Suntory: Giving back to society

With over 40,000 employees and annual revenue of nearly 20 billion dollars US, it would not be an overstatement to say that Suntory is a big player in the beverage and spirits industry. And given that this is one of Japan’s largest beverage companies, it’s fitting that their philosophy is rooted in the Japanese expression “Yatte Minahare,” which is the spirit of dreaming big along with the spirit of “giving back to society.”

But for a company of such magnitude – with popular brands including household names such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Ribena, Suntory Tennensui water, and TEA+ – how does Suntory mobilise to retain its standing as a global citizen?

“To create harmony with people and nature”

Suntory is united around a set of core principles centered on its mission “To create harmony with people and nature,” underpinned by the concept of “Yatte Minahare,” which has been demonstrated throughout their nearly century-old history.

Today, their work is structured around their sustainability vision that set seven core themes for their business. To pursue this, various guiding principles such as the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, and various institutional standards of conduct are referred to.

But what do these principles look like in practice for Suntory? The company stresses that children are at the core of the community programmes they design, which centre on environmental stewardship, arts, culture, and sport. “We are very focused on how we support the children, whom we call the ‘next generation,’” says Yuko Koshiishi, Senior General Manager, Corporate Sustainability Department at Suntory. ”For example, our Suntory Environmental Principles consider how we pass on our environment to the next generation. We also support children through our social activities.”

To illustrate this, over 320,000 children across seven countries have participated in a nature programme called “Mizuiku,” which teaches the importance of water in addressing local issues. Programmes for elementary, junior high, and high schools focus on PET bottle recycling awareness. In addition, workshops at Suntory Hall and the Suntory Museum of Art introduce children to the arts, and support young musicians and artists. The company also provides children with opportunities to engage in sports – a pillar of childhood wellness. Of course, many of these programmes are good for society and make good business sense for the company by encouraging water reduction, eliminating plastic waste, and promoting recycling.

Responsible marketing

Childhood wellness encompasses more than education programmes and good community initiatives. Many companies, especially in the food and beverage sector, need to deeply understand the impact of their marketing practices on children – even when children are not their primary consumers. This is especially true in the alcoholic beverage category, where misuse of alcohol is a reality. The “Drink Smart” campaign, committed to the responsible consumption of alcohol, is one example of Suntory’s efforts to tackle underage drinking, along with other initiatives.

In parallel to these improvements, the opportunity exists to develop better products for the consumer – including children. Suntory’s group company in Europe aims to reduce sugar by 35% by 2025 and, in Oceania, increase that portion of its portfolio which is low or no-sugar, to one-third by 2030.

Looking ahead

One of the company’s biggest challenges lies in understanding the potential human rights risks in their supply chain. Slimane Gani, lead for Human Rights at Suntory’s Corporate Sustainability department, acknowledges that, from a child rights perspective, gaining more visibility on the risks that are being experienced upstream in the supply chain– reaching into 2nd tier, 3rd tier, and farm level – is critical when rooting out child labour.

Core to this issue is to further improve the traceability of ingredients used. “Achieving traceability in multi-tiered supply chains with hundreds of thousands of farmers is challenging, although very important,” says Slimane Gani. “While promoting human rights due diligence in our supply chain, it is also important to increase our ability to identify, track and trace our inputs along the supply chain.” For a company like Suntory, with a global supply chain operating in nearly every country, this remains one of the key challenges.

With such an extensive reach – through their products and producers, employees and consumers – Suntory has huge potential to drive change for good. Starting with our children.

Read more: Sustainability at Suntory