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Environmental Management

Basic Philosophy

The Nichirei Group formulated the Nichirei Group Environmental Policy under the following theme: “If the Nichirei Group is to pass on to future generations the natural abundance that is the source of food and good health and to continue providing freshness and good taste—together with its stakeholders, it must use its superior products and first-class logistics network to reduce the environmental impact of its business activities throughout the entire supply chain and help create a sustainable society.”
 The Nichirei Group Environmental Policy focuses on three priority issues: climate change initiatives, promotion of sustainable recycling, and symbiosis with nature. For climate change initiatives, we recognize that food and logistics companies are greatly affected by climate change. We are implementing the following initiatives as part of our low-carbon policies.

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Management System

The Nichirei Group, comprising a wide variety of different businesses, promotes the design of environmental policies adapted to the business characteristics of each member company, as well as highly effective environmental activities. The initiatives of each company are reported by the Group Environmental Managers Meeting, which meets eight times a year. The Committee determines the environmental protection strategies and policies of the entire Group based on the content and progress of company initiatives and shares social trends on the environment. The Representative Director and President serves as the chairperson of the Sustainablity Committee, with executives and presidents of operating companies making up the rest of the Committee membership.

Group Sustainability Committee Activities in FY2023
Number of meetings 4
Main agenda items
  • Renewable energy portfolio policy
  • Current status of Scope 3 CO₂ emissions
  • KPIs for material matters and TCFD disclosure in Integrated Report 2023
  • Human rights issues
  • Supply chain management to achieve sustainable procurement
  • Establishment of new procurement guidelines for sustainable marine products and palm oil
  • Initiatives for the material matter “Securing and developing a diverse array of human resources” and human capital disclosure
  • Progress on KPIs for material matters and FY2024 targets
Nicihrei Corporation, Strategic Planning, Nichirei Corporation, Quality Assurance Division, Nichirei Corporation, Technology Management, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Internal Audit, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Supervise, Nichirei Corporation, Legal Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Human Resources Strategy & General Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Finance & Investor Relations, Nichirei Corporation, Accounting & Tax, Nichirei Corporation, Group Communication, Nichirei Foods Inc., Nichirei Fresh Inc., Nichirei Logistics Group Inc., Nichirei Biosciences Inc., Hitachi Foods & Logistics Systems,Inc., NIchirei Bisiness Partners .inc

Targets

Medium-term Targets and Results

Group Medium-term Environmental Plan Targets
Group Medium-term Environmental Plan Targets (FY2023‒FY2025)
Rate of waste recycling at all sites 99%
Water-related risk assessments at all sites conducted in FY2024
Reduction in CO₂ emissions (compared with FY2016; Scope 1 and 2 in Japan) -30%
Rate of conversion to natural refrigerants Production equipment in Japan 80%
Rate of conversion to natural refrigerants Logistics (Global) 62%

The reduction of CO₂ emissions refers to the target reduction of all emissions, and covers all energy consumed at worksites and by company-owned vehicles in Japan. The waste recycling rate continues to be maintained at 99% or higher. Food plants in Japan are also working to reduce residual animal and plant material. As for the conservation of water resources, as a food-related corporate group, Nichirei has formulated behavioral targets for using water efficiently and is promoting efforts toward achieving those targets so that the bounties of nature can be preserved for future generations. The entire Group is also engaged in collecting environmental data at its overseas worksites.

*Applicable Worksites

The scope of the Nichirei Group (in Japan), which accounts for more than 99% of the environmental impact, is tabulated.
The following company food plants and distribution centers are included in the calculations. In the event of multiple worksites, the number is indicated in parenthesis.

Nichirei Foods

Nichirei-Foods (9), Nichirei Ice (3), Churei, Kyurei, Nichirei Well Dinning

Nichirei Fresh

Fresh Maruichi (3), Nichirei Fresh Process (2), Nichirei Fresh Farm (2), Fresh Chicken Karumai, Fresh Meat Sakudaira

Nichirei Logistics Group

Logistics Network (40), NK Trans (4), Nichirei Logistics Hokkaido (8), Nichirei Logistics Tohoku (5), Nichirei Logistics Kanto (10), Nichirei Logistics Tokai (11), Nichirei Logistics Kansai (13), Nichirei Logistics Chushikoku (15), Nichirei Logistics Kyushu (15), Kyokurei (3)

Nichirei Biosciences

Global Innovation Center

Other

New Housing

Notes:
  • 1.Fixed power emission coefficient: The CO₂ emission intensity unit of 0.412 [t-CO₂/MWh] announced by the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan in FY2010, used nationwide.
  • 2.Variable power emission coefficient: Power conversion coefficient used by power companies in each fiscal year utilized at each worksite.
  • 3.Scope of power emission intensity: Nichirei Foods (Nichirei Foods-operated factories and affiliated factories in Japan) and Nichirei Fresh (affiliated factories in Japan). Excluding the following factories: Nichirei Foods: Nichirei Ice Inc.; Nichirei Fresh: Nichirei Fresh Farm Inc., Fresh Chicken Karumai Inc., FRESH MEAT SAKUDAIRA Inc.

Nichirei Group CO₂ Emission Trends

Nichirei Group CO₂ Emission Trends

Promotion of Sustainable Recycling of Resources

As a material matter for the Nichirei Group, we have set a KPI for and are actively working to reduce the amount of and recycle the food residue and waste generated by our business activities.

Nichirei Group Waste Discharged outside Worksites and Recycling Rate

Water Resource Conservation

The Nichirei Group grasps and manages its consumption of water and quality of its wastewater through regular monitoring in compliance with various food safety and environmental protection laws and regulations. At worksites in Japan, positive steps are being taken to conserve water. Going forward, the Group will examine the availability of necessary water resources at each regional base and how to assess the impact of risks.

Nicihrei Corporation, Strategic Planning, Nichirei Corporation, Quality Assurance Division, Nichirei Corporation, Technology Management, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Internal Audit, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Supervise, Nichirei Corporation, Legal Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Human Resources Strategy & General Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Finance & Investor Relations, Nichirei Corporation, Accounting & Tax, Nichirei Corporation, Group Communication, Nichirei Foods Inc., Nichirei Fresh Inc., Nichirei Logistics Group Inc., Nichirei Biosciences Inc., Hitachi Foods & Logistics Systems,Inc., NIchirei Bisiness Partners .inc

Initiatives

Material Balance

ISO 14001 Certification, etc.

Environmental Audits

In addition to covering areas such as organizational management and business processing, the Nichirei Management Auditing Department also does Group management audits of important areas, such as compliance with environment-related law and conservation activities. Worksites that have obtained ISO 14001 certification undergo internal environmental audits as well as yearly external reviews by a registered external review body.

Environmental Audits

In-house Environmental Education

Name Content
Sustainability Education Aiming to ramping up sustainability management by implementing position-based study sessions and education & training programs for all revels of employees since FY2023.
Environmental e-learning Held since FY2010 for all employees.
Focuses on such pressing issues as prevention of global warming, resource recycling, and biodiversity.
Training for new employees They are taught about the company's environmental policies and goals, and the connections between business and the environment.
Hands-on training on company land in Urabandai Hands-on training for employees was held on company-owned land in the Urabandai region of Fukushima Prefecture between FY2014 and FY2017. There they help eliminate the Signal crayfish, a specified foreign organism, as well as go on hikes in forests surrounding company land.
Hands-on training to support the Cypripedium macranthos an endangered orchid, in the town of Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture Nichirei has helped restore the endangered Cypripedium hotei atsumorianum—Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture's Cypripedium Restoration Conference—since they were established. The town of Fujimi conducted a hands-on environment-related training program for Nichirei employees that included activities for the protection of the Cypripedium macranthos.
Participating in activities to protect the allows one to experience the difficulty of restoring the balance of nature once it has been destroyed.
Hands-on training (Biodiverse forests) As part of the Good for lunches! Good for the forest! Program which protects biodiverse forests, Nichirei Foods hold a hands-on nature training program for employees in forests it supports.

Status of Environment-related Incidents, Legal Violations

In FY2023, there were no legal violations or environment-related incidents, fines and penalties that had a serious impact on the environment.

Nicihrei Corporation, Strategic Planning, Nichirei Corporation, Quality Assurance Division, Nichirei Corporation, Technology Management, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Internal Audit, Nichirei Corporation, Corporate Supervise, Nichirei Corporation, Legal Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Human Resources Strategy & General Affairs, Nichirei Corporation, Finance & Investor Relations, Nichirei Corporation, Accounting & Tax, Nichirei Corporation, Group Communication, Nichirei Foods Inc., Nichirei Fresh Inc., Nichirei Logistics Group Inc., Nichirei Biosciences Inc., Hitachi Foods & Logistics Systems,Inc., NIchirei Bisiness Partners .inc