Sustainability

We believe that by investing in the health of our business, our people, our salmon, the environment and the communities in which we operate, we will promote healthy living.

Sustainability at Bakkafrost

The fast-growing global population coupled with increasing demand for protein, is putting unprecedented pressure on the planet. In this scenario, there is a challenge to produce protein and valuable essential fish oils efficiently and sustainably – a challenge which the aquaculture industry is stepping up to meet.

As the largest salmon farmer in the Faroe Islands, at Bakkafrost we have a duty to ensure we also do this responsibly; which means thinking long-term on economic, social, and environmental issues.

The Bakkafrost Difference

  • We have one of the highest levels of omega 3 in our salmon.

  • We do not use antibiotics and minimise the use of medicine to treat our salmon.

  • We only use non-GM plant proteins and oils, Pro-Terra certified soybeans, and sustainable certified rapeseed oil and marine ingredients, in our feed.

  • We have the longest fully integrated value chain in the industry, giving us full traceability.

  • We benefit from excellent pristine conditions for farming high quality salmon  – thanks to cool steady sea temperatures and strong currents.

  • We have a lower than average feed conversion ratio.

  • We were the first to start filtering fish oil used in our feed of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs.

Our Approach

Our mission is to produce healthy world-class salmon. We believe that by investing in the health of our business, our people, our salmon, the environment and the communities in which we operate, we will enable healthy living for millions of people globally.

While the industry benefits from one of the most efficient feed-to-food conversion ratios and relatively low CO2 emissions compared to other sectors, reducing our environmental impact remains a priority. With the longest fully integrated value chain in the salmon industry, we are in an advantageous position to further limit our emissions and have almost total traceability.

Our significant contribution to the Faroese economy, through employment, taxes and returns, means we have a big responsibility to everyone with an invested interest in the company.

Our Healthy Living Plan is the first time we have made a series of public commitments to address our most material economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities.

Read our 2020 Healthy Living Sustainability Report for an update of performance against our plan and our policies.

Awards and ratings

In 2019, Bakkafrost was announced as a finalist at edie’s Sustainability Leaders Awards 2020 in the Sustainability Reporting & Communications category, for the 2018 Healthy Living Sustainability Report. The awards recognise and reward changemakers within business.

In 2019, our biogas business FÖRKA won Faroese Business Initiative.

The new plant will process waste from salmon and dairy farms into fertiliser and renewable energy.

In 2019, Bakkafrost was named among the Best Performers in the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, which ranks the world’s largest listed producers on sustainability. We were recognised as the best-performing aquaculture company for not using antibiotics since 2004, as well as providing transparency in feed composition.