Basic Approach
Environmental pollution caused by marine plastic spills is an issue of global importance, and the Maruha Nichiro Group, which is deeply involved in the ocean, sees it as an equally important issue. We will promote our response to the marine plastic issue in cooperation with industry associations, related NGOs, and others to make our activities more effective.
KGIs and KPIs from FY2022 to FY2030
Materiality: Action for marine pollution by marine plastics
Ideal state in 2030 (KGI): We practice zero discharge of plastics into the ocean along our supply chain, including from our own Company
Department in charge: , Maruha Nichiro Corporation
| Achievement targets (KPI) | Target year | Target value | FY2023 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievements | Self-assessment | ||||||||||||||||
| Establishment of fishing gear management guidelines and operational rates (Overall G) | 2024 | 100% | Draft of fishing gear management guidelines established and trial implementation underway | ★★☆☆☆ | |||||||||||||
| Employee participation rate in coastal cleanup (Domestic G) | 2030 | 30% or more | Employee participation rate in cleanup: 23.4% | ★★★★☆ | |||||||||||||
Note: The department in charge is Maruha Nichiro Corporation.
Message from Representative
Yusuke Sato
Deputy general Manager
Sustainability Group
Corporate Planning Department
“Action against marine pollution by marine plastics” is a materiality distinctive to the Group. This social issue garnered significant interest in the employee survey that was conducted during the materiality review process of the Medium-term Management Plan. Furthermore, as the Group is deeply involved with the ocean, we have set KPIs and are addressing this issue as an independent materiality, separate from reducing plastic use under “contributing to a recycling-oriented society.”
The cleanup activity named “Make Sea Happy!” had strong employee interest since its inception and has developed into a group-wide activity. It is held over 60 times throughout Japan with more than 1,400 participants. It is increasingly co-organized with business partners and local governments in areas where we have business operations, and we expect that the Group’s activities will continue to expand across society.
As part of our efforts to prevent the discharge of marine plastics, we are also advancing measures for managing fishing gear. In addition to trial use of recycled nets by the Group’s fishing companies, we established fishing gear management guidelines and are implementing them within the Group, with the eventual goal of applying them throughout the supply chain.
Main Initiatives in FY2023
Cleanup Activity “Make Sea Happy!”
The Maruha Nichiro Group conducts cleanup activities throughout Japan. In recent years, the problem of marine plastic has become a major environmental issue, and in order to make our cleanup activities more effective, we are conducting cleanup activities under the new name of “Make Sea Happy!” In FY2023, “Make Sea Happy!” was held 61 times at locations throughout Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, with a total of 1,417 employees participating.
Purpose of “Make Sea Happy!”
“Make Sea Happy!” is defined as a "cleanup activity to address the marine plastic problem," and its main feature is to keep a record of the types of litter picked up, instead of just throwing it away.Information on litter collected is submitted to NGO groups such as the Ocean Conservancy, and is used as litter survey data, along with data from cleanup activities being conducted around the world.Although the amount of trash that can be picked up each time is limited, the goal of “Make Sea Happy!” is to increase the number of participants and expand the circle of people who are interested in the problem of ocean plastic through the use of information on the trash submitted.
Trash Free Seas: Cleanup Reports-Ocean Conservancy
“Make Sea Happy!” Cleanup Activities at NSA (Nippon Surfing Association) Competitions
As part of our efforts to expand the “Make Sea Happy!” cleanup initiative beyond our company, we have been conducting the “Make Sea Happy!” cleanup activities at the surfing championships organized by the Japan Surfing Federation (NSA) since fiscal year 2022. In FY2023, cleanup activities were carried out at the coasts where the Junior Open Surfing Championships and the All Japan Surfing Championships were held. Approximately 250 people, mainly athletes and related parties, participated in the cleanup activities.
About Fishing Gear Management
We are currently drafting fishing gear management guidelines and aim to begin implementing them across the Group in FY2024. The form for reporting lost fishing gear has been utilized by TAIYO A&F CO., LTD. since last year, and its use by the entire Group will be considered going forward.
Biodegradable Bag
With the cooperation of Nichimo Foods Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo), we produced eco bags made of biodegradable plastic* as novelty goods.
The bags are made of earth-friendly materials (biodegradable plastic that decomposes in the natural world), and in the unlikely event that they are spilled into the ocean, they will be decomposed by microorganisms on the ocean floor and circulated back to the natural world. This new sustainable material will be used for floats and ropes in the fishing industry in the future.
* Biodegradable plastic: Plastic that is decomposed to the molecular level by the action of microorganisms in the natural world and eventually circulated back to the natural world as water and carbon dioxide.
Other Initiatives
CASE Study: Strengthening of Buoy Strength for Use in Sea Aquaculture (PDF: 214 KB/1 page)
