Thai Union PCL : Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Fourth Consecutive Year

Caption: Thai Union, which is regarded as the world's largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products, was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the fourth year in a row. Photo credit: Thai Union

7 SEPTEMBER 2017, BANGKOK - Thai Union Group PCL, a leading global seafood company with a portfolio of brands worldwide, was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Emerging Markets for the fourth year in a row.

Thai Union's sustainability strategy, SeaChange®, successfully drove the score with industry best-in-class 100 percentile rankings for Climate Strategy, Materiality, Human Capital Development, Health and Nutrition, Water Related Risks, and Policy Influence. Furthermore, strong performances in Supply Chain Management, Business Codes of Conduct and Labor Practice Indicators, helped propel Thai Union into the 97 percentile ranking among companies in the industry.

'As one of the largest seafood companies in the world, Thai Union has fully embraced our role as a leader for positive change. This means putting sustainability at the heart of our business,' said Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union's CEO. 'It is an honor for Thai Union to be recognized for our ongoing sustainability efforts. To be recognized four years in a row makes us incredibly proud.'

The Emerging Markets Index is a highly-regarded sub-index that evaluates companies in emerging markets on their sustainability performance. Each year, over 3,000 companies are invited to participate in RobecoSAM's Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), and are selected based on a comprehensive assessment of long-term economic, environmental and social criteria that account for general as well as industry-specific sustainability trends.

'Being named once again to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index is reflective of the success of our sustainability strategy, SeaChange®,' said Dr. Darian McBain, Thai Union's global director for sustainable development. 'The people at Thai Union are working every day to ensure the company values we embrace are being translated into real and demonstrable change for good.'

SeaChange® is an integrated plan of initiatives, organized into four programs, including safe and legal labor, responsible sourcing, responsible operations, and people and communities. It is designed to drive meaningful improvements across the entire global seafood industry as well as help deliver against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Zero Hunger, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Life Below Water.

As part of SeaChange®, the company has made significant commitments to support best practice fisheries and reduce illegal and unethical labor practices. In December 2016, Thai Union announced a $90 million investment to ensure that 100 percent of its branded tuna is sustainably sourced with a goal of achieving a minimum of 75 percent by 2020. The company also signed a pledge as part of its membership in the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS), committing to improve operations and to challenge the rest of the seafood industry to follow.

Additionally, Thai Union recently represented Thailand's business community with its participation in the Bali Process Government and Business Forum, which allows governments to better engage the private sector to combat human trafficking, forced labor and related exploitation. McBain delivered a Statement for the Floor to worldwide leaders on eradicating modern slavery at the Forum.

Thai Union's Annual Sustainability Report 2016 was released in June. The report detailed the company's performance against key indicators and targets outlined in SeaChange®, from January through December 2016.