In a major leap forward for environmental transparency in the seafood sector, a new collaboration is underway between GFLI (Global Feed LCA Institute), Sjømat Norge, and LCA.no. Their joint project, funded by FHF (The Norwegian Seafood Research Fund), aims to deliver a cutting-edge, cloud-based tool for environmental data generation — the first of its kind to comply with both GFLI standards and the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology.
The results? A powerful and user-friendly solution that will enable marine ingredient producers and fisheries to create high-quality life cycle data for use in both industry benchmarking and regulatory reporting.
– This is a groundbreaking project, says Gaspard Philis, LCA/EPD advisor at LCA.no. – It combines automation, traceability, and quality control in a way the seafood sector hasn’t seen before.
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Meeting a Clear Need in the Industry
For years, the seafood sector — and especially fisheries and marine feed producers — have faced steep challenges in documenting environmental performance.
– Generating life cycle data is extremely resource-intensive, both in terms of cost and expertise, explains Delanie Kellon, Executive Director of GFLI. – This tool will lower the barrier significantly, making it much easier for producers to contribute data and update it over time.
The tool, set to be completed in early 2026, is being developed by LCA.no in close partnership with pilot companies including Aker Qrill Company, Calanus AS, and IFFO. These early adopters provide real-world input and data to ensure the tool is adapted to the industry’s needs.
A First in Fisheries: PEF-Compliant and GFLI-Ready
What sets this project apart is its dual functionality: it generates environmental data both for marine ingredients (like fishmeal and fish oil) to be uploaded to the GFLI database, and for finished products (like filleted fish) intended for human consumption — fully aligned with the Marine fish PEFCR.
The proposed Green Claims directive aims to make proper information available to consumers regarding the use of environmental claims and thus prevent greenwashing. The draft directive requires LCA-based substantiation of any environmental claim presented by the operators.
– PEF is stipulated as a proper method to substantiate environmental claims, Henrik Stenwig, senior advisor at Sjømat Norge, explains. If you make environmental claims about your products in the EU, you’ll need to back it up with proper documentation, and PEF is the gold standard.
Stenwig has been at the forefront of PEF development for marine fish for more than a decade and views this tool as the logical next step.
– It empowers seafood producers to take ownership of their environmental data for reporting, internal improvements, and marketing he emphasizes.
Strong Motivation for All Partners
While GFLI brings global credibility and a technical framework for feed-related LCAs, and Sjømat Norge ensures strong industry anchoring, LCA.no brings in the experience of building digital infrastructure for EPDs and LCAs.
– For us, this is also a step into a new sector, Philis points out. We’ve mostly worked with construction and building materials until now. Entering fisheries and aquaculture opens exciting new possibilities.
GFLI also sees the project as a first step toward broader applications:
– We hope this tool will be further developed to include other types of feed ingredients, such as plant-based feedstock and feed additives, Laura Nobel, Project Manager at GFLI elaborates.
Why This Matters: Compliance, Competitiveness, and Clarity
The upcoming Green Claims Directive from the EU will make it mandatory for environmental claims on food products to be backed by LCA data. This means producers will need tools like the one being developed here.
But the team behind the project sees it as more than just a regulatory necessity.
– This is also about competitiveness, says Mats William Snåre, Environmental and Industrial Ecology Advisor at Sjømat Norge. In the future, companies will compete not only on price and quality, but also on environmental performance. Having solid, verifiable data is key to that.
Stenwig agrees:
– Conducting LCA studies at product level is voluntary. But it’s a strategic opportunity. The seafood sector has a relatively low environmental footprint compared to other food products — let’s document that and use it to our advantage.
Helping Companies Help Themselves
Beyond regulatory compliance and marketing, the tool also offers insight.
– If you can model your operations, you can improve them, Nobel points out. Companies will better understand where their emissions come from and how to reduce them. That’s empowerment.
This is already seen in related work on EPD tools, where users across departments — from production to marketing — learn to use the tool and develop a more holistic understanding of their environmental impact.
– Our goal is that pilot companies — and future users — will not just use the tool but also understand the data and its implications, Philis adds.
What’s Next?
The tool is expected to launch in Q1 2026, and the project team encourages interested companies to get ready.
– The more branded data GFLI receives, the more useful our database will be — for individual companies, feed producers, and the industry as a whole, but also for our chain partners, Kellon explains.
– It’s all about improving transparency and enabling better choices throughout the supply chain; from fishing vessels to feed producers to retailers — everyone stands to gain from this, Stenwig concludes.
Curious how to get started with EPDs or LCAs? We’re here to help.