5 ways Marel is creating a more sustainable fish industry

We at Marel take our role in mitigating climate change very seriously and we are fully committed to protecting our planet and preserving its resources. Sustainability is at the core of our innovation process and embedded throughout our operations, enabling our customers, our investors and us to take sustainable food production to the next level.

The food industry faces many global challenges, including climate change, diet-related diseases, water scarcity, lack of food traceability, and food safety risks, to name a few. In a world where sustainable development is a necessity, food processors require solutions that meet the needs of present generations without compromising future generations.

We continuously monitor how our operations and the systems and solutions we provide affect society, economies, and the environment. Here are 5 ways that we at Marel are creating a more sustainable fish industry:

1. Minimizing climate impact

The sustainable use of raw materials, water and energy, is a top priority for the fish processing industry. Throughout the entire fish processing value chain, Marel encourages and promotes the most sustainable use of resources to minimize environmental impact and prioritize environmental protection. We focus on building solutions that have the least impact on the environment and maximize the efficient use of resources, including raw materials, water, and energy.

Knowing that reducing food waste, energy and water consumption significantly minimizes our customers' CO2 footprint during production, we created the FleXicut. The FleXicut is an advanced solution that optimizes fillet utilization in pinbone removal, filleting and portioning. Raw material utilization is maximized with X-ray pinbone detection that intelligently determines the optimal cut configuration and water-jet cutters accurately cut as close to the pinbones as possible using only a tablespoon of water per fillet. The FleXicut exemplifies Marel’s commitment to transform the way fish is processed more sustainably.  

2. Ensuring food safety

We embrace our role as a company in the global fish industry by ensuring the highest food safety and quality standards. For over 40 years, Marel has been helping fish processors reduce processing time and increase automation, leading to improved food safety worldwide.

By automating tasks that are otherwise done manually across the fish production line, food safety risks are minimized by eliminating the chance of human contamination. Building equipment that is accessible and easy to clean is also one of the many ways that we ensure safe products for consumers.

Another is X-ray technology that enables fish processors to detect and reject foreign materials that can have devastating consequences for consumers and processors. Offering high levels of consistency, accuracy, and quality, this type of technology is far superior to the manual inspection processes that preceded them. A fine example of this is Marel’s SensorX—a proven industry-standard solution for bone detection that automatically finds bones and other hard contaminants in fish, enabling processors to deliver consistently safe, high-quality products.

3. Eliminating food waste

We believe that every gram counts and decreasing food waste continues to be a big part of transforming the way fish is processed. We work towards decreasing food waste and increasing raw material utilization through automation and digitalization. Our goal is to maintain the highest possible food quality and drive greater overall efficiency and sustainability from catch to table by moving towards demand-driven production.

Simply put, automation reduces human error and increases optimal cutting, trimming, portioning, and packaging to reduce food waste. Our range of automated fish processing machines, solutions, and services increase yield, utilize as much of the raw material as possible, and create valuable by-products that reduce food waste throughout the entire supply chain.

4. Catch to table traceability

Consumers demand full transparency and traceability from their food. Not only do they want to know the nutritional value of their fish, but they also want to know the origin and the safety standards involved in their journey from sea to supermarket. Traceability is an integral part of Marel’s innovation for developing solutions and software so that fish processors are equipped with the data needed to meet and exceed expectations.

Our Innova Food Processing Software provides processors with full traceability of products throughout the entire value chain. This valuable information gives fish processors the ability to withdraw or recall products that have been identified as unsafe or incorrectly labeled, contributing directly to food security, increased efficiency, and improved nutrition for consumers around the globe.

5. Corporate initiatives

As an important step in our sustainability journey, we have committed to the Science Based Targets initiative to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, aiming for carbon neutrality well before 2050.

In addition, Marel has been inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call to the private sector for corporate responsibility, transparency, and being a part of the solution, and we believe innovation is the primary way to make an impact and a meaningful contribution. We are focused on three of the SDGs: to improve food security and traceability (goal 2), support sustainable development in food production (goal 9) and ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (goal 12).

Marel is adopting climate-related reporting as recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), giving us a powerful tool to understand and act on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

Our commitment continues

We continue to work towards reducing our direct and indirect carbon footprint and do everything in our power to support our customers on their journey to climate change mitigation. Our vision of a world where quality food is produced sustainably, safely and affordably enables us to think big, but only in partnership with our customers can we transform the way food is processed.