News Release

Suntory Group to Celebrate World Water Day through
“Suntory Group’s Global Action for Water”

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Tokyo (March 9, 2021)— Suntory Holdings today announced that it will dedicate the weeks between Monday, March 22^nd to Friday, April 30^th as the “Suntory Group’s Global Action for Water” period. Starting on World Water Day, a date set by the United Nations to raise awareness of the importance of safe and fresh water, all 40,000 global employees are invited to take part in water-related initiatives to reflect on the importance of water in their daily lives.

“We protect nature” is one of the five principles of The Suntory Group Way, which defines how each employee should think and act during their daily work to ensure that the group reflects its respect for and appreciation of the natural resources on which its consumer products rely. Suntory also believes it is essential to pass on a healthy planet to future generations by reducing environmental impacts and contributing to sustainable cycles of water.

“As a company that aims to inspire the brilliance of people’s lives through our products and services produced by the blessings of nature, it is essential that all employees embrace the importance of achieving sustainability of natural resources for the company to continue growing for good,” says Tomomi Fukumoto, COO of Corporate Sustainability at Suntory Holdings. “I would like to encourage all our employees across the globe to take time to give back to society and reaffirm the importance of water and nature as the source of our business as well as our lives.”
Under this program, employees around the world will deepen their understanding of the environmental issues that the world faces today, and take water protecting actions in their daily lives, such as participating in water-related volunteer work and reducing water usage at home. The group will donate US$1 for each action taken by its employees under this program for a total of up to US$40,000 to “charity: water”, a global non-profit organization that supports bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.

The Suntory Group carries out various water-related activities driven by its promise to stakeholders, “Mizu To Ikiru”, meaning living with water, and its corporate mission, “To create harmony with people and nature”. In the months of March and April last year, the group conducted water-related volunteer work across the globe. Suntory will continue to not only use water sustainably and return it cleanly to nature, but also contribute to healthy water circulation by protecting the forests that nurture groundwater.

<Suntory Group’s Water Initiatives>
Since 2003, Suntory began working on Natural Water Sanctuaries, starting with Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary Aso, to cultivate forests that nurture groundwater. This activity has now expanded to 21 locations across 15 prefectures in Japan covering roughly 12,000ha of land. In June 2019, Suntory achieved the goal of cultivating water equal to more than twice the amount of groundwater drawn by the Group’s plants in Japan. The Suntory Group has expanded the Natural Water Sanctuaries to the US in 2016 on the Maker’s Mark distillery grounds in Kentucky, and in 2018, it established a Natural Water Sanctuary alliance in the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, which contains the water source for the Jim Beam distillery.
Since 2004, Suntory has been conducting Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water in Japan to help train the next generation to use water sustainably. The company has also been implementing Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water in Vietnam from 2015 as well as in Indonesia and Thailand from 2019, which are highly evaluated by local governments and communities. In addition, to further promote water protection activities on a global scale, the group established the Suntory Group’s Sustainable Water Philosophy in 2017, which is shared among its employees in over 300 group companies worldwide. More about Suntory Group‘s activities for reducing environmental impact can be found here.

About Suntory Group

As a global leader in both the alcohol and non-alcohol beverages industry, Suntory Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products from premium spirits, beer and wine to brewed teas, bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks, along with health and wellness products. Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu as well as iconic American spirits Jim Beam and Maker's Mark. Suntory also fascinates the taste buds in Japan and the Asian market with our Premium Malt's beer and also owns the exceptional Japanese wine Tomi and the world famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes Sauza Tequila, non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Ribena, BOSS coffee, Iyemon green tea, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, V and BRAND’S, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.

Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $21.0 billion in 2019. Suntory is driven by Yatte Minahare - the spirit of bold ambition - and its 40,210 employees worldwide draw upon its unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.

As a company that delivers blessings of water and nature to its customers, Suntory is committed to its mission to create harmony with people and nature. Always aspiring to grow for good, Suntory is devoted to giving back to society through protecting water resources, nurturing its communities and fostering the arts.

Learn more about Suntory Group, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility at www.suntory.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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  Suntory Group’s Global Action for Water