The Group meets two environmental goals ahead of schedule: having 50% of the electricity consumed come from renewable sources and a recyclable product total of 95%.
The percentage of women in middle management stood at 41.9% and reached 28.5% on the Steering Committee.
The company increased its waste management capacity by over 20% and has already managed to recover 91.1% of its non-hazardous waste.
In just one year, Grupo Calvo succeeds in certifying more than 60% of the total amount of tuna the company uses in its products, thereby ensuring that it is responsibly and sustainably sourced.
A Coruña, October 18, 2021.- Grupo Calvo has published the results of the first year of its “Responsible Engagement 2025” sustainability and social responsibility strategy. The multinational food company specialized in canned fish and seafood managed to achieve two of the seventeen goals set for 2025 in the first year of deployment.
The assessment of the first year of Responsible Engagement, which establishes improvement objectives in three major areas–oceans, environment and people–was, on balance, positive, with the progress made in waste management and the development of the circular economy, certified sustainable fishing and equal opportunities being particularly noteworthy. Equally positive was the economic performance of the Group, which managed to increase the profitability of its business with a 40% increase in EBITDA, amounting to 63 million euros, and a global turnover of 578 million euros.
“Growing sustainably is the only way to ensure the future of the industry and our company. We face major environmental and social challenges, and innovation and responsible management are the only possible means to achieving profitable and sustainable business development in the long term. The publication and dissemination of the results of our responsible performance is as relevant as our financial results in measuring the health of our business and its future potential,” stated Mané Calvo, chief executive officer (CEO) of Grupo Calvo.
“Despite the pandemic context, the first year of execution and evaluation of our Responsible Engagement was positive, with outstanding achievements in meeting several objectives ahead of time, as well as big challenges yet to be addressed. The involvement of the entire Group is the main lever to continue making progress in this exercise of improvement and transparency that is also a key component of our alignment with the United Nations 2030 Agenda”, added Mariví Sánchez, Grupo Calvo’s director of Sustainability.
Responsible and sustainable tuna sourcing
Certifying the sustainable and responsible origin of 100% of the tuna used in its products and ensuring traceability from source to can are two of the company’s most important and strategic objectives for 2025.
Over the course of 2020, the Grupo marketed 106,000 tons of tuna worldwide. More than 60% of it was certified under recognized standards and stringent sustainability criteria such as the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) blue seal and AENOR’s APR (Responsibly-Caught Tuna) certification; catches from fishery improvement projects (FIPs) with the highest rating (A or B), selective fishing (Pole & Line), and fishing conducted without the use of fish aggregating devices (FAD-free fishing).
Within this framework of commitment to sustainable fishing, Grupo Calvo’s entire fleet of tuna fishing vessels is APR (Responsibly-Caught Tuna)-certified, and 100% of its purse seine tuna suppliers are listed in the PVR (Proactive Vessel Register) of the ISSF (International Seafood Sustainability Foundation). Additionally, 80.4% of the company’s tuna providers have signed the Grupo Calvo Supplier Code that contains specific clauses pertaining to best fishing practices.
The Group is also making progress in achieving the goal of having 100% of its fishery product being traceable back to its source. In 2020, 91.6% of the tuna products manufactured in Spain already enabled consumers to consult the origin of the raw material contained in each can through the brand’s websites. The company is progressively implementing the system to include the other products and markets to reach the goal of 100% over the next four years.
Environment, circular economy and waste management
In terms of environmental protection, the Group’s results in 2020 were equally significant in the area of consumption efficiency and waste management. First, tremendous progress was made in the realm of the circular economy, where the goal of having 95% of the materials marketed be recyclable was achieved in the first year, with a total of 99%. The company also managed to valorize 91.1% of the non-hazardous waste generated, increasing the percentage achieved in 2019 by more than 21%, which makes meeting the 100% recovery target more attainable.
Additionally, Grupo Calvo’s factories and office locations in Europe and the Americas not only succeeded in moving up to 2020 the fulfillment of the overall electricity consumption objective of having at least 50% of the electricity consumed come from renewable sources, but also surpassed it to reach 83.7%
Equal opportunities and professional development
In 2020, the Group achieved significant momentum in projects dedicated to ensuring a balanced presence of men and women throughout the organization, especially in positions of leadership. As a result, the percentage of women on the Steering Committee rose from 19% in 2019 to 28.5%, thanks to the incorporation of two women in Brazil: Andrea Napolitano as executive director and Jamile Aun as chief financial officer of the America Division.
The percentage of women in middle management also increased, going from 33.4% in 2019 to 41.9% in 2020, thus approaching the target of 44%. In this area, noteworthy is the incorporation of the first female captain—a position historically occupied solely by men—into the Grupo Calvo fleet in 80 years.
Grupo Calvo’s Responsible Engagement objectives are verified annually by independent bodies and progress made towards achieving them can be consulted through the Group’s website and in the company’s Annual Report.
