Thirapong Chansiri, the CEO of the Thailand-based and world’s largest seafood producer Thai Union, sat behind his desk in his Bangkok office, looking at numerous plaques the group received over the years in recognition of its sustainability efforts. The hum of the metropolis was drowned out by the quiet contemplation in the room, as Thirapong reflected on the journey his company had taken towards sustainability. Leaning back in his chair, Thirapong's mind drifted back to the pivotal moments when the shift towards sustainability had become imperative.&nbsp;In 2015, Thai Union received heavy criticism for labor practices in its supply chain. A series of Associated Press (AP) reports revealed abusive labor practices in Southeast Asia’s seafood supply chains and situations of forced labor of immigrants, naming Thai Union as one of the firms implicated in these practices.1&nbsp;A European Union Commission’s “yellow card” caution was issued to Thailand for its lack of progress in tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, warning that if Thailand did not improve the conditions in its fishing industry, the Commission would issue a “red card” prohibiting Thai seafood exports to the European Union altogether. Thai Union also faced individualized criticism from the environmental non-governmental organization Greenpeace when it launched the “#NotJustTuna” campaign, asking Thai Union to clean up its supply chain from unethical practices.Thirapong reflected on the tough decisions and difficulties faced during those days when the Thai seafood industry and his firm were on the front page news. The transformation journey towards sustainability has been challenging. Although the company had put a lot of effort into cleaning up its supply chains, Thirapong was aware that a lot more had to be done.The year 2023 was another point of reflection. SeaChange, the company’s global sustainability strategy that was initiated in 2016, had been updated and relaunched as SeaChange 2030 in July 2023. Given its ambitious goals to reshape the seafood industry toward a more sustainable future, Thirapong needed to consider further changes required beyond the company’s supply chains, and how sustainability could serve as the company’s vision and be a key part of Thai Union's competitive strategy going forward toward 2030.

Introduction

Company Background

Labor Scandals in Fishing and Shrimp Supply Chains

Launch of SeaChange 

Monitoring Fishing Activities

Controlling Shrimp Peeling

Thai Union Beyond the Crisis  

From Cleaning to Greening?: Launching SeaChange 2030

Quiz 

Discussion Questions

Sources & Further Reading

In 2016, Thai Union faced heavy criticism for forced labor practices in their supply chain. By late 2023, the company was ranked number one in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for food products. How did the company manage to clean up its supply chain? 

Clean and Green? - Thai Union’s Supply Chain Transformation