JAPANESE CHINESE

Climate Change

Basic Approach

The Maruha Nichiro Group's business consists of an independent value chain from procurement, through production and processing, to sales. We recognize that climate change poses threats to our business activities such as shifting fishing areas for marine products, shifting production areas for agricultural products, and depletion of marine resources due to the destruction of ecosystems.

As countermeasures against these kinds of risks, we are working to reduce CO2 emissions through efficient energy use and capital investment.

KGIs and KPIs from FY2022 to FY2030

Materiality: Action for climate change

Ideal state in 2030 (KGI): Establish a leading position in the industry for decarbonization and action for climate change

Achievement targets (KPI)Target yearTarget valueFY2022
AchievementsSelf-assessment
Formulation of CO2 emission reduction roadmap
(Domestic G*1) 
2022-Established and disclosed in September 2022★★★★★
CO2 emissions reduction rate (FY2017 ratio: Domestic G)203030% or moreCO2 emissions reduced by 8.8% from FY2017★★★★☆
Achieve carbon neutrality (Overall G*1) 2050-Various measures underway to achieve carbon neutrality★★★☆☆

*Domestic G: Domestic Group Consolidated Companies

Note: The department in charge is the Corporate Planning Department Sustainability Group, Maruha Nichiro Corporation.

Message from Representative

Corporate Planning Department Sustainability Group Group Director Yusuke Sato

Yusuke Sato

Deputy general Manager
Sustainability Group
Corporate Planning Department

The Maruha Nichiro Group has set a KPI of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 (compared to fiscal 2017) and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 as a response to climate change issues, and is promoting various initiatives within the Group.

However, our group has many manufacturing sites and logistics warehouses, and a considerable number of these sites are not equipped with solar panels due to their age or structure. In addition, we also own fishing vessels for which specific CO2 emission reduction technologies have not yet been established, so achieving the KPI will not be an easy task. We recognize that it is essential to share methods and technologies for reducing CO2 emissions within the Group, and to promote efforts by doing what we can, as well as to ensure that all employees understand the significance of these efforts.

Main Initiatives in FY2022

Carbon Neutrality

Progress in reducing CO2 emissions in accordance with the CO2 emission reduction

In September 2022, in addition to assessing the current status of energy consumption across the entire Group (amount of electricity and fuel usage, details of contracts with electric power companies, etc.), we analyzed the feasibility of installing solar power generation panels and switching to renewable energy sources at each of our business sites, prioritized them, and developed a “CO2 Emission Reduction Roadmap” as a Group-wide reduction plan. This Roadmap is divided into three phases leading up to 2030: in Phase 1 (FY2022-2024), we aim to achieve a CO2 reduction rate of 10%, in Phase 2 (FY2025-FY2027) a CO2 reduction rate of 20%, and in Phase 3 (FY2028-FY2030) a CO2 reduction rate of 30% or more, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality. In FY2022, the first year of Phase 1, we conducted site inspections of plant and warehouse sites identified as having significant potential for the introduction of solar power generation facilities both onsite (the installation of solar power generation equipment on, e.g., the roofs of company facilities) and offsite (procurement of remote renewable electricity directly from power producers). We are proceeding with the introduction of onsite solar power generation facilities at feasible locations, and as of FY2022 we have reduced CO2 emissions by 8.8% compared to the baseline year of FY2017.

Reduction in CO2 emissions

Reduction in CO2 Emissions

Third Party Assurance

To ensure the reliability of disclosed data, CO₂ emissions data (Scope 1-3) are subject to third-party verification by a verification organization.
Please refer to the following for Scope 1-3 data (GHG Protocol compliant data excluding offsets) and the third-party assurance report.

Utilizing sustainable energy

As a concrete initiative in FY2022, we compiled detailed data such as power-related materials and structural statements for sites subject to onsite and offsite solar power implementation. At sites subject to onsite solar power generation implementation, site inspections were conducted by installation contractors. Based on the compiled data and the results of onsite inspections, each site is discussing the specifics of implementation. In FY2023, we will continue proceeding with the introduction of onsite solar power at applicable sites. We will also discuss specifics for the implementation of offsite solar power. Through these efforts, we project that we will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 23,000 tons over the three-year period.

In January 2023, we installed solar panels on the roof of the building at Marine Access Corporation. This has enabled us to supply part of our purchased electricity through solar power,estimated to generate approx 650,000 kWh and reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 260 tons.

Exterior view of Marine Access Corporation
Exterior view of Marine Access Corporation
Solar panels
Solar panels

In March 2021, we installed solar panels on the roof of the building at the Maruha Nichiro Corporation's Utsunomiya Plant. This has enabled us to supply part of our purchased electricity through solar power. As a result, we generated approximately 192,526 kWh and reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 86 tons annually.

Exterior view of Utsunomiya Plant
Exterior view of Utsunomiya Plant
Solar panels
Solar panels

Express Support for TCFD Recommendations Conducted a Scenario Analysis in Our Aquaculture Operations

TCFD

In July 2021, Maruha Nichiro Corporation expressed its support for the TCFD recommendations and joined the TCFD Consortium. In the same year, Maruha Nichiro was selected as a participating company in the "Climate Risk and Opportunity Scenario Analysis Support Project in line with the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Recommendations" organized by the Ministry of the Environment, and conducted a scenario analysis of its aquaculture business, the results of which were published on the Ministry's website in March 2022. In FY2023, we will conduct scenario analysis for other businesses in the value chain (fisheries, marine products trading, overseas, processed foods, and foodstuff distribution units) and disclose climate-related financial information.

Governance

The Maruha Nichiro Group established the Sustainability Promotion Committee in 2018 directly under the Management Committee in order to promote the sustainability strategy. The committee is chaired by the President and Representative Director, and consists of executive officers who also serve as directors of Maruha Nichiro Corporation, directors in charge of related departments, and heads of related departments as committee members, and outside directors and auditors as observers, to plan the overall Group sustainability strategy, set targets, and evaluate the activities of each Group company. The Sustainability Promotion Committee is composed of the chief of related departments, outside directors and corporate auditors as observers.

The Sustainability Committee meets four times a year on a quarterly basis, at which the responsible officers and project leaders report on the progress of each materiality, including the materiality of "addressing climate change issues," and engage in active discussions.

The contents of the discussions held by the Sustainability Committee are reported to the Board of Directors at least four times a year through the Executive Committee. The contents of the Sustainability Committee's report and discussions on the materiality "Addressing Climate Change" in fiscal 2022 are as follows.

Maruha Nichiro Group Organization Structure for Sustainability Promotion

Maruha Nichiro Group Organization Structure for Sustainability Promotion
Committee meetingsAgenda item on
 "Coping with Climate Change"
Main topics of discussion
1st
April 2022
Promotion structure for each materialityThe Sustainability Group, including TCFD, CDP, and Scope 3, as well as the KPI for "addressing climate change issues," is responsible for coordinating the environmental managers and staff of each department and Group company.
2nd
July 2022
Completion of decarbonization roadmap and progress report・Report and approve the roadmap to reduce CO2 emissions of the entire Group in Japan by 30% from the fiscal 2017 level by 2030
・Report and approval of the roadmap to reduce Group-wide CO2 emissions by 30% from FY17 levels by 2030
3rd
October 2022
4th
January 2023
Expanded implementation of TCFD scenario analysisIn addition to the aquaculture unit in FY2021, TCFD scenario analysis was expanded to the fishery, marine products trading, overseas, processed food, and food ingredients distribution units.

Strategy

The Maruha Nichiro Group operates in a broad value chain centered on marine products, from production and procurement to the dinner table. Climate change will affect the Group's business through its impact on marine resources and raw material procurement, as well as the suspension of business activities due to large-scale natural disasters.

We conducted a scenario analysis based on TCFD recommendations to determine what business risks could emerge due to climate change as we transition to a decarbonized society. The scenario analysis was also conducted for other businesses (fisheries, marine products, overseas, processed foods, and foodstuff distribution units), and the entire value chain was extensively analyzed in the 1.5°C worldview, where decarbonization efforts have advanced, and in the 4°C worldview, where warming will continue without specific mitigation measures, as shown below.

Risk Management

The Maruha Nichiro Group has established a system in which the Legal & Risk Management Department, as well as risk management managers and risk management personnel from each department of Maruha Nichiro Corporation and each Group company, work together to address risk management tasks.

The identification and assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities applies to all stages of the value chain, upstream and downstream, in addition to the direct operations of the Maruha Nichiro Group, and is conducted for all time horizons: short-term (0-5 years), medium-term (5-10 years), and long-term (10 years and beyond).

In this process, the Secretariat, which is subordinate to the Sustainability Committee, first gathers information and assesses the situation in order to identify risks and opportunities, in cooperation with the planning departments of each unit, environmental managers and environmental officers of business units and Group companies, and corporate departments. The Sustainability Committee also discusses climate change issues and evaluates climate change impacts and responses as reported and recommended by the Secretariat.

Risk Management Framework

Risk management framework

Indicators and Targets

The Maruha Nichiro Group has set "addressing climate change" as one of the materialities in its medium-term management plan "MNV 2024: Creating a Future of Life and Oceans" and has set KGI (what we want to be in 2030) as establishing a leading position in the industry with respect to decarbonization and climate change. One of the KPIs is to establish a leading position in the industry with regard to decarbonization and climate change. One of the KPIs is CO2 emissions, with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% or more from the FY2017 level by FY2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by FY2050. In order to achieve these targets, the period up to FY2030 is further divided into three phases with more detailed targets. In Phase 1 (FY2022 to FY2024), we aim to achieve a 10% CO2 reduction rate, in Phase 2 (FY2025 to FY2027) a 20% CO2 reduction rate, and in Phase 3 (FY2028 to FY2030) a 30% CO2 reduction rate or higher, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality by the end of FY2050. We will continue to promote various initiatives with the aim of eventually achieving carbon neutrality by the end of FY2050.

Case Study: Upgrading Freezers for Frozen/Refrigerated Warehouses to Non-CFC Equipment

In FY2022, Marine Access Inc. installed a non-fluorocarbon facility cooled by a high-efficiency natural refrigerant chiller for freezing and refrigerated warehouses. This project was adopted and subsidized by the Ministry of the Environment as a "Project for Accelerates Introduction of Energy-saving Equipment Using Natural Refrigerant for the Early Realization of a Fluorocarbon -free, Low-carbon Society." In FY 2022, we expect to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 247 tons.

Non-fluorocarbon freezer
Non-fluorocarbon freezer
Non-fluorocarbon freezer

Other Initiatives