KLM continues sustainable fish policy
16 December 2009
On the day of the Marine Stewardship Council's first Sustainable Seafood Lunch, KLM confirms the continuation of a ground-breaking sustainable fish sourcing policy for their on-board meals. The decision follows the success of a pilot project the airline carried out last year, where KLM served MSC certified sustainable South African hake on their Amsterdam outbound World Business Class flights.
The implementation of KLM's sustainable fish sourcing policy will take place through a stepwise approach that has already started at home-base Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. KLM is committed to serving MSC certified fish on 50% of their flights in the World Business Class. For all other meals on board, KLM will consult the Fish Guide developed by the World Wide Fund For Nature and North Sea Foundation.
What KLM says
Paul Elich, EVP of KLM Inflight Services says: 'Air France KLM leads the airline Dow Jones Sustainability Index - it is our ambition to set the standard in in-flight catering all over the world when it comes to sustainable sourcing. We are convinced that we can contribute to healthy oceans by working together with the MSC and WWF, and we invite other airlines to follow our example by joining the Global Sustainable Seafood Lunch next year."
What the MSC says
Rupert Howes, CEO of the MSC says: "This is another pioneering step by KLM in its sourcing of sustainable fish. I am delighted to see that KLM's pilot project has led to the development of this ground-breaking sourcing policy. I hope this sustainable fish policy will be an inspiration for other airlines and food service companies to create a global market for certified sustainable fish around the world."
About the MSC's Sustainable Seafood Lunch
The MSC's Sustainable Seafood Lunch on 30 September is a global initiative to serve certified sustainable seafood for lunch in canteens, restaurants and homes as part of the celebrations for the MSC's 10th anniversary. It highlights the efforts taken by fisheries and the seafood industry around the world to create a global market for sustainably caught fish and celebrates the growing availability of sustainable seafood choices worldwide. KLM will be serving 500 World Business Class meals and, especially for today, 7,000 economy class sustainable seafood lunches on intercontinental flights from Amsterdam.
About KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919, making it the world's oldest airline operating under its original name. In 2004, Air France and KLM merged to form AIR FRANCE KLM. The merger produced the strongest European airline group based on two powerful brands names and hubs, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle. The two airlines collaborate on three core activities - passenger transport, cargo and aircraft maintenance - while maintaining their own identities
KLM serves 148 destinations in 63 countries using a modern fleet of about 115 aircraft and employs 36,000 people around the world. KLM is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance offering a network of 905 destinations all over the globe. In the Netherlands, KLM comprises the core of the KLM Group which further includes KLM Cityhopper, Martinair and Transavia.com.
About Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
For more information, please visit www.sustainability-index.com
For further information
KLM, Monique Matze, +31 (0)20 6494545 / Monique.Matze@klm.com
