Giving Back to Society
At Suntory, we believe in doing more than just offering products. We are committed to providing greater positive impacts to everyone around us as we grow. It is our responsibility to give back to nature, and to society.
Our craftsmanship is only possible through the gifts of nature, particularly water. That’s why we are committed to water conservation and restoration under Suntory’s water philosophy to keep water pure and abundant for future generations. We strive to coexist with nature and create harmony with the communities we touch, which means continuing the legacy of our founder, Shinjiro Torii, to improve the lives of those around us. We established the Hojukai as a free community clinic in 1921, and it is now a social welfare organization that operates several facilities. We also established the Suntory Museum in 1961 and Suntory Hall in 1986. Through these efforts, we enrich people’s lives through art, culture, and the humanities. We owe this to nature, our customers, our employees, and our communities.
Success is only real when it is shared. This is why we are devoted to giving back to society, and creating harmony with people and nature. It is our way of saying thank you.
Our Stories
Preserving and Nurturing Water
At Beam Suntory, our craftsmanship would not be possible without nature’s precious gifts, especially water. Preserving and nurturing water is one of the core ways in which we give back to society. Through various activities worldwide, we are committed to keeping water pure and abundant for future generations.
In Japan, the Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary project helps to nurture and protect the forests that create the pristine groundwater used in our products. Established in 2003, the project now covers an area of 12,000 hectares and contributes more than double the amount of groundwater used by all of the Suntory Group’s plants in Japan.
In 2016, Beam Suntory established a 33-acre Natural Water Sanctuary on the grounds of its Maker’s Mark distillery in Kentucky―our very first Natural Water Sanctuary outside of Japan. This was followed in 2018 by another Natural Water Sanctuary next to the Jim Beam Distillery, in collaboration with Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest. These sanctuaries ensure a sustainable source of limestone water for bourbon distillation and the community.
In India, water is a critical issue for society, with millions of people impacted by a lack of safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Beam Suntory has partnered with multiple organizations in India that specialize in water quality, water access, and water conservation. In 2018, our funding led to three drilled wells, 10 rehabilitated drilled wells, and 4 school water point and sanitation facilities for communities in need, serving nearly 2,300 people.
We are also careful to limit the impact on local water resources of our Indian factories. The process water used to clean equipment in India is filtered and beneficially reused to reduce the amount of fresh water required, and the amount of wastewater generated. In addition, rain water is harvested, recovered, and beneficially reused. This process also helps reduce the amount of runoff water that cannot be absorbed during heavy rainfall.
In 2017, we established the Suntory Group Sustainable Water Philosophy to ensure that preserving and nurturing water remains a core principle of our business as our group expands globally. The importance of water sustainability is reinforced annually on Suntory Group Global Water Action Day, timed to coincide with World Water Day in March, when thousands of our employees take part in volunteer activities worldwide.
Enrich lives
In Suntory, we do more than creating good products. We strive to inspire and improve the lives we touch through culture and the humanities. For more than 100 years, giving back to society has been the Suntory way.
This belief began with Shinjiro Torii, our founder. Shinjiro actively worked on community projects to improve the lives of the people around him. In 1961, Keizo Saji, the second president of Suntory, opened the Suntory Museum of Art with the vision of bringing emotional enrichment to people’s daily lives. This museum showcases our desire to link ancient art to modern art and Eastern art to Western art, across the boundaries of time, place, and culture. This is one example of how Suntory gives back to society.
Keizo Saji once said, “Contributions to society should be driven by an individual’s genuine will.” Suntory displayed this will when it announced the construction of Suntory Hall — Tokyo’s first classical music hall dedicated to live concerts. We collaborated with renowned experts from the worlds of music and architecture to give advice on the hall’s design. This included Herbert von Karajan, a famous conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The hall opened in 1986 and was quickly recognized as one of the best classical music concert halls in the world.
Suntory Museum and Suntory Hall are Suntory’s “thank you” to the people around us. It is an honor to have so many people from all over the world visit Suntory Museum and Suntory Hall. We hope to share our founding spirit of giving back to society and creating harmony with people all around the world.
For more information about Suntory Hall, visit
https://www.suntory.com/culture-sports/suntoryhall/
For more information about Suntory Museum, visit
https://www.suntory.com/sma/
Mizuiku-Education Program for Nature and Water
Suntory’s business would not be possible without water. We are committed to nurturing healthy ecosystems in the forests that produce the quality groundwater we use in our products. Suntory created the Mizuiku―Education Program for Nature and Water as part of this commitment to preserve nature for future generations.
Many people are unaware of where their water comes from. In Japanese, “mizu” means water, and “iku” means education. Suntory launched the Mizuiku program in 2004, to teach the younger generation where water comes from. The program also focuses on the importance of water, and the forests that nurture it.
In the Mizuiku program, students learn the importance of nature and water resources through practical experiences. The first pillar of this program involves Suntory’s Natural Water Sanctuaries, which are located in water cultivation areas for Suntory’s production sites. As of 2018, almost 25,000 students and parents have visited these sanctuaries and learn about healthy ecosystem through hands-on activities. There are also more than 137,800 students who take the second pillar of this product in urban areas. These students learn about the importance of nature and the water cycle through classroom activities.
As Suntory expands across the globe, so will the Mizuiku program. In 2015, Suntory collaborated with Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage to establish the “Mizuiku―I love clean water” program, tailored for Vietnam. Over the past three years, we expanded this program to schools in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bac Ninh Ben Tre and other provinces across the country. More than 18,000* children in Vietnam have participated in this program. They have learned about the importance of clean water through practical learning and outdoor activities, including Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage factory trips.
We will further expand Mizuiku into Indonesia and Thailand in 2019, promoting the importance of water and water reserve preservation, while working to improve the hygienic situation for local children.
*as of 2018, in total