AMERICAN SEAFOODS AND AION COLLABORATE TO BE FIRST MOVERS IN PLASTIC CIRCULARITY

A series of successful pilots demonstrate how high-quality plastic material from the fishing industry can be rescued and turned into new and valuable products.

American Seafoods (ASC), the largest at-sea processor of wild Alaska pollock and Pacific hake, and Norwegian start-up AION, owned by Norwegian Aker group, are proud to announce a first-of-its-kind circularity collaboration in the fishing industry. Since 2022, the two companies have collaborated on a series of feasibility pilots to repurpose plastic waste into sustainable recycling streams with documented digital traceability.

The first project successfully demonstrated that polypropylene and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from retired midwater trawl nets could be recycled and remanufactured into serving trays for use in quick-service restaurants and food service settings. AION and ASC subsequently extended their collaboration to include additional types of operational waste and used product packaging, including sorting baskets and fishmeal bags. New recycling value chains have been established, ensuring plastic waste is being minimized across all operations.

The partnership demonstrates how American Seafoods and others in the fishing and seafood industries can take accountability for the plastics generated during their operations. AION has developed ‘Circularity as a Service’ to enable companies like ASC to divert their waste streams into valuable resource loops to give:

• Documented reduction in CO₂ emissions
• Documented reduction of plastic waste to landfills
• Reduced plastic footprint in the supply chain

“This partnership with AION is the perfect addition to our expanding sustainability agenda. Their innovative spirit and practical tools help turn our circularity ambitions into tangible progress. Building on our companies’ shared history, we are excited to work side-by-side to use less and recycle more – in all areas of our business, “ says Einar Gustafsson, CEO of American Seafoods.

“We are really proud to collaborate with American Seafoods, which wants to pioneer the circular transition in the marine industry in the US and beyond. Through this pilot, American Seafoods has helped prove in a very practical manner how plastic circularity is possible from marine waste streams. We need to establish these kinds of futureproof value chains both to close the tap on marine plastic pollution, as well as to ensure that valuable materials are repurposed into a new life,” says Runa Haug Khoury, CEO of AION.

Looking forward, the two companies will continue to collaborate to create waste-free and circular solutions, with plastic diverted from American Seafoods becoming part of AION’s circular product portfolio and repurposed for use on ASC vessels and in shoreside operations.