Leadership

Takeshi Niinami

Sustaining the “Brilliance of Life”

Suntory Group’s purpose is "To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature”. We engage in our business and social activities to provide products and services that bring people together, offer joy and inspiration, and make each consumer's "life" shine with brilliance. The “brilliance of life” cannot be achieved without the brilliance of the earth. As people and as a business, we are sustained by the blessings of nature such as water and crops.
The world today is facing environmental issues like climate change and pollution. These are threats to all life on this planet, and are challenges which Suntory itself must overcome if we are to survive in this society for a long time to come.

Such is the thinking behind Suntory setting concrete targets of “reducing GHG emissions from our direct operations by 50%*, and by 30%* across the entire value chain” by 2030, as well as aiming to switching all PET bottles used in the Suntory Group to recycled or bio-based material by 2030, and achieving zero use of virgin petroleum-based materials globally.
These goals cannot be achieved by our own efforts alone. We will work hand in hand with our stakeholders in Japan and overseas, including our external suppliers and business partners, and at times even with companies in sectors other than our own.

The "Natural Water Sanctuary" initiative that we started twenty years ago in Japan has gained empathy and support, especially its “Water Positive” concept of cultivating more water in the water cycle than we use, and is spreading globally. The Jim Beam and Maker's Mark distilleries in the U.S. are engaged in water source conservation activities including tree planting. In Scotland, we are working to conserve peat and water sources, while in France we are promoting activities to conserve forests and water sources near our production plants. The "Suntory Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water", which conveys the importance of water to children of the next generation, has expanded from Japan to Southeast Asia, Europe and other regions, with programs tailored according to the situation of each country, with the promotion of awareness towards the water cycle at its core.

Today, Suntory Group has about 40,000 employees around the world. The bonds we have developed with consumers in each region and business, and the Monozukuri ** technologies we have developed, are important assets. We learn from one another, heighten each other, and create new value, overcoming the walls between regions or businesses. This is only made possible because we all belong to the Suntory Group, and beyond this lies growth on a global scale. Even though we may come from different nationalities, speak different languages and be engaged in different businesses, we all have one common purpose: “To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature”. To realize this goal, we share three values: "Growing for Good," "Yatte Minahare", and "Giving Back to Society”. Based on this corporate philosophy, and as ONE SUNTORY One Family united by the same aspirations, we will do our utmost to ensure that the brilliance of all "life" in this world is made sustainable.

Takeshi Niinami Representative Director, President & CEO
Suntory Holdings Limited

*Based on emission in 2019
**Monozukuri – Japanese term for craftsmanship