Sustainability Management Approach & Promotion System
In order to achieve a sustainable society, we have established a basic approach to sustainability management.
We are implementing initiatives based on this approach, and management will monitor them regularly to build a promotion system for continuous improvement.
Basic Concept and Promotion System
Basic Concept
We want to provide delicious food together with many people (companies) and enrich the lives of our customers. To achieve this, we will solve social issues and achieve corporate growth.
Promotion System
The Board of Directors recognizes that sustainability initiatives, including climate change issues, are one of the important management issues and oversees them. Specifically, when formulating management strategies and business plans, the Board of Directors deliberates on sustainability risks and opportunities, including climate change issues, and receives reports from each group company and department as necessary to carry out its oversight.
In addition, we have clearly positioned sustainability as a management issue for the entire group, and have established a Sustainability Promotion Committee chaired by the Representative Director and President to promote sustainability initiatives. The Sustainability Promotion Committee will report on the status of sustainability, including climate change response, to the Management Meeting as appropriate and receive instructions and advice. Furthermore, the Representative Director and President will report on the status to the Board of Directors as necessary.
Materiality Identification Process
The cross-departmental Sustainability Promotion Committee held extensive discussions with management and identified seven material issues. The importance of each issue was assessed over the medium to long term, taking into account the perspectives of not only the company but also its stakeholders, and also incorporating the opinions of external experts.
Step 1. Current situation analysis and extraction of materiality candidates
We analyzed the impact of our group’s business activities on global social issues by looking at the entire supply chain. We also conducted analysis from the perspectives of ESG and ISO 26000, added new social issues that we need to address, and linked them to the 169 targets of the SDGs to identify potential material issues.
Step 2. Evaluating the importance of materiality and exchanging opinions with external experts
The Sustainability Promotion Committee evaluated the impact and importance of candidate material issues from both a management and stakeholder perspective, and mapped them on an importance map. To strengthen objectivity and validity, we exchanged opinions on materiality with Professor Hidemitsu Sasatani of Chiba University of Commerce, an ESG/SDGs consultant, as an external expert.
Step 3. Narrowing down to seven material issues and appointing an executive officer in charge
After repeated discussions with management regarding the appropriateness of the materiality map, we narrowed it down to seven materialities. We clarified the social issues to be addressed for each materiality, appointed an executive officer in charge, and developed a roadmap of specific measures based on the 169 associated SDG targets.
Step 4. Approval by the Management Committee and Board of Directors
The seven material issues organized using the ESG/SDGs matrix were identified through the Sustainability Promotion Committee, and ultimately through discussions at the Management Meeting and approval by the Board of Directors. We are currently working on addressing material issues, primarily through the appointed executive officers.
Importance Map
From a medium- to long-term perspective, we mapped and narrowed down the importance of each issue, with the horizontal axis representing the management perspective and the vertical axis representing the stakeholder perspective, and identified the seven most important material issues.We believe that the seven material issues are all equally important.
ESG/SD Gs Matrix and Materiality
To promote sustainability management, we are linking ESG, ISO26000, seven material issues, social issues, and the 169 targets of the SDGs, and are working to address each issue.
