The largest climate benefit of our planned production is avoiding the transport of salmon by air from Europe to Asia. Around 90 % of fresh salmon consumed in Japan is transported by air from Norway. Land-based aquaculture also eliminates the use of boats for feeding and harvesting, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels.
We have chosen a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) from AquaMaof with significantly lower energy consumption than other conventional RAS solutions available in the market.
We are working on different solutions for installing a rooftop solar PV system on our main building. The solar panels will be designed to meet our electricity demand during peak production hours. Excess generation will be sold to the grid. We will purchase certificates of origin to ensure that all purchased electricity is derived from renewable sources.
The AquaMaof system can recirculate 99.7 % of the water by efficiently removing nitrate and nitrite, resulting in a low wastewater volume by using a denitrification system which reduces the amount of sludge and need for replacement water.
Trimmings and by-products are due to be processed where possible into products for human consumption, with the remainder considered for pet food or refined into fish meal and oil. We intend to reduce the amount of packaging and non-organic waste to a minimum, recycle and have the ambition to use recycled materials in packaging where feasible.
Our selected feed supplier, Skretting, has a factory in Japan which will minimize emissions associated with transportation of feed. Skretting is sourcing soy and oil palm ingredients either from Low risk regions or from High risk regions with certification verifying no illegal deforestation has occurred. By the end of 2025, they are committed to only sourcing soy and oil palm ingredients from Low risk regions or from High risk regions that are free from legal and illegal deforestation, in fully segregated physical supply-chains under third party certification schemes.
Our core business of land-based production avoids many environmental issues relating to traditional production in the sea. Our production is in a fully closed environment without any impact to our surroundings and our location closer to the market facilitates significantly reduced emissions related to transportation.
We take all measures to eliminate the risk of parasite infections and reduce the risk of disease. Our facility is a strict biosecurity area, with over-pressurised buildings and stringent disinfection procedures to prevent diseases entering through the air or being brought in by people and equipment. We anticipate a substantially lower post smolt mortality than in traditional farming of Atlantic salmon.
Avoiding live transport reduces stress and enhances fish welfare. Unlike many other RAS solutions, the AquaMaof system largely utilises harvest channels. These provide gentler and less stressful handling of fish compared with conventional pumping.
We were classified as Dark Green in April 2021 by Cicero, the leading global provider of second opinions on green debt financing. Dark Green is its highest grade, awarded to projects and solutions which correspond to the long term vision of a low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
In March 2022, we were awarded the "Green" top rating for the company’s sustainability work by the recognised Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR). In March 2023, this was followed by an additional "Blue" top rating from JCR, which specifically address United Nation's Goal 14, "Life below water".
We intend to obtain certification of our facility through the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), a voluntary certification scheme based on environmental and social criteria. AquaMaof’s existing production facility in Poland is ASC-certified.
