Pilot project launched to track plastic usage

Transitioning to a circular economy necessitates the recycling of our resources, including plastics. This can only be achieved if we are aware of the types and quantities of plastics we use. This is the goal of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), a collaboration that encompasses nearly half of the world's salmon farming. The aim is to comprehend the movement of plastics through operations to identify where reductions in the sector's plastic footprint can be made, and to promote a more circular approach. "As salmon cultivators, we witness the effects of plastic daily, which is why it's crucial for us to take action. We initiated this pilot with the Global Salmon Initiative to expand our knowledge and prepare for necessary actions to enhance our global industry and meet future demands for recirculation, waste management, and reporting," states Lars Galtung, Cermaq’s Chief Sustainability and Communication Officer. The pilot, guided by the Responsible Plastic Management Program team, aimed to classify all plastic by type, use, function, source, quantity, and fate, leading to plastic identification and indexing for tracking progress over time. Cermaq recorded all plastics used throughout our value chain in Norway, from smolt, through sea site and a processing plant. A total of 350 different plastic items were discovered. These were divided into three main categories: single use, short term use, and long-term/infrastructure. Single-use plastics include packaging, fish boxes, containers, feedbags, disposable lab coats, etc. There are relatively few different items, 46 in total, with 90% of the total amount used in the processing plant. Sea site production had the least single-use items. Short-term use plastic includes items like gloves, life vests, dry suits, sampling equipment, ropes, and boots. There were 131 different items, with sea site production accounting for nearly half of the item numbers. The long-term use/infrastructure category includes items like water pipes, tanks, pumps, cage collars, walkways, lice skirts, plastic boats, conveyer belts, insulation, etc., with the majority used in the smolt facility. "This process has been incredibly beneficial, and we now have a clearer understanding of our situation. This is an excellent initiative from GSI and we will now explore how we can further enhance circular production where all plastic is reusable, recyclable, or compostable," says Lars Galtung. The pilot measured the weight of the plastic, which is crucial for larger scale measurements and estimations for total operations. GSI plans to apply the insights from this pilot project to map plastics on a broader scale across the global membership. This will aid in understanding where alternative materials could be used, or where changes in the value chain could extend the life of used plastic, thereby reducing the global footprint of plastic use in salmon farming. FACTS The Global Salmon Initiative and its members enlisted the help of the RPM Program to conduct a feasibility study for mapping plastics used in salmon farming. This level of detail had not been previously attempted. The pilot was based on the Responsible Plastic Management Standard (RPM standard) and EU plastic Strategy. The pilot was conducted at three Cermaq locations in Norway: the Forsan hatchery in Nordland, the Toknebuktneset sea site in Finnmark, and the Rypefjord processing plant in Finnmark. A total of 350 different types of plastic items were identified.