Seafood & Environmental Sustainability
Gorton's recognizes that the increased demand for seafood can put significant pressure on our natural resources. Gorton’s, in collaboration with important partners like the New England Aquarium (NEAq), proactively influences seafood sourcing to minimize harm to the surrounding ecosystems. We recognize that future generations are relying on us to make responsible decisions today that will allow for the long-term economic health and environmental integrity of our seafood resources.
As a global leader in seafood, Gorton's is committed to protecting and enhancing the sustainability of seafood resources and is acting responsibly to address this by:
- Purchasing from environmentally responsible fisheries, farms and suppliers
- Working with our suppliers to ensure appropriate traceability and continuous environmental improvement
- Encouraging innovation in developing new sources of sustainable seafood.
- Identifying collaborative partnership opportunities both within and outside the seafood industry and supporting the scientific research needed to advance a sustainable seafood supply
- Advocating for responsible fishery and farm management practices through our active participation in federal, state and local management bodies and with conservation organizations and leading trade associations
- Communicating our progress with measurable performance indicators in relation to our commitment to advance seafood sustainability
The consideration of seafood sustainability is an integral part of Gorton's responsible sourcing strategies and operations. Our seafood resources will be safeguarded for the future if we all work together to protect and properly manage the world's marine resources, habitats, and ecosystems.
Other Green Initiatives
We are dedicated to preserving the health of the worldwide seafood supply for generations to come. In addition to our efforts to safeguard the health of fish populations worldwide, we are taking steps to reduce our environmental impact in many other ways. To date, we have:
- Installed new energy efficient lighting resulting in a 40% reduction in electricity usage
- Reduced water usage by 8 million gallons a year
- Increased utilization of rail freight by 76% at our Specialty Products location in Cleveland, which reduces green house gas emissions by 2/3 versus using trucks, and saves 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel
- Saved 11 million pounds of packaging material by reducing carton board strength
- Implemented continuous "Lean and Green" programs with suppliers encouraging sustainable practices and green initiatives
- Begun testing small scale alternative energy generation
