Hampidjan

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Hampidjan was founded in 1934 by a group of thirteen engineers and sea captains amid the Great Depression. Due to a shortage of fishing gear between the world wars, this group established a manufacturing company to produce trawl nets, tows, and fishing lines in Reykjavík. After supplying these materials to Iceland’s fishing fleet during the wars, the company was faced with unexpected challenges, including high import tolls on raw materials and a double rate of exchange. On top of these setbacks, in 1964, a sudden wholesale switch from natural to synthetic fibers caused Hampidjan’s newly built production machines to be inoperable. This left Hampidjan with a decision: invest in new machinery capable of producing the new materials or shut down the company completely. The decision was made to invest in the new machines which allowed for Hampidjan to refine its products. Since then, Hampidjan has expanded its operations internationally and has grown its product range to encompass technological advances in the fishing industry. These changes have allowed Hampidjan to become one of the largest fishing equipment companies in the world. Recently, in 2023, Hampidjan acquired Mørenot, a Norwegian company that specializes in manufacturing fishing gear and equipment. Later, on June 9, 2023, Hampidjan’s shares were listed on the main market of Nasdaq Iceland.

Today, Hampidjan operates out of seventy-six locations across twenty-one countries. Its headquarters is in Reykjavík, and its main production site is in Lithuania. Developing fishing and marine equipment for commercial, recreational, and military use make up its core operations; however, it has expanded its operations into the oil industry within the last thirty years. Led by CEO Hjörtur Erlendsson, Hampidjan currently oversees fifty-one companies within the industry.

Looking to the future, as noted by CEO Hjörtur Erlendsson, Hampidjan is determined to continue to remain at the top of the industry through continued product development and innovation.

SUSTAINABILITY

For the last few years, we have had four different focus areas within the field of sustainability:

Climate emissions. Mapping our GHG emissions has been an important focus area for us to be able to fully understand our impact and to set efficient reduction strategies. In 2023, we reached a key milestone in this work, reporting for the first time on the group as a whole.
Fishing gear design and product development. We have a strong tradition for product development, especially focused on fishing gear design, in Hampiðjan. In 2023, we are proud to have participated in an innovative project aiming to develop circular fish farming nets.
Recycling and circular value chains. We are continuously working to increase focus on recycling within the group. Hampiðjan Iceland alone shipped a record 51 containers (1.128 t of material) of customer waste to dedicated recycling and sorting companies while other companies within the group have also increased their recycling efforts.
ISO 14001 certification. We take pride in operating our business according to the standards set out in ISO 14001. It has therefore been an ambition to have more of our subsidiaries obtaining this certification. In 2023, three new companies have become certified.

Hampiðjan intends to work diligently towards the UN SDGs, a shared plan for peace and prosperity for both the planet and the people on it, now as well as in the future. As far as environmental issues are concerned, Hampiðjan has identified three of the UN SDGs considered to be especially important to the company.

9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure Hampiðjan shall strive to become a leader in innovation within the fishing industry, with focus on efficient fishing gear, that reduces the GHG emissions of the vessel, and increased durability and lifetime of the gear.
12. Responsible consumption and production Hampiðjan will aim to design and produce fishing gear that allows material recycling and supports the transition to a circular economy. Additionally, Hampiðjan will work to reduce the energy consumption during production.
14. Life below water Hampiðjan aims to design and manufacture fishing gear that contributes to a more responsible and efficient use of marine resources. With fisheries specific targeted designs and separators, it is possible to increase species selectivity and avoid capture of undersized fish.

Environmental policy: The environmental policy is developed for Hampiðjan hf. and as well as being valid for the parent company, it will be a policy guide for Hampiðjan’s subsidiaries around the world. Employees and their managers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and working on the environmental policy. This environmental policy is a confirmation that the company works towards the goal of reducing all negative environmental impacts from its daily operations.

Employees

Increase employees' awareness of environmental issues and their significance.
Encourage employees to take advantage of more environmentally friendly transport.

Fishing gear design

Emphasis will be placed on fishing gear design that minimizes the carbon footprint of fishing vessels and fishing gear technology that contributes to a better choice of size and species of fish.
Design fishing gear materials and gear so that recycling after use is as easy as possible.

Recycling

Sort all waste to minimize landfill.
Promote the recycling of the materials generated during the processing of the company's products.
Recycle packaging.
Reduce paper usage and ensure that the paper used is recycled.
Assist shipowners and customers in sorting used fishing gear and recycling as much of it as possible.

Environment

Support cleanup work on beaches and at sea.
Calculate overall greenhouse gas emissions within the group and set goals for proportional reduction each year.
Aim for ISO 14001 certification of the parent company by the end of 2021 and other companies within the group by the end of 2025.

Leads to the goals

Establish an environmental committee and that has the role of providing environmental education for Hampiðjan’s employees to increase their environmental awareness.
Establish green accounting to calculate the carbon footprint of the company.

Hampiðjan emphasizes recycling of operational waste, including plastics, carboard, organics and general waste, in net lofts, service stations, warehouses and offices. Moreover, it is part of Hampiðjan's environmental policy to provide solutions and pathways for the company’s products once they have reached the end of their usable service life. Hampiðjan collaborates with many partners in the recycling industry that have specialized in the recycling and value creation from used fishing gear components and aquaculture cages. Where possible, material is shipped directly to the recycler after collection and separation.