why not everyone does it. Ola Elvestuen, Venstre When the waste from Norwegian companies washes into the sea in other countries, it is the same companies’ responsibility. In the same way as with climate emissions, the Norwegian fishing industry must take responsibility for the entire value chain here. The industry should start immediately and not wait for demands for producer responsibility from the EU directive on plastic products. That requirement will come regardless. Karoline Andaur, secretary general of WWF World Wildlife FundNorwegian companies can and should lead by example and use environmentally friendly alternatives. When they do not, it is because voluntary measures are not enough. Business needs a level playing field, which is why we need to put in place a legally binding plastic agreement that obliges all countries to implement measures and set strict requirements for business.Lise Keilty Gulbransen, Hold Norway RentA new global plastic agreement must contain requirements to address the risk of littering from own business regardless of material and where in the value chain the littering occurs. Only then will we succeed in the fight against littering. At the same time, each link in the value chain has an independent responsibility to assess whether its own operations can lead to littering and to prevent this, possibly clean up if littering still occurs. Frode Pleym, Greenpeace It is good that Norway has the ambition to be “clearly present” in the negotiations on the plastics agreement. It should actually only be missing when Norwegian salmon producers are unfortunately “clearly present” with their plastic rubbish on the other side of the world. The world is drowning in plastic, and Norwegian companies are part of the problem. We cannot recycle our way out of the growing plastic crisis. Published 12.09.2024, at 15.39
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Norwegian salmon producers tighten controls – news Vestland
