Eide uses the GRI Standards for annual voluntary reporting of sustainable development. The Standards comprise economic, environmental and social dimensions relating to an enterprise’s activities and products. We believe that our reporting is consistent with GRI’s reporting principles in all material respects.
The GRI Standards consists of universal standards, sector standards and topics standards. The general requirements applies to all reporting organizations, while the sector specific requirements apply only for companies in the applicable industry and the topic related requirements apply are selected based on materiality.
Our GRI index is included in this report and includes references to specific sections in this report as well as additional information that can be found on our website efb.no. The Index also include a reference to the disclosed information and gives an overview over the omissions and the reasons why omissions are applied. The reporting period for this report is 1.1.2022 – 31.12.2022. For questions about the report please contact our Sustainability and Finance Manager.
Knut Johan Eide was a major in the Norwegian military and was commonly know as “the major”. The journey from the home farm to the military in Bergen was long. The desire to create a livelihood closer to home was strong. However, the soil was poor so after several failed attempts he started farming rainbow trout in the nearby lake “Skogseidvatnet” in 1971. He later started producing Atlantic salmon in the same lake, a business that continues today. The main office of Eide is also located here by the lake today.
Knut Johan’s son, Knut Frode Eide, had a promising career in the booming oil industry, but quit his job to join his father in the salmon business in 1984. With twice the work and half the salary few people understood his choice, but Knut Frode saw the potential in salmon farming from the very beginning.
In 1988 he mortgaged his house to secure funding for starting salmon farming in the sea, in the Hardanger fjord. Together with his wife Randi Eide Knut Frode developed the company to a solid business with eight sea sites for salmon. Eide Fjordbruk was a big part of his life, and when he in 2018 lost the eight-year battle against brain cancer it was a great loss to both the family, the company and the employees.
Sondre Eide took over as CEO after Knut Frode and is currently steering the business in the spirit of Knut Frode, towards the future. Where Knut Frode took the business from the lake to the sea, Sondre is taking it further out in the world and into the cloud, with new innovations in big data, the visitor center Salmon Eye and a new brand for carbon neutral salmon.
On his team is also the rest of the Eide family. His brother Erlend Eide is CTO and head of R&D in the company, while mom Randi runs the office and is also Chairman of the BoD. Jennifer, the wife of Sondre holds the position as head of analytics. The fourth generation are still in kinder garden.
Our vision is to set the standard for the future of aquaculture. At a family-owned business with a long legacy it is important to us to operate in a way that will allow the next generation to continue the journey.
Eide is not among the largest and will never be, but we can strive to be the best in many other aspects. This is what our vision is all about. We want to lead and be an example for others to follow. We want to farm sustainable food in the sea the future and the generations to come. We care about each other, our fish and the environment that we live and operate in. We have a strong passion for what we do and want to contribute actively to develop and improve our industry for the future.
We are also convinced that the future for salmon production in Norway is in the sea, and that it is our fjords and clean water that has been and will continue to be our primary competitive edge in a global competitive market. At the same time, we recognize the challenges of open net pens and take them seriously, realizing that we need new solutions to tackle the problems caused by the salmon lice. We therefore want to invest in developing salmon farming in the sea using new technology and tools.
This vision is also the inspiration behind our new visitor center Salmon Eye, a floating exhibition center and piece of art floating in the fjord, with the goal of promoting sustainable food production in the sea through experiences and discussions, across different disciplines and opinions, based on independent and fact-based information.
Our material topics for reporting are those areas which have been identified by both Eide and our stakeholders as the most important for us to report on. The key areas are divided into our four pillars, the four Fs; Folk, Fish, Fjord and Future. In this report you can read more about how we have defined and delimited the different areas, what goals we have set for each area, how we are doing and what measures have been taken to reach the various goals.
What constitutes key topics for reporting is based on different sources. We have had dialogues with our stakeholders, among other things through a survey. The survey was divided between both internal and external stakeholders and between the different stakeholder groups. Respondents were asked to assess a total of 40 sustainability topics according to the degree of importance from “Low importance” (score 1), “Slightly important” (score 2), “Quite important” (score 3), “Important” (score 4) and “Very important” (score 5). In addition, it has been possible to write custom topics. The survey was conducted anonymously.
We have also had discussions with the Board of Director’s, and we have looked at the presumptively assumed key topics proposed by GRI 13, the sector standard for aquaculture companies.
Within the dimension Folk lie topics that deal with social sustainability and our relationship with our employees, our customers and the people in the local communities where we operate. Key topics covered here are health and safety, equality, labor rights and local community. The pillar Fish primarily deals with how we take care and ensure good welfare and fish health for our fish, but also how we manage our potential impact on other living organisms in the ecosystems where we operate. In the Fjord category are our environmental goals and topics that deal with how we minimize our impact on the environment. The key topics here are water and effluents, carbon emissions, waste and soil health. In Future we cover topics with a longer time horizon and with a global perspective. It is about how we will be able to produce enough food for the world’s people while the climate is changing, and how we can ensure an ethically responsible value chain in an increasingly complex world where authoritarian regimes are on the rise. The topics food safety, soil health, water and effluents and supply chain traceability are new in 2022.
The key areas are the ones that we will focus on in our sustainability reporting, but we will also cover other areas important to us and our stakeholders.
The parent company is Eide Fjordbruk Holding AS, a Norwegian limited liability company. The Eide-group is controlled by the Eide family through their respective holding companies. The headquarter of the group is in Hålandsdalen in Bjørnafjorden Municipality. Al the operations of the group in 2022 was in Norway.
The salmon production in the sea takes place in Eide Fjordbruk AS and Norforsk AS. The smolt production (juveniles) takes place in KJ Eide Fisheoppdrett AS, Lialaks AS, Eide Smolt AS and the associated company Ænes Inkubator AS. Salmon Eye AS operates the visitor center “Salmon Eye”. The harvesting activities takes place in the associated company West Harvest AS. The two newly established companies Eide Seafood AS and Ydmyk Milano S.r.l. will be the sales companies in the group. Eide Båt AS, another newly established company, will deliver vessels and services, mainly to group companies. Watermoon AS and its subsidiaries Watermoon Scotland Ltd. And Eide Sustainable Marine Technology AS are focusing on developing and commercializing our new technology for the future of aquaculture, Watermoon ®
The group also holds investments in several other associated companies. Hålandsdalen Utbygging AS and Skjelbreid Poirée are local investments in real estate development and operations. Searis AS is a software-company. Sjømatstaden AS is a development project in Nordfjord aimed at commercializing new aquaculture species. Miljø- og Havbruk AS offer de-lousing services.
This report cover all the group companies, but most of the material topics are only applicable to the farming activity in Eide Fjordbruk AS and Norforsk AS. The definition of a group company is a company where Eide has control, typically when controlling more than 50% of the shares and votes.
I am privileged, proud and grateful to work with such great and talented employees in Eide. Together, we have the strength to achieve great things despite our size. Our production, and those working at the farms are the heart of our existence. At the same time, collaboration is a key, where we wish each other and all Eide’s interdisciplinary team success. When we reach a goal, we don’t become heroes; we reset ourselves and tackle the next challenge. We never give up, and everything we do supports the vision of setting the standard for future aquaculture.
Through Salmon Eye and the restaurant Iris, we do more than just produce and serve food. We share a vision; a story of hope, challenge and opportunity. A tribute to my father’s memory and a reminder that you need to carry your roots with you in order to reach your goals in the future. You have to know where you come from in order to know where you are going.
Watermoon represents the merge of our 53-year-old production know-how with disruptive innovative technology. It is precisely this combination, where knowledge of production is at the core, that is the key to success. We couldn’t find the environmental technology we needed on the market, so we created the solutions ourselves with a focus on fish welfare and food production for the next generation.
The new resource rent tax for sea-based aquaculture in Norway has shaken the industry, but we have focused on positive change. We are grateful for the new environmental technology scheme requested by Stortinget. Now we must ensure that this is followed up with action where farmers can exchange one open license for three closed ones. This is essential to achieve growth that is both environmentally sustainable and economically sustainable. “One to three” - we have to repeat this.
Now we have to focus with laser precision, and “One to three” must be our slogan. We are working to transform the open licenses into our own production environment, so that we can grow while taking care of the environment.
But remember, at the core of this is humans - it’s You. It is the effort, dedication and passion each of you brings to the table that makes this revolution possible.
It’s not just work; it’s our passion and fun. There is a clear difference between getting up every day with the thought “tomorrow I will do my best” and then going to bed every night with the certainty that “today I gave absolutely everything”. Then the difference that is decisive is that every single person puts in maximum effort; without that, we are weak. In Eide, everyone has a voice. Our strategy is based on the interaction of all its contributions; we are not fragmented, we are One Eide.
The next year will present new challenges. “One to three”, we persevere with full force because we know progress does not happen by itself and is not easy. The future is made by WORKING TOGETHER.
Sondre Eide
CEO and third generation salmon farmer
As the Board of Directors in the Eide group, we have the ultimate responsibility for determining the strategy and goals for the business, as well as for evaluating the risks the business faces, including sustainability risks.
We carry out an annual audit of the company’s goals and strategies, as well as the risk profile. In our risk assessments, the board places great emphasis on both the economic, social and environmental aspects of the business. We also carry out a self-evaluation of our board work at regular intervals.
The Board of Directors in the group has the ultimate responsibility for managing and controlling our impact on society and the environment. Among other things, the board is always involved in the definition of material topics, and reviews and approves the annual sustainability report.
Since it is us as owners who also make up the Board of Directors of the group the process around board elections is not particularly formal and the family board is elected by us for an indefinite period of time.
At the same time, we are aware of the need for different skills in the board and always assess whether there is a need for adjustments.
Today’s board has broad expertise from a number of different subject areas, from research and engineering to economics, biology, management and law. We also seek external help and advise when needed.
Erlend is trained in aquaculture and holds an engineering degree in subsea technology from HiB. He also holds a MSc in marine biology from NTNU in Trondheim. As a former active biathlon athlete, Erlend enjoys action-packed activities in his free time and is involved in everything from mountain biking to running in the summer to skiing and kiting in the winter.
Randi has been part of Eide since the mid-80s. She has studied biology. She has supported Knut Frode in building Eide, in addition to taking care of a very busy and extremely active family. She spends much of her free time outdoors, often at her cabin in the mountains at Geilo.
Sondre is a third-generation fish farmer, holding an MBA from San Francisco, a law degree from the University of Oslo and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. A former biathlon athlete, Sondre continues to enjoy being active in his free time. In the Biathlon Junior World Championships of 2008 in Ruhpolding, Germany, Sondre won a silver medal.
The responsibility for the day-to-day follow-up of the sustainability work lies with the management team of the group and group CEO. Group management has regular meetings where various sustainability topics are discussed and followed up. Incidents of importance are continuously raised with the group CEO and reviewed in the management team. Incidents of critical importance are immediately reported to the Board of Directors.
Chief Sustainability and Financial Officer, Christoffer Marøy is responsible for sustainability reporting as well as financial reporting and is part of the group management team. Our Quality Manager Olav Tveitnes, who has operational responsibility for following up on deviations, routines and procedures through our HSEQ management system is also included in the group management team.
In addition, other key personnel in the company have an extended responsibility linked to the follow-up of material topics. Among other things, we have our own food safety manager and fish health manager.
