News Release

(2025/1/30)
Suntory Holdings Ltd.
Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd.

Suntory Group Achieves Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Platinum Certification at Two Water Plants in Japan

- All three of Suntory Group’s AWS certified water plants are now Platinum certified-

(Left) Suntory Okudaisen Bunanomori Water Plant / (Right) Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant

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Tokyo, JAPAN (January 30, 2025) – Suntory Group is proud to announce that Suntory Okudaisen Bunanomori Water Plant and Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant both received the highest level rating Platinum certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS).

This achievement was made possible by the advanced management of water intake and discharge at both plants, alongside initiatives conducted in collaboration with local authorities and communities in the surrounding watersheds such as water resource conservation in the Suntory Natural Water Sanctuaries and next-generation environmental education through Suntory “Mizuiku”^*1 - education program for nature and water.

Three of Suntory Group’s water plants were the first Japanese facilities to receive certification under the AWS Standard – the Okudaisen Bunanomori Water Plant in 2018, Kyushu Kumamoto Plant in 2019 and Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant in 2022. Following the Kyushu Kumamoto Plant back in 2023, all three of the AWS certified plants now have a Platinum certification.

As a company with the highest number of plants certified by the AWS in Japan and as its sole member from the country, Suntory Group entered into partnership with AWS^*2 in 2021 to contribute its expertise and take a leadership role in advancing water stewardship in Japan.

AWS is an international organization established jointly by NGOs, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), the United Nations and other actors, to promote water sustainability around the world. Certification against the AWS Standard demonstrates that a company has met the AWS definition of good water management practices within a business site and effective collaboration with non-business stakeholders that the site shares a catchment with.

Masaaki Fujiwara, Chief Sustainability Officer of Suntory Holdings Ltd. comments,
“Water is essential to people's lives as well as our business. At Suntory Group, we have been carrying out initiatives that address the entire watershed for more than 20 years with the spirit of leading ‘water sustainability’ globally. We are honored that our ongoing activities have been recognized once again, with two more of our plants being newly certified as ‘Platinum,’ the highest level of AWS certification. We will continue to work together as a Group to achieve net water positive at half or more of our plants around the world as stated in our ‘Environmental Targets toward 2030,’ to achieve our vision ‘To Create Harmony with People and Nature.’”

As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, and with a purpose to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature, Suntory Group has been committed to achieving a sustainable society since its founding. As stated in the company’s Environmental Vision toward 2050, Suntory Group aims to reduce the water intensity of production at its owned plants^*3 by 50%^*4 globally, and replenish more than 100% of water used at all of its owned plants globally through conservation of the surrounding ecosystem. To achieve this, the Group has set four main pillars of action (reduction of water used in direct operation, water replenishment, sustainable water uses in raw ingredients, water education and access to safe water) in the Environmental Targets toward 2030, advancing various initiatives globally.

Water being the core of its business, Suntory Group will continue to promote water sustainability not only by using water preciously and replenishing clean water back to nature, but also by contributing to the healthy natural cycle of water by managing and conserving the forests that cultivate water.

Learn more about Suntory Group’s Sustainability Vision here and about its work on water sustainability actions here.

*1 “Mizuiku” is a registered trademark of Suntory Holdings Limited

*2 Listed under the current name of the organization. The name at the time of conclusion was AWS Asia Pacific.

*3 Owned plants that manufacture finished products and excludes plants for packaging and ingredients

*4 Reduction of water intensity of production based on 2015 baseline year

About Suntory Group
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group aims to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Sustained by the gifts of nature and water, the Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products, from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, iconic American whiskies Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, canned ready-to-drink -196, The Premium Malt’s beer, Japanese wine Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Oasis, BOSS coffee, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, and V energy drink, 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 $20.9 billion in 2023. Its 41,511 employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.

For more information, visit www.suntory.com and Drink Smart.