Trend analysis of sustainability claims: The European fisheries and aquaculture markets case

Abstract

The future of European fisheries and aquaculture depends not only on their capacity to innovate (e.g., introduce new products) but also on their ability to realize sustainable production given the environmental concerns surrounding fisheries. Market tools can be used to signal sustainability to consumers by balancing sustainability and competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to explore the trends related to the introduction of fishery and aquaculture products (FAPs) with sustainability attributes among 32,215 products commercialized in Europe between 2000 and 2019 using Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD). The data provide information on a variety of sustainability claims on product packages. Of all the FAPs, 35.21% included at least one sustainability claim. We used trend analysis to investigate the countries and species that lead the introduction of new products associated with sustainability to understand the drivers of sustainability in the European FAP markets. The results indicated that the share of FAPs launched in the market with sustainability claims was increasing across Europe, mainly driven by sustainability on raw material and sustainable packaging, while sustainable products with organic or animal welfare claims were not market drivers of sustainability. In addition to differences in the sustainability claims by country, we highlighted some heterogeneity in the market across species. Nevertheless, market incentives to promote sustainability, while matching consumer expectations, also seemed efficient in effectively promoting sustainable resources.