BioSustain Impact Parameters

The carbon footprint (CF) of feed is a measure of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from the different stages of the feed life cycle. Increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, expressed in CO₂ equivalents, cause the global warming that we are experiencing today. The only way to avoid the consequences is simple: reduce global GHG emissions.

BioMar follows the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology when calculating carbon footprints and has set verifiable science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). BioMar’s ambition is to reduce its feed carbon footprint by 1/3 by 2030, with the aim of ensuring that BioMar will achieve “net-zero” no later than 2050.

At BioMar, we take action for our areas of responsibility. We encourage and stimulate restorative practices in our supply chain and have set targets for minimum inclusion levels of circular and restorative ingredients. It is our ambition to ensure that BioMar feeds are 50% circular and restorative by 2030.

In a circular economy, resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting their maximum value. Products and materials are recovered and renewed, leveraging business models designed to support this regenerative activity.

BioMar considers raw materials originating from by-product and waste streamsto be circular. We seek to decouple feed supply chains from directly competing with food for human consumption. Examples of circular raw materials are land animal by-products and fish meal and fish oil from the trimmings industry.

We define restorative ingredients as raw materials that significantly shift the balance between ecosystem impacts and human production systems. The goal is to stimulate net-positive environmental outcomes compared to time-bound relevant benchmarks. The best examples of restorative practices can be found within regenerative agriculture, such as no-till farming, precision farming, cover cropping, and biodiversity initiatives, to name a few.

To reduce pressure on wild stocks, the global aquafeed industry has transitioned from majority marine ingredients to largely plant-based aquaculture feed diets. The science is clear: industrial agriculture cannot maintain its usefulness to society indefinitely with the current rates of ecological damage (e.g., deforestation and agrochemicals) and resource use (e.g., freshwater, fertilisers, and fossil fuels).

The key is to restore a balance between the societal benefits of agriculture and the societal benefits of healthy ecosystems. Restorative production is the first critical step to reverse current trends and move agriculture toward sustainability.

We define restorative ingredients as raw materials that significantly shift the balance between ecosystem impacts and human production systems toward net-positive environmental outcomes. An example of a restorative ingredient is single-cell protein produced from fermented forestry by-products.

The Forage Fish Dependency Ratio (FFDR) measures the amount of wild fishused to produce farmed fish or shrimp, as defined by the ASC farm standards. It considers the protein and oil contributions from wild fish, where the most limiting factor determines the FFDR of the feed. The FFDR of a farm’s production is calculated by multiplying the FFDR of the feed by the economic feed conversion ratio (eFCR) achieved on the farm.

Marine ingredients are limited resources and must be used responsibly. Good stewardship of our oceans and aquatic environments is a priority for BioMar. By adopting novel and alternative ingredients in our feeds, we deliver solutions that meet the nutritional needs of fish and shrimp, support the economic goals of farmers, and reduce dependency on scarce marine resources.