Serving up a great story
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
During ‘Bewuste Visweek’ (Sustainable Seafood Week), we shared stories that exemplify why we do what we do: we are committed to having a positive impact on life in our waters – and, by extension, on all lives that depend on it. By telling these stories, we raised awareness of the fact that choosing products bearing the MSC or ASC label in the supermarket or in a specialty shop has a positive impact on the environment and on the lives of people here and on the other side of the world.
Making an impact with certification
Three billion people depend on fisheries for their income and food. Without fish, it will simply be impossible to continue feeding the world’s growing population. Fish is also a healthy, natural and affordable source of protein with a low carbon footprint – but we have to make sure that those fish are caught sustainably and prevent overfishing, illegal fishing and damage to the environment. Aquaculture is also not immune from problems when it comes to environmental damage and working conditions. But if we embrace sustainable fish farming, there is a whole world of opportunities for the taking here, too.
It has been proven that fish populations can be boosted through careful management, and both MSC and ASC play a pivotal role in this process. MSC and ASC asked Food Cabinet to develop a new concept for the annual Sustainable Seafood Week campaign in the Netherlands and Belgium. The goal of the campaign is to raise consumer awareness of what sustainable fish actually is and of the impact that individual choices can have. It also aims to generate interest among a wider group of partners.
These fishermen have a unique story, take pride in their craft and focus on social impact.
Impact through stories
Behind every MSC-certified fish that ends up on your plate lies a great story. Whether it’s about the shrimp fishermen in the Wadden Sea joining forces to protect nature and safeguard their own futures, or the local communities in Norway that are now flourishing thanks to responsible fish farming – the stories are endless.
Although consumers are increasingly aware of the issue and the need to eat good fish, many people are still in the dark as to the added value of the MSC and ASC labels. This new campaign for Think Fish Week shifts the focus from simply consuming sustainable fish to the impact of sustainable fish, in particular the impact it has on people’s lives and living environments. The five stories we selected illustrate just how choosing MSC- and ASC-certified products contributes to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Campaign in The Netherlands and Belgium
The stories were shared through the various MSC and ASC channels in the Netherlands and Belgium both in the run-up to and during Think Fish Week. Our material was also used by campaign partners. We came up with the slogan ‘Een goed verhaal op je bord’’ (Serving up a great story) and developed a toolkit for all Think Fish Week participants, including materials for social media, such as a fish quiz for Instagram stories, as well as posters and other materials that were ideal for using both in stores and online.
About MSC & ASC
The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation with a mission to make fisheries more sustainable. The MSC standard has three core principles that every fishery must meet: the prevention of overfishing, the protection of ecosystems in the catch and the traceability of the fish caught. MSC works closely with fisheries, researchers, businesses and nature organisations to promote sustainable ocean fishing and to offer consumers a wide range of MSC-certified fish and seafood.
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council is a similar organisation to the Marine Stewardship Council, but its label is specifically for farmed fish, rather than fish caught in the wild. Its mission is to reduce the impact of fish farming on the environment. The label sets standards for reducing the use of antibiotics, using more sustainable fish feed and improving working conditions for staff. Fish feed contains less fishmeal and more plant-based feed.
Collaborations
For this campaign we collaborated with:
Responsible at MSC: Astrid Kösters, Anne Floor van Dalfsen, Pieter Vader en Wouter Dieleman
Responsible at ASC: Sarah Hennin en Esther Luiten
Designer: Krista Stofberg
Want to know more?
Would you like to know more about this campaign? Please contact Kevin Corcoran via kevin@foodcabinet.nl or +31 20 2233161.
