Basic Approach
The Maruha Nichiro Group, which uses marine resources as its main source of business activities, recognizes that resource depletion is inextricably linked to its business survival, and poses a risk with great impact that could lead to the decline or end of its business. We will continue to pursue technologies and systems for the effective use of resources.
KGIs and KPIs from FY2022 to FY2030
Materiality:Contributing to a recycling-oriented society
Ideal State in 2030 (KGI): We have built a workplace environment where diversity is respected, and employees feel safe and comfortable to work
| Achievement targets (KPI) | Target year | Target value | FY2023 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievements | Self-assessment | ||||||||||||||||
| Reduction rate of plastic usage (including switching to bioplastic, recycled materials, etc.) (MN*) | 2030 | 30% or more | The amount of plastic usage for container and packaging was reduced by 3.7% from FY2020 | ★★☆☆☆ | |||||||||||||
| Food loss (product waste) reduction rate (Domestic G) | 2030 | 50% or more | The amount of food loss was reduced by 38.2% from FY2020 | ★★★★☆ | |||||||||||||
| Recycling rate of food waste (Domestic G) | 2024 | 99% or more | Recycling rate of food waste: 98.8% | ★★★☆☆ | |||||||||||||
| Extended shelf life of commercial products assessed as extendable (MN) | 2030 | 100% | Investigating the target products | ★★★☆☆ | |||||||||||||
*MN: Maruha Nichiro Corporation
Note: The department in charge is Plastics Use Reduction Project, Food Loss Reduction Project, Maruha Nichiro Corporation.
Message from Representative
Kazunori Tani
Plastics use reduction project leader
General Manager
Product Development Department
The plastic use reduction project aims to reduce the amount of plastic used in the containers and packaging materials of various products by 30% by FY2030, in order to realize a recycling-oriented society, which is one of the materiality areas for the creation of environmental value. Our efforts to date have been effective in reducing plastic use in a wide range of products, including frozen foods, non-frozen and chilled foods, and marine products. In addition to reducing plastic use through thinner and smaller trays and packaging materials, there are also cases of using bioplastic trays for core commercial-use frozen food products such as “Gomoku Ankake Yakisoba” and “Shrimp and Cheese Gratin.” These efforts will contribute to the achievement of our targets, one product at a time.
We will continue to promote this project with the aim of having each business take ownership of the project and having all employees work toward the realization of a sustainable society.
Main Initiatives in FY2023
"Deplastification": Reducing the Amount of Plastics Used for Containers and Packaging
Promotion Framework
Since it is necessary for the entire Company to share information and cooperate on the materiality, which involves a large number of units, from FY2022 we launched a project to reduce the amount of plastics used. With the Managing Executive Officer as project owner and the General Manager of the Product Development Department as project leader, we have established targets for FY2024 and are proceeding with specific efforts to achieve the targets.
Plastics Use Reduction Project Promotion Structure
Establishing Targets for Reducing the Amount of Plastics Used for Containers and Packaging, and Status of Progress
The amount of plastic used in containers and packaging in FY2020, the reference year, was approximately 9,235 tons. In FY2024, the target year of the current Medium-term Management Plan, we have aimed to achieve a 10% reduction compared to FY2020. Results through FY2023 were below our targets at around a 3.7% reduction, but we made efforts in FY2023 to share information among different business departments by launching an internal information-sharing website and holding various study sessions. We were thus able to collate more information by strengthening the horizontal connections between different business departments. We will continue to strengthen our efforts to reduce plastic used in containers and packaging throughout the Company.
Reduction in Petroleum-Derived Plastics
Improving Product Containers and Packaging
The project team shared measures and issues implemented in the past, such as switching to environmentally friendly materials and reducing the size of packaging materials, and is considering how to apply these measures to other products. The person in charge gave a lecture on the efforts to reduce the amount of plastic used for packaging materials in the Marine Products Division in FY 2023, and shared information so that similar efforts can be deployed in other divisions.
Efforts to Save Resources on Product Containers and Packaging
The Maruha Nichiro Group is working to develop containers with low environmental impact. By reducing the weight of containers, it is expected to not only save resources but also reduce CO₂ emissions during distribution due to the reduced weight.
In FY2022, Maruha Nichiro reviewed the composition of the films used in its commercial frozen food products, rice and cup gratin, and reduced their size while maintaining sufficient strength, resulting in a 16.7-ton reduction in plastic use.
In FY2023, the company further expanded the range of products covered by the program and started reducing the amount of plastic used for trays in addition to film, resulting in an annual reduction of 75 tons of plastic usage.
Food Loss Reduction Initiatives
To reduce food loss* throughout the Group, we launched the Food Loss Reduction Project in FY 2022. As a result of various measures implemented under this project, efforts were expanded to the entire group, and progress was made beyond the initial plan, achieving the reduction target for FY2024 ahead of schedule in FY2023 and The project was dissolved.
From FY 2024, the Sustainability Promotion Group of the Corporating Planning Department and Logistics Department of Maruha Nichiro Corporation will take the lead in promoting further activities to achieve the fiscal 2030 reduction target under the supervision of the Sustainability Promotion Committee.
What is Food Loss?
Setting Food Loss Reduction Targets and Status of Progress
In FY2020, there was 271.69 tons of food loss at Maruha Nichiro's business divisions and domestic Group companies. For the food loss reduction KPI of "Reducing the domestic Group's food loss by 50% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels," our target is to reduce food loss by 135.85 tons by 2030.
Our target for FY2024, the target year of the current Medium-term Management Plan, is to reduce food loss by 20% (a reduction of 54.34 tons) compared to FY2020 levels.
As a result of various measures taken to achieve the target, including the establishment of a frozen food donation scheme and expansion of products eligible for donation, food loss in FY2023 was reduced by 38.2% (approx. 104 tons) compared to FY2020, enabling us to achieve the FY2024 target ahead of schedule.
Reduction of Food Loss
Surveying the Current State and Discussing Response Measures
At Maruha Nichiro Group, most food loss is generated by business divisions belonging to the Processed Foods Business Unit and Foodstuff Distribution Business Unit and by Group companies, and a large amount of food loss tends to be generated by frozen foods compared to non-frozen foods. The main reasons for this are that frozen foods, which are also often produced outside of Japan, are prone to packaging damage when shipped in transport containers, and a certain amount of waste is also generated by products left over from box-opening sampling inspections at the time of import.
Responding to Food Loss from Exterior Packaging Damage
To address food loss caused by exterior damage, we will continue to promote reexamination of packaging forms, reduction of matching and banding, modularization of carton cases, and pallet transportation. In addition, in FY2023, we established standards for exterior damage of frozen foods for commercial use in cooperation with logistics companies, and as a result, we were able to significantly reduce food loss of frozen foods for commercial use.
Example of Damaged Exterior Packaging
Establishing a Donation Scheme for Frozen Foods
We have been donating food to food banks since 2009. However, due to the shipment costs and lack of sufficient frozen storage facilities at food banks, we had not made progress on the donation of frozen foods, which make up a large portion of our food loss. As we considered how to overcome this problem, we formed a partnership between Food Bank Kanagawa and logistics companies that store our products . This enabled us to establish a scheme by which Food Bank Kanagawa receives our frozen products directly from the warehouse in periodic donations. As a result, donations of frozen products in addition to non-frozen products have increased dramatically, bringing the total amount of FY2022 donations to 16.87 tons.
In FY 2023, the target products were expanded to include commercial use, and donations of products with damaged packaging were also made in coordination with Food Bank Kanagawa. As a result, the amount of donations in FY2023 more than doubled from the previous year to 37.24 tons. We will continue to regularly donate frozen foods, and will also work to drastically reduce food loss.
Regular Donation Scheme Flow
Maruha Nichiro Receives the Commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency Award at the FY2023 Food Loss Reduction Promotion Awards
Maruha Nichiro received the Commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency Award at the FY2023 Food Loss Reduction Promotion Awards presented by the Consumer Affairs Agency and the Ministry of the Environment. The award was presented to Maruha Nichiro in recognition of the ripple effect on other companies and future potential resulting from its efforts as a major industry player to establish a sustainable frozen foods donation scheme through a three-way collaboration between a food manufacturer, a logistics company, and a food bank, as well as the progressive nature of frozen foods donation.
* The “Food Loss Reduction Promotion Award” is given to those who have made efforts to promote food loss reduction that are widely disseminated to consumers, etc., and that are expected to be effective in reducing food loss and to have a ripple effect.
Food Loss Generated by Distribution or Consumers after Sale
In addition to extending the shelf-life of non-frozen foods, which we have been implementing thus far, in 2022 we began selling some frozen foods for commercial or institutional use with shelf-life extended by six months—extended from 12 months to 18 months—by checking the quality through storage testing.
We are making steady progress on reducing food loss through the implementation of various measures and we will continue our efforts to drastically reduce food loss in order to achieve our reduction target for FY 2030.
