Marubeni Corporation

Implementation of human and labour rights policies

Marubeni demonstrates a strong commitment to human and labour rights and has established a basic human rights policy, a slavery and human trafficking statement and a supply chain sustainability policy. The group aims to better its working environment, for example through the Marubeni Employees’ Union, and has also developed activities that focus on promoting opportunities for women, such as through the BENInovation Program. While Marubeni has published a compliance manual and set up a hotline for its employees, the extent to which these mechanisms address human and labour rights issues is unclear.

Sustainability strategy

Marubeni has a robust sustainability strategy across the entirety of the group’s operations, addressing both environmental and social factors. However, the group shares limited information specific to its seafood operations. While subsidiaries Eastern Fish Company and North Pacific Seafoods recognise their sustainability responsibilities, both companies lack disclosure regarding time-bound environmental and social targets. Marubeni could improve the alignment and implementation of its group-wide sustainability strategy by disclosing more specific targets and objectives for its seafood activities consistently across the group.

Traceability and sourcing

Marubeni lacks disclosure at the parent level in regard to what sourcing policies are in place for its seafood operations and how it traces the legal origins of the marine ingredients it either sources or procures. Meanwhile, subsidiary North Pacific Seafoods holds both the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody certifications. Likewise, subsidiary Eastern Fish Company discloses information about the species and geographic location of its marine ingredients. However, Marubeni does not provide any evidence of group-wide traceability mechanisms or efforts at the parent level to increase the proportion of ingredients procured from well-managed or certified sources.

Ecosystem impacts

Marubeni does not disclose information about how the entire group seeks to mitigate potential adverse impacts on the ecosystem. However, subsidiaries Eastern Fish Company and North Pacific Seafoods share general information about how the companies comply with authorities to assess fishing quotas and how they seek third-party certifications. Overall, Marubeni could provide detailed information about how it addresses issues such as ghost gear and bycatch, as well as how it assesses the risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Support for local communities

Marubeni commits to increasing support for local communities by providing employment, using local suppliers and developing the capacities of small-scale producers. Through the Marubeni Foundation, the group also demonstrates capacity building activities. However, the company can be clearer on how it applies these strategies and activities specifically in its seafood operations.