Gfresh, China’s largest B2B online seafood marketplace has launched a sustainable seafood program with a commitment to source Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) labelled produce. The agreement was signed between Gfresh and MSC on 1 November the first day of 22nd China Seafood Expo and documents the intent to jointly promote global sustainable fishing practices by raising awareness of the importance of sustainability to Chinese consumers. Gfresh and the MSC will also work together to identify and promote sustainably sourced seafood products for the Chinese market.
Launched in 2014, Gfresh.com has become a major online platform in China with over US$2 million of seafood traded each day. “More than 10,000 Chinese wholesale buyers on Gfresh.com have the option to make more environmentally responsible purchasing decisions by choosing the products with MSC’s blue ecolabel,” said Antony Wan, founder of Gfresh.com.”
“Implementation of sustainable seafood procurement strategies and public commitments from retailers have become a common practice in European and North American markets. MSC has been in partnership with those retailers to help transform the sustainable seafood industry since its inception 20 years ago.” said Patrick Caleo, MSC Asia Pacific Director. “MSC welcomes the commitment by Gfresh which will strengthen market development in China.”
To date, there are 331 MSC Chain of Custody certificate holders in the Chinese supply-chain and around 200 eco-labelled products available in the Chinese market.
“By sourcing and promoting MSC labelled seafood, Gfresh.com will provide assurance to its business clients that the seafood they are purchasing, comes from a MSC certified sustainable fishery," said An Yan, MSC China Director, “China has been recognized as a critical region for MSC global outreach in the next 5 years, the China office will scale up the efforts with partners to mobilize the industry towards sustainable practice.”