The Sourcing Code
The SSC Code of Conduct on Responsible Seafood Sourcing (the Sourcing Code) is a voluntary agreement on responsible sourcing, developed and implemented by SSC members. A primary goal of the SSC is to ensure that consumers can have confidence that the seafood they are buying meets or exceeds minimum standards of responsibility. The SSC Sourcing Code is designed to achieve this.
The Sourcing Code and its supporting documents are tools for change and contribute to the SSC’s vision that all seafood sold is from sustainable sources. The Sourcing Code represents commitments that SSC members have agreed to adhere to, irrespective of size or sector, and sets a precedent for industry best practice. It is without prejudice to national, international or other laws or regulations.
The Risk Assessment Template
The SSC Risk Assessment Template forms part of the Sourcing Code. It provides a practical tool for assessing risk associated with seafood sourcing in order to inform sourcing decisions and associated actions.
The Guidance
The SSC Guidance document provides additional context and advice on resources to support the implementation of the Sourcing Code.
The Claims Code
The SSC aims to create a harmonised approach to seafood claims that will provide consumers with accurate information on the provenance and sustainability of the fish or seafood.
The Voluntary Code of Conduct on Environmental Claims (the Labelling Code) was designed to achieve this and was launched in 2014. The SSC is currently revising this Code on claims.
How were the Codes developed?
V1 Codes
The first Codes were developed between 2011 and 2014. The process involved Working Group meetings on Code topics, facilitated by ClientEarth, as Secretariat of the SSC at the time.
SSC members and external stakeholder experts were then invited to share their specialist knowledge at Working Group meetings. External stakeholder experts included government officials, NGO representatives, academics and non-departmental public bodies.
The first Codes are available here: Voluntary Code of Conduct on Environmentally Responsible Fish and Seafood Sourcing and Voluntary Code of Conduct on Environmental Claims. The accompanying Guidance is available here.
V2 – Code revision
In 2023, 3Keel became Secretariat to the SSC and a strategic review was undertaken. Members decided to revise the Codes to reflect developments in the sector and the intent to drive progress in good industry practices.
Between the end of 2023 and October 2025 the Sourcing Code was revised. This work was led by the Codes Working Group, including members as Chair and Co-Chair, and was facilitated by the Secretariat. The process involved iterative drafting of the revised Sourcing Code by the Codes Working Group members, targeted external stakeholder consultation, public consultation, and feedback from the broader SSC membership.
SSC will communicate revision changes, decision-making processes and rationale later in 2026, once the work on claims concludes.
How are the Codes implemented?
All members of the SSC have committed to implementing the SSC Sourcing Code, where applicable. This means translating the requirements of the Code into their business practices. Members have a year to implement the Sourcing Code after signing up (unless agreed otherwise).
The SSC Guidance document has been developed to support members in the implementation of the Sourcing Code. For the V2 revision, members decided that the Guidance should be an iterative document, updated quarterly. Any member or stakeholder can suggest additions or amendments to the Guidance and these are reviewed by the SSC Steering Group quarterly.
Independent Implementation Reports were conducted and published in 2017 and 2020 to assess the effectiveness of the SSC voluntary pre-competitive collaboration model and to monitor the consistency with which member commitments to the Codes were being met.
An Implementation Survey will be conducted every two years from 2024 to review consistency of members’ implementation of the Codes. This review is used to provide feedback to individual members as well as informing priorities for development of additional guidance and tools to facilitate implementation of the Codes.
