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Committed to Sustainability
Sustainability at GroAqua
As our business grows, so does our focus on sustainability. Our main purpose is to support the aquaculture sector by developing solutions which contribute towards a net-positive impact on the ocean. Our ambitions extend beyond that though – these are focused on three areas: the climate, nature and the community.
Climate
In 2021, we made a commitment to reduce the CO2e emissions from our operations (scope 1 and 2) in the Faroe Islands by at least 50% by 2030. We are also working to reduce the emissions from our value chain (scope 3).
By January 2023, we had reduced our operational emissions by 13% (combined scope 1 and 2).
However, the biggest impact we can have is supporting our customers to reduce their GHG emissions. For example, by electrifying a salmon farmer’s feed barge, we can help them reduce their total energy consumption, which in the long run will eliminate most of the CO2e emissions.
Nature
In 2021, we made a commitment to become net-positive in our impacts on land biodiversity from the sourcing of major raw materials. We set a number of targets to help us achieve this, which we will report on each year.
While managing our own impact is important, the biggest impact we can have is in supporting our customers to address their impact on nature, specifically the ocean.
For example, by helping a salmon farmer reduce feed waste through our fish feeding solutions, we’ve supported farming sites in improving their feed conversion ratios. Improving this ratio reduces the use of feed and the resources and land used to produce it, as well as any potential pollution in the fjords.
Community
As well as creating good work opportunities in the communities where we operate, we are invested in the health and wellbeing of our people.
With approximately 10% of our employees coming from abroad, we realise we have a big responsibility to ensure optimal working conditions. And while we operate in a primarily male-dominated work environment, we are proud that 17% of our employees are women. This is something we are committed to improving on.
In the Faroe Islands, we are supporting a number of organisations and activities to promote health and wellbeing in the community. We have, for example, focused on supporting sport activities for young people in the local area.
Collaborating on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2021, we became a founding member of Burðardygt Vinnulív (the Faroese Sustainable Business Initiative), a CEO network of twelve businesses operating in the Faroe Islands that aims to advance sustainable business practices in response to three specific sustainability challenges: climate change, ocean health and biodiversity loss.
Through a collaborative approach, we aim to contribute towards UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 Climate Action, 14 Life Below Water and 15 Life on Land, with greater speed and impact than would be possible for individual companies.
Read our latest report to see the great progress on our commitments, for which we received recognition in 2023 at the EDIE awards – known as the UK’s largest and most prestigious sustainability awards – where we picked up the award for Partnership and Collaboration.
Cases
Hybrid Power Supply
New-design feeding barge, equipped with its cutting-edge technology and designed for optimal fuel economy, to be situated in a remote and exposed area in northern Iceland.
Our Policies and Performance
Below are the policies which ensure our practices meet our principles:
- To act fairly, honest and with integrity at all times and in everything that we do, and to comply with all applicable laws.
- To treat all our employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders fairly and with respect.
- To maintain accurate and complete books and records and uphold our system of internal control.
- To earn the trust of all our stakeholder by acting consistently and reliably in accordance with this Policy Statement.
- GroAqua shall be a professional and positive workplace with inclusive environment. We respect all internationally recognised human rights, including those set out in the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and applicable standards of international humanitarian law.
- GroAqua strictly prohibits the use of modern slavery and human trafficking in our operations and supply chain. We have and will continue to be committed to implementing systems and controls aimed at ensuring that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within our organization or in any of our supply chains. We expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
- GroAqua shall be a professional and positive workplace with inclusive environment. We respect all legal requirement for the health and security of all persons involved in GroAqua operations.
- GroAqua strives to protect all persons involved in GroAqua operations from any form of harm or injury. We expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
At GroAqua, we want to emphasize that we appreciate each other, that we are polite and positive, help each other to solve tasks, be accommodating to suggestions and advices, just as we say no to each other in the right place – that we talk to and not about each other and so on.
GroAqua stands for equal opportunities for all. This applies when hiring and in connection with performing work in the company. Discrimination is not accepted. Management takes the lead in keeping all forms of degradation, mockery and discrimination away from the organisation.
The latest performance on Environmental Social and Governance topics are descriped in our 2022 ESG report.