Seafood Certification Specialist
Aquatic Life Institute (ALI)
Imagine you work at a major supermarket supply chain, and your directors have just been notified of critical Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks outlined in the latest compliance report. The message is unequivocal: unless the company restructures its supply chain to align with stronger animal welfare standards, its credibility and market access are at serious risk.
Now, you have a challenge at hand: you must rethink how the company selects its suppliers. Certification labels, once considered sufficient, are no longer enough. The new directive is clear: all seafood products must not only be certified but certified in a way that meaningfully reflects the company’s values and the growing expectations of both consumers and regulators.
This is where benchmarking enters the scene, not as a corporate buzzword, but as a tool for making sense of a complex landscape.
REVEALING THE HIDDEN LEVERS BEHIND SOURCING DECISIONS
In the expanding world of aquaculture, certification labels have become the lingua franca of sustainability. For buyers, they offer reassurance; for producers, a pathway to market. Yet the apparent uniformity of certification often masks wide variation in what those standards actually require, and deliver.
Enter benchmarking. Not as a judgment or a leaderboard, but as a form of translation. Aquatic Life Institute’s (ALI) Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark decodes the dense architecture of global certification schemes, revealing how each addresses animal welfare, not just in isolated touchpoints, but across the system.
While a certifier logo may suggest parity, the analysis by the ALI Benchmark reveals divergence. Two certifiers may claim to uphold welfare, yet one might enforce precise limits on stocking density and water quality, while another leans on flexible, principle-based guidelines. The outcome? Drastically different conditions for the same species in different farms.
Welfare, as the Benchmark underscores, is not defined by a single moment. It extends far beyond the stunning method or handling at slaughter. It’s the lived experience of aquatic animals, shaped daily by water quality, feed formulation, stocking density, and behavioral stressors. These are the “hidden levers”, policy decisions disguised as technicalities, often omitted or vaguely treated in many standards.
And while the ethical imperative to improve animal welfare is compelling in itself, its impact reaches further. Strong welfare practices are increasingly linked to sustainability outcomes, public health, and biosecurity. Poor welfare conditions can increase disease risk, raise reliance on antibiotics, and destabilize ecosystems—issues that ripple across global supply chains. In this light, investing in welfare is not only an ethical decision, but a strategic one.
BEYOND THE LABEL: MAKING SOURCING DECISIONS SMARTER
For decision-makers facing pressure to tighten ESG oversight, the Benchmark becomes more than a report; it becomes a lens. By cross-referencing current suppliers against the ALI Benchmark results, companies often discover unexpected gaps. A long-time supplier, though certified, may operate under a scheme that lacks enforceable thresholds on critical welfare indicators. Meanwhile, a smaller, previously overlooked producer may align more closely with emerging scientific consensus.
This kind of insight reframes the sourcing conversation. It’s no longer about whether a product has a certification; it’s about what that certification implies for the animal’s experience, and for the company’s brand integrity.
CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND GOVERNANCE
What makes the ALI Benchmark particularly relevant is its responsiveness. Welfare science is advancing rapidly. Chronic stress, behavioral needs, and long-term health are better understood than ever. Certification schemes, however, often lag behind. They must balance audit feasibility and commercial viability, leading to conservative updates that underrepresent certain welfare drivers.
Benchmarking doesn’t aim to shame or disrupt. Instead, it creates a collaborative space for certification bodies, producers, and upstream actors to align on science-driven improvements. It spotlights where progress is happening, and where inertia risks undermining welfare credibility.
HOW TO USE A BENCHMARK REPORT
For retailers and buyers, the Benchmark serves as a decision-support tool. It clarifies what certification means. A sourcing manager can now ask: Does this scheme set explicit stocking density thresholds? Does it mandate environmental enrichment? Does it provide a numerical limit for the amount of fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) allowed in aquafeed? How robust are the stunning/slaughter requirements?
Now, imagine you are back in the office at your supermarket supply chain job. With the ALI Benchmark at hand, you can identify that Supplier A, while certified, scores low on welfare integration, whereas Supplier B, certified by a different scheme, meets stronger, science-aligned criteria. The Benchmark report becomes your map. Not just for switching suppliers, but for engaging current ones in a conversation about improvement.
In a sector where certification often serves as a proxy for trust, benchmarking gives that trust a foundation. It makes the invisible visible. And for companies navigating the complexities of responsible sourcing, that visibility is no longer optional; it’s essential.
