Hiddenfjord marks three years of sustainable shipping, saving over 200,000 tons of CO2

This week, we celebrate our ground-breaking decision to ship our salmon products exclusively by sea, saving an estimated 200,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over the past three years. Driven solely by Hiddenfjord’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, the switch from air to sea freight only has more than halved the company’s total emissions.

 

To put this achievement in perspective, the 200,000 metric tons of CO2 saved is equivalent to CO2 emissions from the total fuel usage of all vehicles and households in the Faroe Islands in 2022, supported by data provided by Statistics Faroe Islands.

 

Hiddenfjord is the first and only company in the aquaculture industry to completely stop distribution by air. We proceeded with the initiative despite considerable risk – especially losing lucrative markets for fresh salmon in Asia and North America.

 

“Transporting food by air is simply unethical. Full stop,” says Atli Gregersen, CEO and co-owner at Hiddenfjord.

 

Atli was inspired to take definitive action following a lecture on climate change called “Making a Difference” held in the Faroe Islands by musician and political activist Bob Geldof.

 

“Geldof said, ‘Pondering too long about the pros and cons of an initiative will not make anything happen. Take action! Then things will become much clearer, and you will put all your energy into finding solutions and achieving your goals’,” says Atli.

 

Once the decision to stop all air freight was taken, we started to explore the possibility of sending fresh salmon by ship to the United States. By developing a unique processing and cooling system, we have successfully preserved the much sought-after quality of our salmon and extended its shelf life.

 

Customers in the United States, once quizzical, have embraced the shift to sea freight and have grown substantially in numbers. In the EU, customers have benefitted from this improvement in quality and extended shelf life, leading them to wholeheartedly recognise Hiddenfjord salmon as the best. The Asian market remains unattainable because of the extended length of transportation time for fresh salmon.

 

Watch a short film about our initiative here.