Novotel Becomes First Hospitality Brand to Join Seafood Task Force

Novotel, a leading global hotel brand with 600 hotels in 68 countries, has become the first hospitality brand to join the Seafood Task Force (STF).

This milestone reinforces Novotel’s leadership in sustainable hospitality and builds upon the brand’s comprehensive three-year ocean commitment and partnership with WWF, launched in June 2024.

The collaboration with the STF will initially focus on enhancing supply chain transparency and promoting the sustainable sourcing of tuna and farmed shrimp across three key Southeast Asian markets - Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia - engaging Novotel hotels in the region. These commodities were identified as priorities by mapping Novotel’s key sourcing volumes against regions with elevated sustainability and social risks.

The STF brings together members of global tuna and shrimp supply chains, serving more than 350 million customers globally and helping businesses enhance supply chain oversight and ensure ethical production from vessel to plate. All STF members work to produce fully traceable, ethically produced, and environmentally responsible seafood, meeting international social and environmental standards, while advancing industry-wide due diligence requirements.

Novotel’s membership extends the brand’s Sustainable Seafood Principles, which were introduced earlier this year in collaboration with WWF France. These principles include banning more than 350 endangered seafood species from menus by 2027, serving only MSC-certified wild-caught species or responsibly sourced local fish, and using ASC- or organic-certified farmed seafood for salmon and shrimp.

Nadege Keryhuel, Global Vice-President Novotel brand, said: "[i]Joining the Seafood Task Force represents a critical next step in Novotel’s journey toward complete seafood traceability and sustainability. We are proud to lead the industry in taking concrete action to protect our oceans by becoming the first hospitality brand to become a member. Through our partnership with the STF, our teams across Southeast Asia will have access to world-class expertise and practical tools to drive meaningful change in how we source tuna and farmed shrimp. This commitment is embedded in our broader ocean roadmap, which aims to make Novotel best-in-class in reducing environmental impact.[/i"

The STF membership complements Novotel’s existing seafood sustainability initiatives, including: a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) launched in Q1 2025 in Kerala, India, focused on Indian squid; a partnership with Seafood Souq across 18 hotels in the Middle East to enhance traceability; a focus on farmed shrimp traceability in Brazil.; and a seafood taskforce procurement project in Europe, working with five seafood suppliers to improve supply chain transparency.

Novotel’s broader ocean commitment encompasses four key pillars: reducing plastic and carbon footprint impact; delivering delicious, healthier and more sustainable food choices; enhancing education and ocean awareness; and contributing to research and innovation through support of five WWF France marine conservation projects worldwide.

Since Novotel launched its partnership with the WWF in 2024, Novotel has rolled out Ocean Awareness Training for all 600 hotel teams globally, and supported WWF-led initiatives such as Posidonia seagrass protection, ghost gear (abandoned fishing nets) removal, marine turtle tracking, and the Blue Panda research vessel.

STF Executive Director, Martin Thurley said: ’’We are excited to welcome Novotel as the first hospitality brand to join the Seafood Task Force. The hospitality sector plays a vital role in driving demand for sustainable seafood and Novotel’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement across their Southeast Asian operations demonstrates true leadership. We look forward to working closely with their teams to implement practices that not only benefit their operations but also contribute to healthier ocean ecosystems and more resilient fishing communities across the region.’’

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Names pictured (left to right): Siti Masithah (Ita), Senior Programme Manager, The Seafood Task Force; Rita Sahyoun, Ocean Expert, WWF France; Martin Thurley, Executive Director, The Seafood Task Force; Kattika Songkrasin (Joy), Sustainability Manager - Asia, Accor; Laurent Viguié, European Lead, The Seafood Task Force