Costco on the Path to Sustainability?
Posted on | August 22, 2010 | 2 Comments
Does anyone else find it odd to hear the words Costco (the largest warehouse club chain in the US) and sustainability in the same sentence? SOP is not yet convinced that the two are synonymous with each other. But Costco recently took action that was a small step in advancing the sustainable seafood movement.
This past week, Costco announced its sustainable seafood policy. It will no longer sell seven wild species of fish that are for the most part in bad shape. Included in the list are bluefin tuna, orange roughy, Chilean sea bass, and shark. However, the company admits these species make up only a small part of its sales. Most of the fish they move are farmed.
In its new policy, Costco explains the work it has started toward sustainable farm-raised seafood. The company has taken little action up to this point but lays out a few goals moving forward. It will collaborate with its suppliers and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to make sure its tilapia, shrimp, and salmon are raised under internationally-accepted standards.
Did Greenpeace drive change?
Greenpeace gave Costco a failing grade and a ranking of 14 out of 20 retailers in its 2010 Carting Away the Oceans report. Actually, Costco flat-out refused to respond to the activist environmental group’s inquiries. Not one to be taken lightly, Greenpeace fired back this past June by flying a blimp over a Costco in Washington with a strong message.
SOP empathizes with Greenpeace. Huge companies like Costco continue to exploit and profit from our Earth’s resources. However, we also cannot expect the business world to adopt drastic changes at the drop of a hat. The goal should be to strive for continued improvement and progress toward sustainable seafood. Costco has now publicly embarked on that journey.
Tags: bluefin > Carting Away the Oceans > Chilean sea bass > Costco > farm-raised > fish > Greenpeace > orange roughy > sustainable > tuna > World Wildlife Fund
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August 23rd, 2010 @ 1:10 PM
This will have to be continually monitored as Costco contracts w/ new suppliers. What is sustainable is not always truly sustainable.
For instance, the MSC.org giving a large krill factory it’s certification although this factory’s practices to venture into a new fishing region to diminish the stock there is not sustainable at all. If Costco were to sell from this source (let’s say a krill oil supplement), w/ the MSC label, consumers would be duped.
August 23rd, 2010 @ 7:28 PM
Agreed. Hopefully, this is a first step in corporate responsibility. Their customers, shareholders, and Greenpeace will largely be the ones to hold Costco accountable. I’ll be keeping an eye on them too.