Re Contract

Unilever PLC
Unilever NV
14 March 2001


UNILEVER TO OFFER SUSTAINABLE FISH FROM NEW ZEALAND WITH MSC-LOGO

Unilever will shortly be offering European consumers sustainably fished New
Zealand Hoki in some of its frozen fish products.
 
The New Zealand Hoki fishery has gained recognition for its sustainable
practices following an independent certification to the standards set by the
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The certified Hoki will carry the MSC logo.
 
'This a very important step for the MSC and the cause of sustainable
fishing,' said Niall FitzGerald, chairman of Unilever. 'And for Unilever,
even though New Zealand Hoki represents only a relatively small portion of
our total international fish supply, this is a significant step forward in
meeting our objective of buying from sustainable sources by 2005.'
 
Unilever has for some years recognised the need for a shift in the management
of natural resources towards conservation and sustainability, and has made a
public commitment to work with suppliers to move towards buying all its fish
from sustainable fisheries by 2005. New Zealand Hoki is the second species
with the MSC-logo in Unilever's portfolio. Alaskan Salmon carrying the logo
was launched in Switzerland late last year.
 
Mr FitzGerald said that he expects it to take some time before Unilever is
able to source significantly higher volumes of sustainably managed, certified
frozen fish. 'That reflects the challenges we face in achieving sustainable
fisheries around the world,' he said. 'We need support from all stakeholders,
including governments internationally, to achieve these goals.'
 
Hoki is sold by a number of New Zealand seafood companies, who together own
the Hoki Fishery Management Company, a joint fisheries cooperative
established to improve management of the fishery. Hoki Company chairman Ross
Tocker said he was excited with the MSC certification and the new business
opportunities it had created.
 
 'The New Zealand fishing industry has been committed to sustainable
management of its resources for more than two decades, and invests heavily in
research and management,' said Mr Tocker. 'This safeguards the future of the
resource, which makes good commercial sense - it ensures the industry's
investment in fishing and processing assets, and market development is
protected. Recognition by the MSC of our sustainable management system is
also enabling us to generate substantial new business. This contract with
Unilever, a major international foods company, is another strong indication
that is a good business strategy. We look forward to signing more such
contracts.'
 
In 1996, Unilever and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) jointly set up the
Marine Stewardship Council as a platform to promote sustainable fishing
internationally. The Marine Stewardship Council is now an independent,
non-profit, non-governmental body with a set of principles and criteria for
sustainable fishing. Last year, West Australian Rock Lobster and Thames
Herring were the first fisheries to go through the detailed evaluation and
achieve certification according to MSC standards. Alaska Salmon followed
shortly afterwards.
 
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