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 year	Target value	FY2023
Achievement targets (KPI)	Target year	Target value	Achievements	Self-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)	2030	30% or more	CO₂ emissions reduced by 11.6% 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

Hiroshi Soeda

CO₂ Emissions Reduction Project Leader, General Manager of Production Management Department

We launched the CO₂ emissions reduction project in FY2023, and by making it an activity involving a variety of tasks in categories across different fields ranging from food manufacturing to aquaculture and cold storage, we have been working on the project with greater speed and urgency with the aim of achieving a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions by FY2030. While there is generally a trade-off between cost and CO₂ emissions, it is of paramount importance to overcome these challenges and continue to provide high-quality products while expanding our economic activities and minimizing our impact on the environment.

Specific initiatives that we have undertaken include improving energy efficiency, introducing the use of renewable energy through the installation of on-site/off-site solar panels, etc., and fulfilling our role as a leader of the industry through innovation.

Main Initiatives in FY2023

CO₂ Emissions Reduction Project

As part of our action against climate change, we have set CO₂ emissions reduction as a KPI and have been working to achieve our targets. In order to expedite our efforts and increase their reach, we launched the CO₂ emissions reduction project in FY2023. A Managing Executive Officer and the General Manager of the Production Management Department serve as the project owner and project leader, respectively, and going forward, we will continue to implement concrete initiatives such as reviewing targets for each site and methods to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Management Structure of CO₂ Emissions Reduction Project

Management Structure of CO2 Emissions Reduction Project

Progress in Reducing CO₂ Emissions in Accordance with the CO₂ Emissions Reduction Roadmap

The CO₂ emissions reduction roadmap formulated in September 2022 is divided into three phases leading up to FY2030, with FY2017 as the reference year: in Phase 1 (FY2022-2024), we aim to achieve a CO₂ reduction rate of 10%, in Phase 2 (FY2025-2027) a CO₂ reduction rate of 20%, and in Phase 3 (FY2028-2030) a CO₂ reduction rate of 30% or more, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality.

In FY2023, which corresponds to Phase 1, solar panels were installed at four business sites of Maruha Nichiro Corporation, including the Shin-Ishinomaki Plant, which is expected to generate a total of 1.73 million kWh of electricity and reduce approximately 920 tons of CO₂ emissions per year. Going forward, we will also consider adopting other concrete measures such as the installation of off-site solar panels, in addition to on-site solar panels.

Changes in CO₂ Emissions Reduction

Maruha Nichiro Aquaculture Technology Development Center

Calculation of Carbon Footprint of Frozen Foods

In August 2023, the Company was selected as one of the participating companies in the FY2023 Model Project for the Carbon Footprint (“CFP”) of Products and Services, organized by the Ministry of the Environment. We selected our core product “Ocean Blue White Fish & Tartar Sauce” as the product subject to CFP calculations for this model project, and we calculated the product’s CFP throughout its life cycle, from the procurement of raw materials to product use and disposal. A feature of this product is the use of environmentally friendly MSC-certified Alaska pollock sourced from Alaska as an ingredient. The CFP calculated using Alaska pollock sourced nonfrom Alaska was only 0.93 kg-CO₂eq, which is approximately 17% lower than the CFP calculated using regular Alaska pollock. Going forward, we will continue to work on calculating CFP for our other core products and actively offer food prepared from environmentally friendly raw materials as part of our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Calculation of Carbon Footprint of Frozen Foods (PDF: 646 KB/6 page/Only in Japanese)

Maruha Nichiro receives an A- rating in the “CDP Climate Change Report 2023”

The Company responded to the “CDP Climate Change 2023 Questionnaire” issued by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP; headquartered in London, UK), a non-profit organization that operates the world’s leading environmental information disclosure platform, and received an A- rating. The CDP Climate Change Report is based on a survey conducted by CDP of more than 23,000 companies around the world, which are rated on a scale of A to D- based on how effectively they address climate change related issues and disclose relevant information. By disclosing information through CDP, we will continue to respond to requests for greater transparency from financial institutions, customers, and other stakeholders.

Scope 3 Calculations and Third-party Verification

With regard to CO₂ emissions data, in addition to Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from fuel combustion, etc.) and Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from electricity, etc.), which we have calculated and disclosed hitherto, we have also calculated and disclosed Scope 3 emissions (emissions from other companies related to our activities, excluding Scope 1 and 2 emissions). In addition, to ensure the reliability of the disclosed data, we have undergone third-party verification of our CO₂ emissions data (Scopes 1 to 3) by a verification organization. We will continue to undergo thirdparty verification on a regular basis and consider undergoing similar third-party verification of other disclosed data besides CO₂ emissions data (Scopes 1 to 3).

Scopes 1 to 3 Data (PDF: 301 KB/ 1 page)

Third-party Verification (PDF: 926 KB/ 2 page/Only in Japanese)

Life Cycle Assessment of Farmed Fish

Since FY 2023, Maruha Nichiro has been conducting Life Cycle Assessments* (LCA) of its own aquaculture business with Professor Itsubo of Waseda University, and in the same year we calculated CO₂ emissions over the entire life cycle of farmed yellowtail from the introduction of fry to shipment. We will continue to conduct LCA for our own farmed fish, and with the cooperation of our suppliers, we will continue to study for the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.

* Life cycle assessment: A method for quantitatively evaluating the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its life cycle.

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

The Maruha Nichiro Group is moving forward with the conversion to CFC-free refrigeration equipment.

Maruha Nichiro has been gradually transitioning its main freezing and refrigeration equipment to CFC-free since FY2012, and plans to convert 100% of its main freezing and refrigeration equipment to natural refrigerants in the future.

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 2023, we reduced annual CO₂ emissions by 3,650 tons.

In FY 2023 and 2024, we newly introduced CFC-free equipment at Sun Gourmet Corporation, Maruha Nichiro Chikusan Sapporo Plant, and Maruha Nichiro Logistics Kyushu Branch Hakozaki Distribution Center. All of these facilities have been adopted and subsidized under the Ministry of the Environment's FY 2023 subsidized project “Project to Promote CFC-Freezing and Decarbonization of Freezing and Refrigeration Equipment Supporting Cold Chains”.