Rethinking Seafood: How our partnership with WWF is helping to build a more sustainable future for our oceans
Seafood is one of the most important food systems on the planet. It supports hundreds of millions of livelihoods, fuels a global industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and plays a vital role in food security.
But our oceans are under growing pressure. More than a third of global fish stocks are overfished, climate change is altering marine ecosystems, and illegal fishing continues to undermine ecosystem conservation and coastal communities.
Each year, World Oceans Day reminds us the ocean is not just a body of water, but a living ecosystem that underpins life on Earth. This year, we’re focusing on the importance of sustainable seafood sourcing and the vital role it plays in protecting our oceans and the communities that depend on them.
The Future of Seafood Depends on Collective Action
Mars’ Global Marine Sustainability Lead, Andrew Russell, recently joined Dr. Sarah Glaser, Head of WWF's Blue Foods program, on WWF's Nature Breaking podcast(Opens a new window), to discuss the critical role of seafood in global systems, and how Mars and WWF have been working together for over 15-years to drive sustainable seafood sourcing.
The conversation explored some of the most pressing questions facing marine conservation - from how we meet rising demand for seafood without pushing ecosystems past their limits, to what roles companies should play in building healthier, more resilient oceans.
“We need the protein as human beings. Pets need the protein and nutrition for their wellbeing. But it has to be done in a responsible and sustainable manner to ensure that we have this into the future.” - Andrew Russell, Global Marine Sustainability Lead, Mars
Why Sustainable Seafood Matters to Us
At Mars Petcare, we are driven by our purpose to create a positive impact for people, pets and the planet and that guides every decision we make.
As the world's largest pet care company, seafood is a key ingredient in many of the products our pets love, including WHISKAS® and SHEBA®. Much of this comes from by-products of the human food chain, helping reduce waste but also making supply chains more complex and harder to trace.
“Our brands rely on healthy, sustainable stocks - and that's why collaboration with partners like WWF has been central to driving progress at scale." - Andrew Russell, Global Marine Sustainability Lead, Mars
A 15-Year Partnership Driving Progress
For more than 15 years, this partnership has helped shape our approach, grounding it in science, strengthening accountability and focusing our efforts where we can have the greatest impact.
In the episode, Andrew and Sarah dive into the practical realities of transforming complex global supply chains. They highlight several ways Mars and WWF have been actively working together to turn commitments into action, improving sustainable seafood sourcing and supporting healthier oceans:
- Advancing Traceability and Transparency: To combat Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing, visibility is essential. Andrew shares how Mars has recently become the first pet food company to adopt the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) standards, supported by our innovative blockchain partnership with Wholechain to trace seafood right down to the individual vessel.
- Unlocking Blue Finance: A major barrier to improving fisheries is long-term funding. To solve this, Mars partnered with WWF and Finance Earth to launch the Fisheries Improvement Fund with a $1M commitment over five years to support fisheries to transition to more sustainable practices. Andrew spotlights the success of the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in Chile supporting 250 local fishers, driving adoption of Electronic Vessel Monitoring, and building marine resilience against climate impacts like El Niño.
- Innovation and Industry Advocacy: The conversation covers how Mars ensures sourcing is aligned with industry standards and uses third-party certifications such as MSC and ASC. Andrew also highlights Mars active industry role as co-chair of the Seafood Taskforce, driving greater transparency and long-term change across global supply chains and commitment not to source Antarctic krill across our products from 2025 – the first pet care business to do so.
“We’ve done an immense amount of work with WWF, [to] actually look at all of these fisheries from which we source to then be able to assess the risk and maintain our best practices.” - Andrew Russell, Global Marine Sustainability Lead, Mars
Looking Ahead
World Oceans Day is a reminder that protecting ocean health requires long-term commitment and collective action.
While Mars represents a small share of the global fish market, we believe we all have a role to play in safeguarding the future of our oceans.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify(Opens a new window), Apple Podcasts(Opens a new window), and YouTube(Opens a new window).
