First international label for ocean protection launched

Classification society Bureau Veritas, French Ministry of the Sea, and Foundation de la Mer have issued the world’s first label for ocean protection, “Ocean Approved”.

As disclosed, the label is the first in the world to recognize companies that are committed to understanding and improving their impact on the ocean.

“The Ocean Approved label helps strengthen and structure efforts of both public and private parties. The label is open to all, once again demonstrating France’s commitment to the protection of the oceans and the sustainable use of their resources,” Annick Girardin, French Minister of the Sea noted.

The French Ministry of the Sea’s Delegation for the Sea and Coastline has worked in collaboration with Bureau Veritas, BPI France, BCG, EpE and France Invest, which are all members of the label’s governance committee.

“In 2020, the Fondation de la Mer launched the Ocean Framework. This is the result of our strong conviction to integrate a global vision that encompasses all issues and challenges facing oceans today. Furthermore, the framework offers companies a way to introduce sea conservation into their transformation strategies,” Sabine Roux de Bézieux, President of Fondation de la Mer commented.

“With the Ocean Approved label, companies can reach a new level in terms of mobilizing efforts in defense of our planet’s oceans. Organizations that achieve the label are demonstrating to stakeholders that strong commitment.”

The label is said to comply with the rigorous standards defined by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform of France Stratégie.

To remind, France Stratégie, an organization under the supervision of the French Prime Minister, launched the CSR platform made up of representatives of civil society. The platform seeks to identify the factors that can favour the adoption of responsible approaches and the link between those approaches and economic performance.

France Stratégie has published a study on the effectiveness of CSR platform which showed that companies implementing a CSR approach improved their overall performance by 13%.

Further on, the labeling process features actions carried out by the companies and the analysis of the governance mechanisms which are incorporated into these actions. Some of the actions may include reducing or recycling plastic materials, improving wastewater treatment, and paying more attention to the protection of coastal areas.

What is more, the Fondation de la Mer approves an independent third-body, one of them being Bureau Veritas, to carry out the audit process. This independent third-party examines and guarantees the truth and accuracy of the companies’ statements.

The entire labeling and auditing process has been tested with three pilot companies: an energy company (Engie), a data center operator (Interxion), and a marine cosmetics company (Thalgo), according to BV.