Social Responsibility

OUR COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Fishin’ Company is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality and most responsibly sourced seafood available in the world. We view this as a fundamental responsibility to our customers and our duty as a leader in the seafood industry. Here is our promise commitment. We are proud to drive positive change in our industry and the world by only sourcing products from feed mills, hatcheries, farms, fisheries, and plants that are socially and environmentally responsible. Our greatest resource is the diverse team of people who make up the complex supply chain which provides our products to our customers. Our greatest priority, therefore, is to guarantee that every individual in our supply chain is treated with the utmost respect and dignity. We will never sacrifice the well-being or safety of these individuals for our own convenience or financial gain. We recognize and follow global social compliance standards aimed at promoting and protecting human rights and the environment and communities involved. We regularly assess every part of our supply chain to safeguard that these principles are followed. The Fishin’ Company has a dedicated Compliance team that enforces conformity to our social compliance standards, the standards of our customers and the industry. Our Compliance team maintains an internal database for all current audits and certifications for all facilities and partners in our supply chain. They conduct internal audits and provide the training necessary for the facilities to improve their management systems. Since 2008, social compliance audits have been conducted at our suppliers’ facilities as part of our due diligence program. The majority of these are third party audits conducted by certified agencies, but also include our own internal Fishin Self Audits as part of our Supplier Development Program. We benchmark the progress of improvement throughout the duration of the business relationship. We continue to improve our vertical integration, allowing for better control at every stage of production and better quality for our end products. Our experienced Procurement team is committed to sourcing from and partnering with suppliers with a proven track record of continuously meeting and exceeding our strict sourcing requirements. We are intentional about sourcing products from lower-risk countries whenever possible. When it is necessary to source from higher-risk countries, careful consideration is made to select specific suppliers who pass our rigorous compliance standards and pre-qualify with a third-party audit.

Our COMMITMENT TO Responsible Recruitment

The Fishin’ Company has a long-standing commitment to social responsibility, and we therefore have solid due diligence systems to validate the compliance with global labor rights standards within our supply chain. Since 2017, Fishin Company has been diving deep into the hiring practices of our suppliers, especially in the scope of migrant workers, to ensure all workers are treated fairly and with dignity, particularly those who are most vulnerable to labor rights abuses. This step has been a part of an ongoing process in our Supplier Development Program for many years. The Fishin’ Company further commits to incorporating a more comprehensive Responsible Recruitment Policy, as a supplement to our current supplier standards. This strategy will enable us to drive change throughout our supply chain by assessing risk, working with stakeholders on action plans, tracking progress, applying learnings, and validating remediation processes. Each supplier is expected to remain compliant with the standards of our company, with the standards of our customers, and all global/local labor law. The requirements below are derivatives of our previously published “Certification of Compliance with Supplier Standards” and are intended to protect all workers.

OUR PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ARE:

1. All labor is voluntary. There is zero-tolerance of any forced labor, including bonded, un-paid, indentured, or indebted labor, slave labor, child labor, or trafficking of humans. Laborers shall always retain possession and control of their own identification and travel documents.
2. Child Labor is prohibited, and special protection is provided for juvenile workers. Local and national child labor laws must be followed, but no laborers may be under age 14. Proof of age is required as part of labor contracts and hiring process. Juvenile workers must not be given hazardous work, must be provided physical examination, and be allowed to continue their education without hindrance.
3. No Recruitment Fees or Related Costs are charged. Workers shall not be charged directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, any illegal fees or related costs for their recruitment outside of the governing law. Companies shall be working towards the Employer Pays Principle, meaning the costs of recruitment should be paid not by the worker but by the employer.
4. Laborers are paid fair and decent wages. All local and national labor laws will be obeyed plus efforts will be taken to assure that laborers can make a living wage not below local legally required minimum wages. Discipline should never include reductions in wages.
5. Contract and Personnel File Management. When signing labor contracts with workers, there must be a copy provided to each worker. All contract terms shall comply with the law and shall be in the language that the employee understands. Train all workers the terms and conditions of employment before signing the labor contract. The factory shall manage the labor contract and personnel file for full-time/part-time/resigned workers.
6. Working hours are legal and not excessive. Work hours and overtime should not exceed those allowed by the local and government agencies in each country. Overtime should be paid at an appropriate rate. Comply with all working hour laws and regulations, public holidays, and leave. Labor hour records should be kept complete and consistent with adequate systems.
7. Working conditions are sanitary, healthy, and safe. Safety working conditions, equipment, and PPE (Person Protective Equipment), including health and safety training in its use, is required in each area; particularly those workers handling hazardous materials to prevent accidents and injuries. If housing and food service are provided to laborers as part of their labor contract, these facilities shall also be healthy and safe.
8. Fire Safety policies strictly enforced. Structures are inspected for working Fire Safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, working sprinkler systems, and illuminated exit signs. Workers are educated with fire drills and team safety meetings. All permits and licenses should be obtained from the local fire authority.
9. There is no abuse or discrimination. Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse are prohibited. No laborer will be discriminated against because of race, nationality, gender, age, religion, creed, or any other reason. All will be treated equally. All people are treated with dignity and respect.
10. Deduction and Benefits. Factories shall not use monetary fines and penalties for labor discipline, including poor performance or violating company rules, regulations, and policies.
11. The Right to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining. Workers have the right to lawfully and peacefully form or join organizations or unions of their own choosing and bargain collectively. Factories must not discriminate against worker representatives and union members. Factories must grant access for worker representatives to carry out their functions.
12. Bribery or any other coercion. Shall not tolerate, permit, or engage in bribery, corruption, or unethical practices whether in dealings with public officials or individuals in the private sector.
13. Grievance Mechanism. Workers have the basic right to anonymously voice concerns, without fear of prejudice or retaliation, to address infringements of existing rights such as those mentioned above. Employers should ensure that this is open to all workers. If there is no possible recourse internally, workers should have access to means of reporting externally, to retailers that encourage it and to third parties, such as dedicated NGO (Non-governmental organization) or judicial authorities.