Land-based fish farming enables sustainable production of high quality Atlantic salmon, while proximity to the Japanese market minimizes the transportation footprint. Proximar has a systematic approach to sustainability, meaning that it is integrated into how we plan and intend to conduct our operations. We have, as the first fish farming company in the world, received Cicero’s Dark Green classification.

Value Chain

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. The sustainability mindset is consistent throughout the value chain, of which the main components are:

Transportation

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.

Energy efficiency

We have chosen a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) from AquaMaof with significantly lower energy consumption than other conventional RAS solutions available in the market.

Energy supply

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.

Water use and wastewater management

The AquaMaof system can recirculate 99.7 % of the water by efficiently removing nitrate and nitrite, resulting in a low wastewater volume. We have also decided to invest in a denitrification system which further reduces the amount of sludge and need for replacement water.

Waste management

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.

Feed

Our selected feed supplier, Skretting, has a factory in Japan which will minimize emissions associated with transportation of feed. All soy protein concentrate in Skretting’s products is certified under the ProTerra label, which ensures that soy ingredients do not originate from areas of native vegetation which have been cleared or converted into agricultural areas after 2008. Skretting procures marine contents, fish meals and oils from suppliers who are to a large extent certified under the MarinTrust label.

Fish Welfare

We take all measures to eliminate the risk of parasite infections and reduce the risk of disease. Our facility will be 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 post smolt mortality rate of six per cent, considerably below the fifteen per cent rate for Norwegian aquaculture in 2020. Avoiding live transport reduces stress and enhances fish welfare. Unlike other RAS solutions, the AquaMaof system largely utilises harvest channels. These provide gentler and less stressful handling of fish compared with conventional pumping

ESG Reports

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. The second opinion was based on an independent review of the framework and documentation of our policies and processes.

Company assessment Second opinion

Certifications

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.

Sustainability