Consumer Behavior Change

Hyatt Partnering with WWF on Global Initiative to Source Sustainable Seafood

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced a global initiative to increase its procurement of responsibly sourced seafood and eliminate the procurement of highly vulnerable seafood species, starting with an initial goal of responsibly sourcing more than 50 percent of its inventory by 2018. In the first phase of a long-term seafood sustainability strategy in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Hyatt will also work toward purchasing more than 15 percent of its seafood supply from fisheries or farms that have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).

By Sustainable Brands | Published 10 years ago | About a 4 minute read

“We hope that this effort to responsibly source more than 50 percent of seafood purchased by our hotels by 2018 will set a new standard for the hospitality industry,” said Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “Not only is fishing an important livelihood in many of the communities where Hyatt hotels operate, but many people around the world rely on fish as a primary source of protein, making it essential to help protect the world’s oceans.”

After a yearlong engagement with WWF and an assessment of Hyatt’s global seafood procurement processes, the hotel chain has identified the following initiatives to improve the sustainability of its seafood sourcing practices and standards:

Hyatt will focus on the procurement of responsibly sourced farmed and wild-caught seafood at Hyatt hotels globally, with an initial emphasis on key species such as salmon, shrimp, grouper, Chilean sea bass and tuna, with an emphasis on those sourced from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)- and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified fisheries and farms and those involved in Fishery or Aquaculture Improvement Projects. Hyatt will also identify other sustainable sources of seafood in collaboration with WWF.
A complete ban on the consumption and procurement of shark fin at all Hyatt restaurants and food and beverage outlets globally. This builds on Hyatt’s commitment in 2012 to remove shark fin from all restaurant menus. Any banquets and event bookings made before May 15, 2014 that include shark fin will be honored.
In addition to banning shark fin, Hyatt will seek to reduce and systematically eliminate sourcing of other highly vulnerable seafood species identified by WWF.

“Despite a growing momentum to conserve sharks, catch rates remain far too high in most shark fisheries, and populations, particularly of the larger species, continue to drop,” said Dr. Andy Cornish, Global Shark Program Leader at WWF. “Reducing demand in consumer markets in Asia for shark fin is a critically important part of the equation to arrest the declines, and Hyatt’s great example of corporate leadership will make all the difference.”

Hyatt colleagues involved in food and beverage offerings at the company’s owned and managed full-service hotels will participate in a comprehensive sustainable seafood training program developed in collaboration with WWF.
Hyatt will measure global performance and progress of these efforts with the support of WWF analysis and recommendations.

“Hyatt has the opportunity to set a new standard for the industry and play a critical role in showing demand for responsibly sourced seafood,” said Caroline Tippett, Director of Seafood Engagement at WWF. “We look forward to working with Hyatt in an effort to ensure more sustainable sourcing through global buying practices at Hyatt hotels and through its training efforts for its colleagues worldwide.”

The collaboration represents Hyatt’s ongoing effort to further its industry-leading food and beverage philosophy, Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served, which is focused on providing sustainably sourced food and beverage options. It also ties into Hyatt’s corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive, which focuses on making local communities around the world places where colleagues are proud to work, where guests want to visit, where neighbors want to live and where owners want to invest.

Last month, WWF warned that the long-term sustainability of Pacific Bluefin Tuna can only be guaranteed by following the science and halving catch limits. After an inconclusive annual meeting of the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), which deferred discussions on bluefin tuna quotas to October, WWF now says it will now urge a suspension of fishing for Pacific Bluefin tuna, if fishing nations fail to set binding catch limits in line with scientific recommendations this year.