The Pledge, written by Holland & Barrett, states: "Krill are the foundation of Antarctic life. As retailers, we recognise that our sourcing decisions shape ecosystems far beyond our shelves. In collaboration with Sea Shepherd, we commit to protecting Antarctic ecosystems by reducing pressure on krill, a species essential to whales, penguins, seals and the wider marine food web."

The Pledge additionally calls for companies to publicly commit to transparent divestment timelines, and to agree to not reintroduce krill-based products in the future. Companies that currently sell krill-based products – as well as those who do not – are encouraged to sign the Pledge.

This announcement followed extensive discussions with Sea Shepherd representatives, who had expressed serious concerns about the weakening regulations governing the rapidly growing krill fishery. Last year, a conservation measure that required the impact of the krill fishery to be dispersed over a greater geographical area to reduce the risk of local decline was not renewed. That means fishing is now more concentrated in areas with high biodiversity, accelerating the exploitation of krill and increasing the impact on Antarctic wildlife.

Sea Shepherd is the only organization with a vessel operating on the front lines of the growing krill crisis. This ship, the Allankay, is currently in the South Orkney Islands shadowing the krill fishing fleet.

“For the past three years, our annual expeditions to Antarctica have documented the growing conflict between whales and super trawlers as the two compete for krill, the primary food source for whales, penguins and seals,” said Peter Hammarstedt, Campaign Director for Sea Shepherd Global. “We have been waiting a long time for a leading retailer to take action and to do the right thing when it comes to Antarctic protection and the krill fishery. We welcome Holland & Barrett’s decision to cease all krill product sales, and we call on other retailers to do the same.”

Holland & Barrett became the first major company to publicly commit to these objectives in a statement published last October. According to the company’s announcement, Holland & Barrett will have fully ended the sale of all krill products by April 2026.

The Antarctic Krill Pledge: https://seashe.ph/pledge