Episode 9

Behind the Smoke: Building a Sustainable Future at Acme Smoked Fish

with Alex Golub

Alex Golub is the Director of Sustainability at Acme Smoked Fish, where she spearheads initiatives to promote responsible sourcing and reduce environmental impact within the seafood sector. Passionate about marine ecosystems and sustainable food systems, Alex combines her expertise in sustainability with a deep commitment to advancing best practices in the industry. She holds a Master of Arts in Food Studies from New York University.

 

Acme Smoked Fish

Founded in 1906, Acme Smoked Fish has grown from a small family-run business into a leading provider of premium smoked and cured seafood products. With a heritage rooted in tradition, Acme is renowned for its commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and innovation. The company’s products, ranging from smoked salmon to herring, have become staples for seafood lovers worldwide.

At the heart of Acme’s operations is a strong dedication to sustainability. Recognizing the importance of preserving marine ecosystems, the company has implemented practices to ensure responsible sourcing, minimize environmental impact, and contribute to a sustainable seafood industry. Through partnerships, certifications, and cutting-edge technologies, Acme continues to blend its rich history with forward-thinking solutions to secure a sustainable future for both seafood and the communities that depend on it.

With its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and a presence that spans global markets, Acme remains family-owned, staying true to its core values of tradition, quality, and environmental stewardship.

Acme joined the GSSI Global Partnership in November 2021. Alex sits on the GSSI Benchmark Integrity Committee.

Alex, can you tell us about your journey to becoming the Director of Sustainability at Acme Smoked Fish?

I joined Acme in February, 2023. Having lived in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where the company is headquartered, and having worked part-time for Acme’s weekly retail pop-up, Fish Friday, several years prior, I was very familiar with the company. My background is in the food industry, and I had been working at the intersection of supply chains, sustainability, and marketing before I got to Acme. I was excited for the opportunity to work for a fourth-generation family-owned company – I could tell that the passion for the business started at the top and was infused into the culture of the organization. I was also eager to learn more about the seafood industry, an area that had fascinated me for a while due to its complex and global footprint. There was clearly a lot of work to do and I was excited to roll up my sleeves under the mentorship of Rob Snyder, Acme’s Chief People & Sustainability Officer.

What does a typical day look like for you in this role?

Part of the reason why I love my job is that each day looks a little bit different. I’m coordinating a press release to announce the most recent Seafood Industry Climate Award winners on behalf of the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation, collaborating on an operating procedure for waste diversion within our Brooklyn facility, tracking down and reporting on utility metrics for our annual carbon footprint analysis, meeting with the Sea Pact executive committee, responding to requests and questions from customers or sales team members about our sourcing, and a whole lot more.

Although the official headcount of the sustainability team at Acme is small, we can be effective because we are not working alone.

Our strategy has always followed:

  • Sustainability must support growth​
  • Sustainability will catalyze positive company-wide change​
  • Sustainability is everyone’s job​
  • Sustainability will help identify and mitigate risk

We also have a corporate value at Acme called Citizens of Seafood. This value ensures that all employees put social responsibility and environmental concerns at the center of their decision-making, with the goal of collectively improving not only our business but also setting an example for the seafood industry.

Although the official headcount of the sustainability team at Acme is small, we can be effective because we are not working alone.

Acme Smoked Fish emphasizes sustainability in its operations. Could you elaborate on the pillars of your sustainability strategy?

Our sustainability program focuses on four pillars, which map to the biggest priority areas for Acme as well as those of our top customers. The four pillars are: climate impact, raw material sourcing, waste reduction, and people & community. We engage all areas of our company in our sustainability efforts and intentionally avoid working in “silos”, as sustainability affects everyone and impacts all decision-making.

For climate impact, we are analyzing data throughout the company to prioritize carbon reduction with every decision.

For raw material sourcing, we seek out responsible farms and fisheries to source from and generate demand for sustainable seafood.

For waste reduction, we are working to minimize overall consumer packaging and increase the recyclable content where available.

And for people and community, we believe in the future of our employees, their families and the communities where we work, so we invest in them.

We also built a corporate philanthropy in 2021 to address pressing needs within the seafood industry that fell outside the day-to-day scope of the corporation. The Acme Smoked Fish Foundation is a 501c3 organization with two key focus areas: combating climate change and uplifting the communities of workers within the seafood processing industry. Now celebrating its third year, the Seafood Industry Climate Awards (SICA) is Acme Smoked Fish Foundation’s signature program, with a singular purpose of identifying the most promising solutions that will lower the carbon footprint of the seafood industry and increase the leadership role of women and minority communities.

Acme also joined 1% For the Planet, a global organization that acts as an accountability partner for sustainability-minded businesses. 1% of sales from all Acme brand cold-smoked salmon retail products are donated to support and grow the SICA program. We are thrilled to work with 1% for the Planet and build upon the strong groundwork we have created over the past three years through our foundation and grants program.

How do you balance the traditions of smoked fish production with innovative sustainable practices?

This is a great question – particularly because sustainability is at the heart of traditional smoked fish manufacturing. Curing or brining fish in salt and then smoking them whole or filleted is a preservation technique used to enhance the shelf life of highly perishable fresh seafood. In many ways our efforts around sustainability today are an attempt to return to those traditional values and methodologies.

We’re leveraging innovation in ways that serve our mission of sharing our heritage and passion for great food that unites people while driving our industry toward a more sustainable future. This means purchasing fish from reliable and transparent sources, reducing waste within our processing facilities, streamlining our logistics and energy consumption to have the most efficient carbon footprint, and delighting our consumers with the highest quality products that meet the growing demand for traceable and sustainable production practices.

In many ways our efforts around sustainability today are an attempt to return to those traditional values and methodology.

What role do partnerships and/or certifications, such as those recognized by GSSI, play in your sustainability efforts?

As a growing global corporation with an increasingly complex supply chain, we need innovative solutions that allow us to track, measure, report, and optimize. Partnerships are critical to enabling the integrity of our sustainability efforts at Acme.

The key for us has been identifying the best partners aligned with each of our four pillars. For ensuring that the fish we buy complies not only with our Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Policy, but also those of our most discerning customers, we rely on GSSI. The Global Benchmark Tool gives us and our customers the trust and flexibility to make important purchasing decisions that align with our priorities. As a credible third-party organization, GSSI has the resources and expertise to analyze and compare detailed certification schemes and provide recognition to the broader seafood and retail industries.

For ensuring that the fish we buy complies not only with our Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Policy, but also those of our most discerning customers, we rely on GSSI.

What are the key sustainability goals Acme hopes to achieve in the coming years?

 

Some other sustainability goals we are looking at include:

  • Year-over-year increase of raw material purchased that has a certification recognized under GSSI’s Global Benchmark Tool
  • 100% full chain traceable seafood supply chain by 2026 as per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s FSMA 204 rule.
  • Significant greenhouse gas reductions by 2030 across our global operations.
  • 100% landfill diversion for our organic waste – whether that be through capturing yield through more efficient processes to reutilization or upcycling to compost and anaerobic digestion for biogas production.
  • Piloting consumer packaging that is biodegradable or recyclable. 
  • And much more!

What advice would you give to other companies in the seafood sector looking to enhance their sustainability efforts?

My first piece of advice would be to listen and learn. Meet with stakeholders across your entire organization to identify the most material issues for your customers, employees, suppliers, etc. Then step back and consider the role your company plays in your industry, and identify key areas where your work could make a vital impact.

Find like-minded partners – for us that includes GSSI, Sea Pact, 1% For the Planet, SAGE, among others. Even if you start small: initial meaningful actions can grow when your entire team is invested and excited, and you can create something big and transformational over time.