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Our main product, salmon and trout are enjoyed by people around the world. Salmon has a very high fillet yield, which ensures that a large part of the fish can be used for high-quality human consumption.
We use 100% of the fish and a range of exciting by-products are made from the various parts. Off-cuts from filleting can be made into delicious salmon burgers, while trimmings of the fatty belly flaps are highly sought after for sushi in many markets. When we make skinless salmon fillets, we also get the salmon skin as a by-product. Here there are companies that specialize in making products from salmon skin, and everything from healthy salmon chips to watch straps and belts can be made from the salmon skin!
Other parts such as the salmon head and backbone can go both for human consumption and for animal feed. Blood and viscera have been processed into salmon oil, which is a valuable raw material in feed for livestock other than salmon (animal by-product category 3). Blood and viscera makes up about 17% of the live weight of the salmon. The edible yield is approximately 68%, which is very high compared to all the common livestock animals on land.
All dead fish from the production phase are ensiled and delivered for use as fur animal feed, biogas or fertilizers (animal by-product category 2).
From 2023, we will also collect sludge from fish feces and any potential feed waste that will be used for biogas and fertilizer, as well as start R&D production of blue mussels produced partly on dissolved nutrients from the salmon. Blue mussels can be processed into blue mussel meal, which can also be used as a feed ingredient for salmon.
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We believe that the food production of the future must be carbon neutral and that our customers will want to buy and eat food made without carbon emissions. Our long-term goal and vision is therefore zero CO2-emissions. We also have a goal of reducing our direct emissions with minimum 60% towards 2030, and our total emissions incl scope 3 by 50%. in line with the 1.5-degree target in the Paris agreement.
We can divide our measures into four categories; Measures to reduce direct scope 1 emissions, indirect scope 2 emissions, scope 3 emissions and compensating measures to reduce or offset remaining emissions that we are not yet able to eliminate ourself.
For us it was important to start with ourselves and our direct emissions from fossil fuels. In 2016 we therefore sat a goal of electrifying all our farms by the end of 2020. Going forward we also want to electrify our boats.
As we replace more fossil fuels with electricity our emissions
in scope 2 will increase without other measures. We want to stimulate local production of electricity and the transition to renewable energy. We will therefore purchase local hydropower to meet our need for electricity.
Indirect emissions in scope 3, and in particular emissions from the production of feed and feed ingredients accounts for most of the carbon footprint of the salmon. Therefore, this is an important focus area to reduce emissions in the value chain. To us this is about making sure we use the right feed, and that we get as much quality salmon out of that feed as possible. The most important to achieve this is to maintain a low feed conversion rate and mortality rate.
Finally, we have measures for offsetting remaining emissions that we are not yet able to cut ourselves. Working with independent experts on carbon neutrality, Natural Capital Partners, we offset for our own remaining, unavoidable emissions buy supporting carbon reducing projects that also contribute to helping local communities and preserving nature. The compensation is done according to the requirements in the CarbonNeutral Protocol, the global standard for carbon neutrality and has led to our certification as a CarbonNeutral® Company.
In 2022 we had direct scope 1 emissions of 1,107 tonnes CO2e. The scope 1 emissions are reduced by 38% compared to our base year 2018, mainly due to electrification of our farms.
In 2022 we purchased only renewable energy from local, Norwegian hydropower. Our scope 2 emissions was therefore only 15 tonnes, 98% lower than what they would have been using the average European electricity mix.
Our indirect scope 3 emissions was 40,975 tonnes CO2e, and out of this feed accounted for 33,678 tonnes. We reduced our scope 3 emissions by 14,355 tonnes, equivalent of a reduction of 26%, since 2018.
In 2022 Eide supported carbon finance projects that contributed with a reduction in emissions of 4,640 tonnes CO2e. We offset all our remaining unavoidable emissions in Scope 1 and 2 as well as those scope 3 emissions originating from our own business such as business travel and waste. The offsets are done and certified according to the requirements in The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the leading global framework for carbon neutrality. As a result, Eide achieves certification as a CarbonNeutral® company.
In addition, the offset includes all emissions in the life cycle from roe to finished product for the salmon we certified as a CarbonNeutral® Product (Mamasea®).
In 2022 we supported two projects, Darkwoods Forest conservation in Canada, and a global renewable energy project. In recent years, the offsets from Eide has also supported a range of other carbon finance projects, from supplying clean cookstoves in Malawi to providing households in India with solar water heaters and restoring wetlands in the US in the Seneca Meadows project.
In total our emissions per kg salmon produced before offsets was 2.54 kg CO2e. This corresponds to a reduction of 1.76 kg CO2e per kg salmon, or a 41% reduction compared to 2018-levels. In total we have reduces our emissions by 15,967 tonnes CO2e yearly before offsets, equivalent of a 27% reduction. The reduction in total emissions is lower than the reduction in GHG intensity due to an increase in production volume in the period.
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We want to make sure we use our resources in the best way possible by reducing consumption where possible, reusing what we can and to recycle our waste. Locally we want to work to fight the challenge with ocean plastics and contribute to keeping the beaches clean. We also work to help reduce food waste.
We distinguish between waste, by-product, discharge and food waste. By-product is a product that could become waste if we had not used it and is included as part of our circular strategy but is not included in the reported amount of waste. Discharge of, for example, nutrients and fish feces are not included here (in line with GRI 306) but is an important area and is covered in the section on water and effluents. Food waste downstream is covered in the section on food security.
In the production of salmon, we generally have little waste, and much of the waste we have is recycled. The waste handled by us includes, among other things, used nuts, ropes and feeding tubes, as well as some residual waste and hazardous waste such as paint residues and used lubricating oils.
We have good routines for repair and maintenance to extend the life of equipment. Equipment such as nets and cages are returned and recycled at the end of their useable lifetime. We use high-quality, durable, antistatic feeding tubes to improve conditions for the employees and avoid the release of microplastics from internal wear in the tubes. Used feeding tubes are returned and recycled into new products. When we replace old vessels or feeding barges, this will also contribute to waste, but both steel and aluminum are 100% recyclable.
We support organizations that work to fight against plastic in the sea and regularly participate in beach clean-up operations with equipment and personnel.
All waste has been handled in line with current laws and regulations for waste handling.
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We believe that new and more sustainable feed ingredients, as well as more sustainable farming practices are needed, both on land and in the sea. One of our ambitions is to utilize our procurement practices for feed to promote and spark more sustainable farming practices and novel feed ingredients. In addition, we aim to take part in developing the feed ingredients for the future and making sure these are safe for not only our consumers, but also good for our fish. You can read about this important R&D projects in the section about food security.
Organic agriculture
Even though the majority of the feed ingredients in organic salmon feed come from marine sources, there is still a significant share of plant-based ingredients. By producing organic salmon at some of our site we help boost the demand for organic farmed crops since only organically farmed crops can be used in the feed for our organic salmon. Crops that are farmed organically to not use chemical or synthetically produced pesticides or fertilizers. Organic agriculture is based on four principles:
Principle of Health - Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible.
Principle of Ecology - Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.
Principle of Fairness - Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regards to the common environment and life opportunities.
Principle of Care - Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.
We also take part in a pilot with regenerative agriculture which cover a range of agricultural practices, some of which overlap with organic farming, and some of which goes far beyond. The main objective is to minimize soil disturbance, maintaining living roots, a continuous cover of the soil and increasing biodiversity above and below ground. Applying these practices also help improve other important issues besides soil health, such as biodiversity on the farm, water retention and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing the soil tillage from conventional ploughing to minimum tillage or no till can retain and increase soil surface organic matter, which contains carbon, and preserve good soil structure – in particular reducing soil compaction which can increase water run-off from fields.
Cover crops, planted after a harvest and killed off before the spring crop planting, can provide a variety of services to the land. Depending on the plants grown, nitrogen and organic matter can be added to the soil. They also help to maintain soil cover and a continuous presence of live roots in the soil over the year.
Reducing fertilizer use - Nitrogen fertilizer is routinely applied to industrial cropland to increase yields, but producing it is an energy intensive process and if the fertilizer is applied in excess, it can break down to nitrous oxide, a potent GHG.
Beneficial insect / pollinator strips are strips of land which are seeded with a mix of plants to support insect biodiversity in large areas of agriculture land. The mix is selected to support beneficial insects – pollinators and predatory insects which control pest species as part of integrated pest management practices. The strips can also help to reduce erosion in the fields and reduce sediment and nutrient run-off and bring a small contribution to soil organic carbon sequestration and storage.
Companion crops are grown through the field with the main crop to help defend against pests and add to soil nitrogen or improve soil structure, depending on the species planted. Some species help to deter pests, particularly of oilseed rape, or attract predatory insects which again protect the main crop.
In 2022 Eide purchased feed including wheat gluten produced with regenerative practices from pilot farmers in the UK. Wheat gluten is a good protein source that can substitute soy protein concentrate in the feed diet. The pilot project covered just over 1,500ha of land, producing about 8,200t wheat.
The CO2 reductions and carbon sequestration into the soil are calculated based on inputs on the farm environment, the practices and the crop, in line with best practices for greenhouse gas emissions and reductions accounting according to Gold Standard and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The calculated reductions and removals are applied to the value chain emissions inventory as insets – reductions or removals that are applied within the value chain of the company.
In addition to contributing to better soil health and sparking demand for crops farmed using regenerative practices, we where also able to reduce our scope 3 (indirect) GHG emissions from feed by 4,3 per cent by applying these insets to our GHG emissions for 2022.
Both organically grown crops and crops grown using regenerative practices still have a higher cost compared to conventional, industrial agriculture.
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Most of the effluents come from our sea sites and consist of organic matter or sludge deriving from fish feces, and dissolved nutrients such ass dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous released over the gills of the fish. Impact of effluents from sea sites are regularly monitored and scored by independent professionals.
Our freshwater facilities used for juvenile production withdraw and discharge fresh water. This discharge water also contains effluents, although a lot less than from the sea sites due to lower biomass and feed volumes being used.
We have a goal of having environmental score «Very good» (1) or «Good» (2) on all our sea sites, and minimum good ecological condition (biodiversity) and good chemical condition (water quality) in the receiving water bodies of all our freshwater facilities.
Regardless of whether the impact on the surrounding water body is negative or not, these effluents can be seen as resources astray. From a circular economy perspective, we aim to utilize these. Therefore, we have a holistic vision where all the resources are used, either by collecting the sludge or feces to refine it into new products, or by using the nutrients as feed for other marine creatures such as sea-weed and mussels in an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture system (IMTA).
The production is adapted to local conditions, so that one does not go over the carrying capacity of the individual site. The company is complying with all rules and regulations for handling of fish, fish feed and waste and has an internal control system that helps us ensure this. The company is also certified to the Global GAP standard for aquaculture.
All our fish farms carry out regular sampling and monitoring of environmental conditions at peak production capacity of the site according to Norsk Standard 9410. The investigation monitors the bottom conditions under and near the pens and measures the impact from the farming activities on the seabed. The investigation is conducted by a competent body, which can document professional competence, and which is independent of us. The investigation is performed with a grabber on site and gives a qualitative description of the bottom sediments with a score from (“very good” to “very poor” (1-4), in which score 4 is considered an overload. The investigation shall be conducted at fixed intervals based on the results of the previous investigation and is risk-based in the way that a low score leads to more frequent surveys. Some sites have lower carrying capacity, with others have a very high carrying capacity. When the environmental investigation shows that the seabed under the farm is impacted, time is normally the best medicine and after some months without farming the seabed condition is normally restored back to normal.
Eide is also part of a voluntary Marin Monitoring project carried out by Blue Planet, which monitors water quality in the fjord areas of Hordaland. The purpose is to ensure that farming activity in the region does not exceed the carrying capacity of the areas. The project documents water quality, bottom conditions and macroalgae biotope (seaweed and kelp) throughout the year at a large number of sites in the region.
One of our juvenile sites has a lake as the receiving water body. This lake is also subject to regular sampling and monitoring of the water quality and environmental condition.
During 2022, we have invested in new equipment for sludge collection at two of the facilities that have the highest risk of negative impact on the recipient. This equipment will be put into use during the first half of 2023 and will help to reduce the impact on these areas by collecting a large part of the organic matter. After collection, much of the water is removed before the sludge is used in biogas production and as fertilizer in agriculture.
In 2022, we received a license for Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture at a site in Nordfjord. In 2023, we will start up R&D trials with blue mussel production here. The blue mussel is a species that grows by filtering large amounts of water through its body and in this way takes up many of the same nutrients that the salmon releases. Blue mussel production is still not commercially profitable on a large scale in Norway, neither for human consumption nor for feed, as it requires large investments and a large sea area. Nevertheless, the species has a great potential both as human food and feed raw material if there is a will for it politically and locally.
In 2022 we had a total of eleven different sites, of which eight had environmental status very good, two had good and one site had status as poor according to the latest investigations. No sites had very poor status. The site that was overloaded in 2020 was fallowed in 2021 and conditions there has now improved. At this site, we have now invested in new technology to collect sludge particles from fish feces in order to reduce the pressure on the seabed below the site and raise the site to a condition class of good.
We had two freshwater juvenile facilities, one of which discharge water to sea with very good environmental conditions, while the other discharge to a freshwater lake. The lake was recently classified with moderate ecological status according to the EU Water Framework Directive and in connection with this, the company has been requested to carry out further environmental investigations. In addition, we also invested in new technology for cleaning the wastewater in order to reduce our own impact on the lake.
We believe that these measures will have a positive impact and are optimistic about reaching the target of 100% of our sites with score good or very good.