Basic Approach
The Maruha Nichiro Group, which has operated thus far thanks to the abundant blessings of nature, believes that building a business model that allows us to exist together with the Earth's environment is indispensable to sustainable growth as a company.
We aim to create "environmental value" by focusing on our materiality of "Combating Climate Change" through the introduction of energy-saving equipment, improving energy efficiency, and switching to non-CFC freezers, and "Building a Recycling-oriented Society" by reducing manufacturing problems, and turning waste into valuable resources, and increasing the recycling rate.
Environmental Policy
Presently on Earth, with the rapid increase in the world population, global warming, depletion of resources, and destruction of ecosystems are becoming more and more serious. It is becoming increasingly difficult for humanity to live together with a diversity of plants and animals, or to maintain the Earth's natural productivity going into the future.
Against this backdrop, the Maruha Nichiro Group examined what kind of environmental considerations are needed to continue to sustain "food"—the foundation of all human activity. Then we created the Maruha Nichiro Group Environmental Policy which applies the Maruha Nichiro Group Vision through concrete actions. Thus, the entire group is engaged in environmental management. Our Environment Policy is comprised of the Basic Policy and Principles below. We thoroughly familiarize all our employees with the policy through our website and Intranet, employee training, and other activities as we strive to implement environmental management.
Basic Policy
The Maruha Nichiro Group will work to reduce the environmental impact of our global business activities and strive to create a sustainable society in order to contribute to the enrichment of people's lives and their happiness.
Principles
- We will use sustainable resources effectively and work to minimize our environmental impact and mitigate climate change.
- We will actively engage in environmental conservation efforts, taking biodiversity into consideration.
- We will provide environmentally friendly products and services.
- We will implement our environmental management system effectively and work on continuous improvements to boost our environmental performance.
- We will observe environmental laws and regulations.
- We will disclose company information related to environmental management as appropriate and work on our communication with society.
Management Structure
In FY2018, the Maruha Nichiro Group established a new Sustainability Committee. This committee puts together general plans for the Group's environmental management, establishes goals, and evaluates the activities of Group Companies. It also assigns responsible persons and persons in charge of environment at Group Companies who work on environmental activities tailored to the characteristics of each company's business.
At the Sustainability Committee meeting held in FY2022, the Committee discussed efforts to analyze scenarios based on TCFD recommendations, as well as various surveys.
In addition, we strive to share and spread information about things such as the roles of responsible persons and persons in charge of environment, regulations related to environmental management, and frameworks for compliance with environmental laws and ordinances, by holding a meeting of responsible persons and persons in charge of environment at the start of each fiscal year.
Maruha Nichiro Group Organization Structure for Sustainability Promotion
Roles of Responsible Persons and Persons in Charge of Environment
- Execution of environmental management by responsible persons of environment
- Promote the Maruha Nichiro Group's Environmental Policy among employees
- Comply with environmental regulatory requirements
- Establish a structure for environmental regulatory compliance and verify the compliance status
- Grasp environmental aspects and data
- Plan, operate, evaluate and improve the implementation plan for environmental goals
- Prevent, reduce, and implement correctional measures on harmful impacts on the environment
- Promptly respond to environmental accidents and implement measures to permanently prevent recurrence
- Ensure employee competence and raise environmental awareness
- Communicate environmental initiatives with internal and external stakeholders
- Persons in charge of environment are assistants to the responsible persons of environment
Main Initiatives in FY2022
ISO 14001 Certification Status
The Maruha Nichiro Group has obtained ISO 14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management systems, at our production plants in Japan and other countries. As of April 2023, eight companies among domestic and international production sites have acquired ISO 14001 certification.
Maruha Nichiro Group Companies with ISO 14001 Certification (as of April 1, 2023)
| Company name | Workplaces |
|---|---|
| Maruha Nichiro Corporation | Head Office (Production Management Department), Foods & Fine Chemicals Department Production Group (Mori, Utsunomiya), Shin-Ishinomaki Plant, Oh-e Plant, Shirataka Plant, Gunma Plant, Utsunomiya Plant, Shimonoseki Plant |
| Maruha Nichiro Yamagata Co., Ltd. | - |
| Maruha Nichiro Kyushu, Inc. | - |
| Maruha Nichiro Chikusan Co., Ltd. | Head Office, Sapporo Plant, Nayoro Plant, Tokachi Plant, Hassamu Distribution Center |
| Yayoi Sunfoods Co., Ltd. | Production Division, Shimizu Plant, Kyushu Plant, Nagaoka Plant, Kesennuma Plant |
| Maruha Nichiro Kitanippon, Inc. | Production Management Department, Furano Plant, Kushiro Plant, Mori Plant, Aomori Plant |
| Zhejiang Industrial Group Co., Ltd. | - |
| Southeast Asian Packaging & Canning, Ltd. | - |
Environmental Regulatory Compliance
At Maruha Nichiro Group, we keep up with the various laws and ordinances for regulating water, air, and soil pollution, bad odors, noise, vibration, energy consumption, and waste disposal. Plants that have acquired ISO 14001 certification, in particular, manage the environmental laws applicable to their factory in a spreadsheet, and the environmental manager checks the state of compliance more than once a year.
Also, each Group Company compiles information relating to major environmental laws and regulations in a "major environmental laws and regulations manual," which the environmental manger uses to check the company's own state of compliance with laws and regulations.
Furthermore, in FY2022, there were three incidents of environment-related accidents within the Maruha Nichiro Group, and measures were taken, including improvement of facilities and revisions to the monitoring management system.
| Environment-related accidents | Countermeasures | |
|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 3 | Improvement of facilities and revisions to the monitoring management systems |
Environmental Audits
At each Maruha Nichiro Group factory that has obtained ISO 14001 certification, an internal auditor is designated to conduct periodic internal audits.
In addition, Maruha Nichiro Corporation, Maruha Nichiro Kitanippon, Inc., and Yayoi Sunfoods Co., Ltd., which each have multiple plants, conduct reciprocal internal audits between factories. Not only does this allow auditing to be conducted from a more objective viewpoint, but it helps improve auditing skills and facilitates exchange of environmental information between plants.
In FY2022, in addition to these internal auditing, the Internal Auditing Department of Maruha Nichiro Corporation conducted an audit into the state of compliance with environmental laws and regulations at the company.
Maruha Nichiro Group List of Environmental Audits
| Audit name | Company audited | Auditing details |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 14001 Internal audit |
ISO 14001 certified companiese | We formed an internal auditing team based on the requirements of ISO 14001, which is the international standard for environmental management, and carried out autonomous checks of the environmental management system. |
| ISO 14001 Reciprocal internal audit |
ISO 14001 certified companies (Maruha Nichiro Corporation, Maruha Nichiro Kitanippon, Inc., Yayoi Sunfoods Co., Ltd.) |
For the ISO 14001 Internal Audit, auditors were dispatched from factories other than the factory being audited. The aim was to reveal items and points of concern that the employees at the factory being audited had failed to notice. |
| ISO 14001 External audit |
ISO 14001 certified companies | A certification authority conducted a “management system audit” based on ISO 14001. |
| Internal Auditing Department Audit | All Maruha Nichiro Group Companies | The Maruha Nichiro Corporation Internal Auditing Department conducted an audit into the state of compliance with environmental laws and regulations at Group Companies. |
Overview of Business Activities and Environmental Impact over Our Entire Supply Chain
At the Maruha Nichiro Group, we believe that our integrated value chain built around seafood products, which includes "procurement and distribution," "production and processing" and "storage and logistics," has various impacts on the environment. To mitigate these impacts, we are implementing activities centered around our Medium-term Sustainability Management Plan.
Environmental Date (PDF: 59 KB/1 page)
Environmental Education
At the Maruha Nichiro Group, we emphasize training and internal education to raise the environmental awareness of each of our employees and promote proactive engagement. We also hold regular briefings for our employees to educate them about environmental laws and ordinances. In FY2022, we asked waste disposal company Kaname Kogyo Co., Ltd. to serve as a lecturer and organized an online legal briefing for those in charge of waste disposal within the Group. In FY2023, we will continue to plan legal briefings for those in charge of waste disposal within the Group to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
Environmental Briefings Organized in FY2022
| Information session name | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing on Waste Disposal Law (Basic) | 60 | 333 | 241 |
| Briefing on Waste Disposal Law (Application) | 49 | 144 | 123 |
| Briefing on Waste Disposal Law (On-site Confirmation) | 69 | 116 | 133 |
In addition, we share information related to the environment both inside and outside the Group through our intranet, which is a tool for sharing information among group officers and employees. We are working to increase environmental awareness among our employees by compiling information related to sustainability into our "Sustainable News," which we publish periodically.
Topics for FY2022
- Medium-Term Management Plan and Materiality
(How to formulate and proceed with materiality and specific KPIs) - Response to climate change issues
(Regarding Maruha Nichiro's "Decarbonization Roadmap" formulated in August 2022 and case studies of on-site PV installation) - About food loss
(About the food loss issue in Japan and Maruha Nichiro's food loss situation/ Maruha Nichiro's initiatives) - About the marine plastic problem
(About global/Japan initiatives and Maruha Nichiro's initiatives)
