CHARITABLE CAUSES

HB Grandi supports activities on its home turf: in Reykjavík, in Akranes and in Vopnafjörður. The grants are split into several categories but are all related to the community to which they are allocated in some manner. HB Grandi has supported the Society for Assistance to Mothers (Mæðrastyrksnefnd) in Akranes for a number of years as well as the same Society’s Educational Fund. HB Grandi also made a donation to UNICEF in Iceland in connection with the emergency assistance to the Rohingya people in 2017. In addition, the company has supported the Icelandic Association of the Deaf (Félag heyrnarlausra) in recent years.

HB GRANDI FAMILY FESTIVAL ON SEAMEN’S DAY

HB Grandi holds an annual family festival at the operating site of the company in Reykjavík on Seamen’s Day. An entertainment programme is provided for all the family, with fantastic entertainers as well as refreshments.

LANDSBJÖRG, THE ICELANDIC ASSOCIATION FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE – ICE-SAR

HB Grandi is a supporter of the search and rescue teams in Iceland. Landsbjörg, the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue is an umbrella association representing search and rescue teams and groups and is one of the largest volunteer associations in Iceland. The operation aims to prevent accidents and save lives and valuables. HB Grandi supports robust search and rescue work at sea and on land, as our seamen rely on the teams if something happens.

THE FISHERIES INDUSTRY SAFETY GROUP

Fisheries Iceland (Samtök fyrirtækja í sjávarútvegi, SFS) operates a fisheries industry safety group that has the goal of reducing the number of accidents in the sector. The group was formally established in April 2016. The head of safety issues at HB Grandi is the chairman of the SFS safety group. The group consists of ten representatives from the sector and three members from SFS. The representatives are from the largest fisheries companies in Iceland and are all involved in working on safety issues. The first task undertaken by the group was to write a Safety Manual for fish processing plants, which is now accessible on the websites of SFS and the Herring Sector Research Fund (Rannsóknarsjóður síldarútvegsins), which supported the endeavour. The Safety Manual is a reference manual for management in fisheries companies and is intended to ensure the use of active occupational safety measures within the companies.

THE MARSHALL BUILDING

HB Grandi is the owner of the Marshall Building, which is located on the premises of the company in Reykjavík. The Marshall Building is a new venue for the arts, standing by the Old Harbour in Reykjavík. The building was built in 1948 as a fish meal factory. It currently houses the Living Art Museum, Kling og Bang, the Studio of Ólafur Elíasson and workshop and the Marshall Restaurant + Bar. The idea for the new and changed role for the Marshall Building can be traced to the architects of Kurtogpi, Ásmundur Hrafn Sturluson and Steinþór Kári Kárason. The firm was responsible for all the architectural work regarding the changes. The project was formally launched on 19 February 2016 when the agreement was signed and work began. The Marshall Building, a spectacular centre for the arts, was formally opened on 18 March 2017.

VÍKIN – ICELAND’S MARITIME MUSEUM

The maritime museum in Reykjavík was formally established in 2004 and opened its first exhibition in June 2006. Its role is to collect and present maritime history and artefacts relating to the sea and seamanship, particularly those that have a bearing on the history of Reykjavík. The museum is located at Grandagarður, in the premises that formerly housed Bæjarútgerð Reykjavíkur (BÚR), one of the predecessors of HB Grandi.

HB Grandi is one of the main sponsors of the Maritime Museum in Reykjavík. A partnership agreement, effective for five years, was signed in 2014. Víkin, therefore, has been able to continue with the developments that began in the museum in 2005.

ÞÚFA

In 2013, HB Grandi, in collaboration with the Federation of Icelandic Artists and the Associated Icelandic Ports (Faxaflóahafnir), held a competition for new artwork to decorate the area surrounding Ísbjörninn, the new cold storage facility that the company built in the same year. The winner was Þúfa, a piece by artist Ólöf Nordal. Those who walk up to the top are able to enjoy one of the most impressive views of Reykjavík available. Þúfa was inaugurated at a ceremony on 21 December 2013 and has already become a well-known landmark in Reykjavík. Þúfa is visited by a large number of visitors every year and is, for example, high up on the list issued by TripAdvisor in 2017 of places to visit when in Reykjavík.

DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE WETFISH TRAWLER ÁSBJÖRN

A documentary was filmed in 2017 about the wetfish trawler Ásbjörn, which is now replaced by Engey. Ásbjörn was built in 1978 and has proved to be an excellent vessel. Despite being among the smallest vessels in HB Grandi’s fleet, Ásbjörn was more often than not among the vessels that brought home the largest catches and was, in fact, the vessel to bring home the largest catch in Iceland thirteen times, most recently in 2014. Ásbjörn unloaded round 227 thousand tonnes in 1,542 unloads, with the catch value being around ISK 40bn at present value. The documentary about Ásbjörn was shown in Harpa on Seaman’s Day free of charge. The film was also shown on ÍNN, on the weekend following Seamen’s Day. By creating the film, HB Grandi wished to preserve the history of the old wetfish trawlers and share it with the Icelandic people.

Arctic Circle

HB Grandi is one of the sponsors of the Arctic Circle Assembly , i.e. a “Strategic Partner”. Arctic Circle is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organisations, corporations, universities, environmental associations and others interested in the development of the Nordic region and its consequences for the future of the globe. As such, Arctic Circle is the largest platform of its type in the world. The Chairman of Arctic Circle is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland.

HAFIÐ – ICELANDIC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE USE AND CONSERVATION OF THE OCEAN

HB Grandi is one of the founders of Hafið, the Icelandic Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Use and Conservation of the Ocean. The Centre is intended to work on the development of ideas on the protection of the ocean by reducing pollution by means of green technology. The project is far reaching and ambitious and is supported by a large number of entities in addition to HB Grandi. Hafið is a platform for the collaboration of companies, organisations and research laboratories who wish to involve themselves in ocean protection issues on a global level.

Blái herinn ( THE BLUE ARMY )

The company has twice, in connection with the opening of its sorting stations, supported the operation of the Blue Army, most recently in 2017.

CLIMATE GOALS DECLARATION

HB Grandi signed, together with 103 other Icelandic companies and public bodies, a declaration on climate issue goals on 16 November 2015 in Höfði. The declaration was delivered in connection with the UN Climate Conference held in Paris in December 2015. The City of Reykjavík and Festa, the Icelandic Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, have managed the declaration from the companies. The goals of the climate project are to:

• Reduce the release of greenhouse gases.
• Reduce the formation of waste.
• Measure performance and regularly publish information on the above aspects.