The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), together with online retailer, Tmall.com, (under Alibaba.com) has launched the 111th MSC labelled product in China - Iceland Golden Red Fish – during the first day of China Seafood Expo.
The launch coincides with Tmall.com’s 11.11 promotion which aims to offer sustainable and traceable seafood to Chinese consumers, and encourage consumers to contribute to healthy oceans through their purchasing power.
“Tmall.com has a sustainable seafood sourcing strategy and is eager to increase cooperation with the global seafood industry to supply international MSC certified products to the Chinese market,” said Mr. Peng Yue, senior marketing manager of the fresh food division of Tmall.com during the launch event.
Icelandic golden redfish is one of 10 products to be promoted in the MSC-Tmall.com partnership, which includes lumpfish from Iceland, cod from Norway, and lobster from Canada. Canada’s Clearwater Seafoods Inc., supplier of the MSC certified lobster, recently established a flagship store on Tmall.com, along with scallops from China’s Zoneco Group, the first Chinese fishery to achieve MSC certification in 2015. Through an integrated marketing and service strategy, Tmall.com will offer Chinese consumers a new experience with more innovative seafood products that also communicate the product’s origin.
“This is MSC’s third joint promotion with Tmall.com in 2016, illustrating the growing Chinese appetite for sustainable and traceable seafood. Over the last 4 years we’ve seen positive and growing interest in MSC and sustainable seafood in China, and we applaud Tmall.com’s efforts to promote sustainability to Chinese consumers. Tmall.com’s program demonstrates how retailers and manufacturers are exploring new trends to attract more sustainable seafood lovers,” said Nicolas Guichoux, MSC’s Global Commercial Director.
The announcement marks a critical milestone in the development of MSC in China, which has witnessed steady growth in local market demand for certified, sustainable seafood.
“MSC established the China office in 2013 and has since experienced positive engagement and growth, with 290 companies now holding MSC Chain of Custody certificates in China. The golden redfish, packaged by China Qingdao Oceanese Group has been registered as the 111th product to bear the MSC ecolabel in China, which will encourage more partners to engage in our labelling program. This is an important step forward in a long journey to create a sustainable and traceable seafood market for Chinese consumers, ” said An Yan, MSC’s China Representative.