The Methodology for the 2021 Seafood Stewardship Index

The seafood industry is one of the key sectors of the ocean economy as it supports the employment of more than 600 million people and is an important source of food for over 3 billion people. At the same time, the industry is responsible for a number of environmental and social impacts that jeopardise not only its own economic sustainability but also the future of millions of people who rely on it for their livelihoods and as a primary source of food and nutrients.

The Seafood Stewardship Index and its methodology aim to take companies on a stewardship journey. This starts with awareness and recognition of their impacts on the environment and society, followed by assessing those impacts and then implementing effective and meaningful activities that not only mitigate negative impacts but transform the seafood industry into one that respects and protects the resources on which it depends, including human resources. This revised methodology is thus focused on rewarding impact and performance.

Update on scoring companies

The benchmark scores each of the 30 indicators by using a set of criteria based on stakeholders’ expectations, the SDGs, the best available science, guidance from experts, and extensive research on existing initiatives and current practices. These criteria were then translated into indicator scoring guidelines. To accurately reflect companies’ leading and lagging practices, the scoring guidelines were finalised after the data analysis process was complete and were published at the same time as the results.