Policies and Our Approach
Many of the products handled by Suntory Group are made mainly from agricultural products and water, the risk of environmental pollution caused by chemical substances is considered to be small and compared to other industries. However, the production process is not free from the risk of polluting the surrounding environment, as exhaust gas is generated from boiler combustion and chemicals are used to clean and sterilize equipment. Therefore, we assume all kinds of abnormal and emergency situations, assess the risks that may arise, and take measures to deal with them.
Our Initiatives
Preventing Air Pollution
Suntory Group strives to reduce SOx and NOx emissions by switching to gas fuel that does not contain sulfur and adopting low NOx burners. We have set voluntary standards that are stricter than legal limits and control air pollutants in exhaust gas from boilers.
Preventing Water Pollution
Wastewater management is conducted at each factory by setting voluntary standards that are stricter than legal limits.
Preventing Soil Pollution
Suntory Group's plants use chemical substances for cleaning equipment and other purposes. These substances are strictly controlled to prevent leakage. However, in the unlikely event of a leakage of cleaning agents or chemicals, each plant has installed dikes around chemical tanks and conducts periodic inspections to prevent soil contamination.
Measures for Alcohol Evaporation
Some amount of alcohol vaporizes from the cask during the storage of whisky. We place collection equipment to prevent any evaporated alcohol from escaping the plant. In addition, regular monitoring (concentration measurement, etc.) is done to confirm if alcohol evaporation can be reduced.
Chemical Substance Management
Suntory Group manages chemical substances in accordance with Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Law, Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act, Fire Service Act and other related laws.
Waste Management
We promote to introduce an electronic manifest system for compliance with waste law and enhance information control of waste. In addition, we continue to implement training programs for production sites, sales offices, cultural sites, head office functions, and group companies to improve their knowledge and skills in waste management through methods such as group training, on-site visits, and role-playing to ensure the proper disposal of waste. We call such a lecture as “Waste management seminar” and “Surveillance seminar at waste treatment facility” to skill them up the knowledge and the audit ability on waste management. We continue initiatives for thorough implementation of proper disposal of waste.
Management of PCB Disposal
We store PCB wastes appropriately and report their storage status to the local government based on “Law Concerning Special Measures Against PCB Waste.” We have registered to Japan Environmental Storage & Safety Corporation (JESCO) as a subcontractor for the disposal of PCB and began disposal of equipment that includes PCB from 2007. Status of the use and storage of equipment that includes PCB is as follows.
Quantity of equipment that uses PCB (as of December 2023)
| Stored | Used | Total owned | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacitor | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Transformer | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Stabilizer for lighting device | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Claims, Accidents and Lawsuits
There were no serious accidents or lawsuits related to the environment in 2023.