Embracing our Corporate Philosophy as GLOBAL ONE SUNTORY
This year, Suntory celebrated its 125th anniversary. As our 'Suntory Group Corporate Philosophy,' we aim to realize our corporate purpose, which is to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. To guide our 40,000 Suntorians worldwide, we have established core values 'Growing for Good,' 'Yatte Minahare*' and 'Giving Back to Society.' These philosophies serve to unite all Suntorians across diverse nationalities, languages, and throughout our various businesses to universally share the same purpose and values. Together, as GLOBAL ONE SUNTORY, we aim to continue growing as a corporate group for the next 100 or even 200 years.
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*The spirit of ambition to dream big, take challenges, and never give up.
Suntory Continues to Take on Challenges that Tackle Global Issues
As I attended the World Economic Forum's Davos this year, I was struck by how the conversation shifted from a consensus around global challenges related to climate and social issues to creating pathways for actions that could solve these problems. This year, discussions were very focused on detailing specific technologies that presented solutions to meet our common goals.
For example, new technologies aimed at reducing Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions took center stage amidst a consensus on the common challenge of tackling this issue. It reinforced our belief that Scope 3 GHG reduction is a priority for Suntory, and that we must keep a close watch on the global technological trends that are advancing.
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Regenerative agriculture to address climate change was another trending topic at Davos. Building on the debut of agriculture and food systems as part of the main agenda during The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in November 2023, there has been an accelerated debate on the transition to sustainable production and consumption. Regenerative agriculture is a priority for Suntory and we will continue to drive sustainable practices in partnership with our customers, suppliers, other industries, and communities. In this regard, we have already launched several initiatives, such as working with barley farmers to implement better soil health and water practices with the goal to produce barley with 50% lower GHG emissions within five years.
In the current reality where temperatures are expected to rise beyond 1.5°C, Suntory Group maintains a strong climate commitment, driven by the belief that there is still more that can be done. We persist in our global challenge towards realizing a sustainable society.
Leveraging the Uniqueness of Suntory for Accelerated Growth Globally
To achieve sustainable growth, even in an increasingly complex business environment, Suntory is taking on the challenge of innovation by bringing together the resources and skillsets of our global organization in new and exciting ways.
The Suntory Group's strength lies in none other than its position as a multifaceted beverage company. As both an alcoholic beverage and a soft drink manufacturer, we are a unique presence, even on a global scale. To utilize this uniqueness for further growth, we are strengthening the RTD (Ready-to-Drink)* category, a natural alignment to fuse our ‘alcoholic beverages’ and ‘soft drinks.’ While these two sectors have different cultures and manufacturing technologies, we have approached this challenge as a 'GLOBAL ONE SUNTORY'. We aim to become the world's number one RTD company and have already launched a comprehensive collaboration between our overseas alcoholic beverages and soft drinks businesses in the Oceania market. By the middle of 2024, we plan to have our factories in operation, maximizing group synergy in the RTD sector. We will combine the technologies and expertise cultivated across these two sectors, create unprecedented unique value, and focus on strengthening our global portfolio.
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*RTD alcoholic beverages such as canned chuhai, canned cocktails and canned highballs are premixed and ready for consumption.
Continued Commitment as a Value-Creating Company
The most important foundation of the Suntory Group is its people. Since Suntory began, we have continued to grow by creating new value that has been driven by our people’s passion of Suntorians, born from a ‘Yatte Minahare’ spirit. We believe that people are the most important foundation and capital of our business and we aspire to be a company that values people above all else. We are committed to providing diverse growth opportunities for each individual and fostering a workplace where everyone can shine with high motivation and vitality. We will also continue to strengthen our investment in talent. I strongly believe that the passion that flows from a strong and mature individual can create great innovation.
I also believe that learning about a wide variety of values is essential for the growth of people and organizations. Suntory aims to establish a corporate environment of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), where every individual is respected. With 40,000 employees around the world today, we apply the new perspectives gained from sharing and learning from each other's different perspectives and ideas to our daily work. This attitude is vital if we are to continue to be a value-creating company. In order to realize our purpose, we will continue to listen to the voices of our people and increase opportunities to learn about diverse values. We aim for the 'Brilliance of Life'.
Handing Down a Sustainable Society to the Next Generation
The Suntory Group's business is supported by the bounty of nature, including water and crops. Passing on these natural blessings, or the richness of the global environment, to future generations is essential for the longevity of Suntory Group's business. We recognize that issues pertaining to water are a particularly urgent issue, as it is predicted* that approximately 5 billion people worldwide will suffer from serious water shortages by 2050. Suntory has been working for water sustainability, a precious resource that we share with local communities, based on our unique ‘Water Philosophy’ shared by the entire Suntory Group. It was more than 20 years ago that we started the water source conservation activity 'Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary' to ensure the sustainability of water as a shared community resource.
We will continue to advance our 'Water Positive' initiatives, in which we replenish more water than our plants use. This initiative addresses increasing demands for 'Nature Positive' action as we know that it is not enough to simply reduce the burden on our environment, but we must proactively restore nature. The Suntory Group is the only Japanese company to participate in the pilot program of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), an international organization that verifies methodologies for setting targets for water and land use, with the aim of realizing ‘Nature Positive’ in line with common global standards based on science.
We have also inherited the spirit of ‘Giving Back to Society’ from our founder which has become an important part of Suntory's DNA. To guide tomorrow’s leaders, we provide opportunities for today’s youth to develop rich personalities and character through environmental education such as ‘Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water’ and support through art and sports. We will continue to strengthen our ‘Next Generation Empowerment’ activities by providing support to nonprofit organizations focused on these issues so children can pursue paths that address today’s most pressing issues with motivation, hope and aspirations.
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The realization of a sustainable society means nothing less than passing on to our children a stable society that can live in harmony with nature, and Suntory always wants to be a company that can help in this regard. As a top executive, it is my responsibility to ensure the successful implementation of this commitment through our investment and work.
We will continue to place sustainability at the center core of our management, delivering the highest quality products and services that contribute to a sustainable society while listening to the voices of our stakeholders, especially our customers. As a globally growing multifaceted beverage company, we are committed to innovation, we will take on new challenges, and we will hand over to our future generations a sustainable society filled with the 'brilliance of life'.-
*World Meteorological Organization (WMO), “The State of Climate Services 2021”
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April 2024
Takeshi Niinami
Chief Executive Officer
Suntory Holdings Limited