Our Policy and Approach
Suntory Group products are crafted from the gifts of nature, meaning that the global environment itself is a vital foundation for Suntory Group’s business. To protect this foundation, we engage in activities that conserve and restore the natural environment and biodiversity.
We depend on these gifts of nature (natural capital). At the same time, this dependence also means that ecosystem degradation and loss of biodiversity can also present a serious risk to our business continuity. As such, we recognize that proactively engaging in activities that conserving biodiversity will create new opportunities to improve our corporate value–for example, securing sustainable procurement of raw ingredients and gaining the trust of local communities.
Suntory Group supports the goals of the 30by30 initiative (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework) to halt biodiversity loss and put nature on a recovery track by 2030, a goal agreed upon by the world to achieve a sustainable society. We are committed to contributing to this goal through our business activities.
We also participate in Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN), which sets out methods for natural capital management based on scientific knowledge. By setting targets and promoting action grounded in science, we aim to create a positive impact on biodiversity. With this policy, we will balance measures for climate action (carbon neutrality, etc.) with biodiversity conservation, handing the regenerative power of nature to future generations.
Disclosure Based on TNFD Recommendations
In May 2023, Suntory Group became the only Japanese company among 17 globally participating in the pilot implementation of guidance provided by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). This initiative aims to set and pursue science-based goals related to nature, following the corporate guidance issued by SBTN.
We have started disclosure of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) based on assessments and progress made in the SBTN validation pilot.
For more information, see the following.
For more information, see our Disclosure Based on TNFD & TCFD.
Promotion Structure
Global Sustainability Committee
Suntory Group has established a system for promoting environmental management centered on the Global Sustainability Committee (GSC). Under the supervision of the Chief Sustainability Officer, GSC formulates strategies related to the seven key themes of sustainability, which include water, climate action, raw ingredients, containers and packaging, health, human rights, and lifestyle culture. GSC also oversees the progress of these strategies and analyzes the business risks and growth opportunities, reporting to the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis.
For more information on the Global Sustainability Committee, see Environmental Management.
Biodiversity-related risks and opportunities have also been integrated into Suntory Group’s enterprise risk-management processes and are regularly monitored by senior management and the Board of Directors. For example, key issues related to water sustainability and biodiversity are positioned as items for risk oversight by the Board of Directors and reflected in our management strategies and business plans as necessary.
Moving forward, we will enhance our governance framework related to biodiversity and integrate these considerations into our management strategies, in alignment with the TNFD framework. We will endeavor to utilize the knowledge we have gained from measures for climate action, such as governance based on TCFD, to establish a system for discussing and advancing natural capital across the entire Group.
Initiatives
Water Sustainability
Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary
To ensure the safety, security, and sustainability of groundwater, Suntory Group has been cultivating forests in the watersheds around our plants as Suntory Natural Water Sanctuaries to nurture groundwater. These forests recharge more than twice the amount of water withdrawn by our plants in Japan.
Forests that nurture pristine groundwater are also rich in biodiversity. When the forest ecosystem is restored, the flora and fauna also begin to thrive in new ways. Suntory Group systematically manages its Natural Water Sanctuaries through ongoing ecosystem monitoring of flora and fauna, including birds. Considering how wild birds are a barometer of environmental health, we have experts conduct annual wild bird surveys to furnish a broader understanding of the changes taking place in the entire supporting ecosystem.
At Natural Water Sanctuaries in Japan, we are carrying out an Eagle and Hawk Chick-Rearing Support Project to support the nesting and breeding of birds of prey, which are at the top of the ecological pyramid. The aim is to continue maintaining forests rich in biodiversity from the perspective of protecting birds.
We have expanded our Natural Water Sanctuaries to 26 locations in 16 prefectures throughout Japan, which in total cover more than 12,000 hectares. In these sanctuaries, we promote forest conservation activities in cooperation with regional governments and local forestry officials.
30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity
In April 2022, Suntory Group joined the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity,*1 which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to realize a sustainable society.
- *1The 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity was established as a voluntary coalition of local governments, companies, and NPOs to conserve or protect at least 30% of Japan’s land and sea areas by 2030.
Additionally, 6 Suntory Natural Water Sanctuaries have been certified as Sites Coexisting with Nature promoted by the Ministry of the Environment as part of an initiative aimed at achieving 30by30 goals. Sites Coexisting with Nature are areas where biodiversity conservation efforts through private-sector initiatives are certified by the Japanese government. Certified areas, excluding overlaps with protected areas, are registered in the world OECM (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures) database. The fact that Suntory’s forest conservation areas are among Japan’s OECMs is also of great significance in terms of our contribution to international targets.
1. Hyogo Nishiwaki-Monryusan (Nishiwaki City, Hyogo)
2. Tokyo Akigawa (Akiruno City, Tokyo)
3. Shizuoka Oyama (Oyama Town, Shizuoka)
4. Nikko Kirifuri (Nikko City, Tochigi)
6. Akagi (Shibukawa City, Maebashi City, Gunma)
Publication of a Biodiversity Report
In September 2022, Suntory Group published the Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary Biodiversity Restoration Report, which summarizes the diverse issues facing Japan's forests and communicates examples of advanced initiatives in our Natural Water Sanctuaries.
The report introduces Japan's ecological challenges such as satoyama (community forest) degradation and the increase in invasive alien species, and also introduces our efforts to restore forests and biodiversity – for example, forest floor management and rare species protection. We will continue to evolve our science-based forest-nurturing efforts and actively communicate the results.
Download the Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary Biodiversity Restoration Report
Suntory’s Peatland Water Sanctuary Initiative in Scotland
Suntory Group is expanding conservation efforts at critical biodiversity sites beyond Japan. In Scotland, we have embarked on initiatives to conserve peatlands and water sources that nurture peat, an essential raw material for whisky-making. We are engaged in restoring peatlands in areas where peat was previously mined and to regenerate ecosystems in nature reserves in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The peatland restoration project began on areas near the Ardmore Distillery in partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland, which owns the land, and the James Hutton Institute, which is assisting with research, planning, and execution for the restoration. Restoration activities subsequently began on Islay and in northern Scotland, where peat was mined for scotch in the past, and in nature reserves in Airds Moss and the Oa, activities were launched in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds of Scotland.
With additional activities planned, Suntory Group has set a goal of restoring sufficient peatlands by 2040 to equate to twice the volume of peat we harvest to make Scotch whiskies. Peatland conservation and restoration contributes not only to maintaining ecosystem services such as improved water purification and water retention, but also to climate change mitigation through peat's ability to sequester large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. This project will be beneficial both from a climate and biodiversity perspective, also contributing to the conservation of Scotland's natural environment.
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Recovery work has raised
the water table of this
peatland, and restoration
of marshland vegetation
is progressing -
Ardmore Distillery
Raw Ingredients
Suntory Group promotes initiatives in and outside Japan aimed at conserving biodiversity in the agricultural crops it uses for key raw ingredients.
For example, Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain and Ireland has been supporting sustainable agriculture for blackcurrant farmers since 2004, promoting the conservation of river and wetland ecosystems with biodiversity plans tailored to each farm and its surrounding habitat. In 2022, the company published the report, Farm Stewardship Programme, which summarizes its efforts to conserve biodiversity on blackcurrant farms across the UK and the results.
Other efforts within the Group include adopting regenerative agriculture methods that contribute to soil biodiversity, such as attempts at soil improvement and crop rotation for sustainable procurement of malting barley (a raw ingredient in beer) and the use of green mulches at vineyards (a cover crop method that maintains vegetation between vines). This shift in agricultural methods will help improve farmland soil fertility and conserve biodiversity while also building a raw ingredients procurement system that is resilient to future climate change.
Download the Farm Stewardship Programme Report
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Cover crops
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Vineyard with grass mulch
at Suntory Tominooka Winery -
Farm Stewardship
Programme Report
In terms of procurement, we carry out risk assessments for key raw materials in our Basic Policy on Sustainable Procurement and are strengthening our raw material procurement standards with biodiversity in mind. For paper packaging and agricultural products that directly contribute to deforestation, we are moving toward the use of certified paper and environmentally friendly raw materials, and are working to conserve biodiversity throughout the supply chain. Using the TNFD framework, we will also advance upstream biodiversity risk assessments for the value chain (for agricultural production areas and forest production areas) and deepen our consideration of conservation activities and commitments in cooperation with external stakeholders regarding key regions and raw materials.
Container and Packaging Initiatives
In addition to ecological efforts for water and crops, Suntory Group aims to leverage limited natural resources by, promoting the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) for raw ingredients and packaging and containers in collaboration with diverse stakeholders, employing renewable resources, and building efficient resource recycling systems.
Especially with regard to PET bottles, Suntory Group is working to reduce the use of virgin petroleum-based materials and substituting them with alternatives such as recycled and bio-based materials under our unique 2R+B strategy*. From the development stage, we pursue efficient use of resources by reducing resin content and replacing petroleum-derived raw materials with renewable materials wherever possible in order to reduce environmental impact throughout the lifecycle of our containers and packaging.
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*(Reduce/Recycle + Bio)
Concept of 3Rs in Containers and Packaging
2R+B Strategy
Through these initiatives related to containers and packaging, we aim to reduce the footprint of waste and resource extraction on ecosystems. The environmental impact of improper handling of used plastics has become a social issue affecting the environment. Suntory Group seeks to contribute to resolving these issues by strengthening bottle-to-bottle recycling and developing bio-based PET. Going forward, we will strive to further increase the proportion of sustainable materials in our containers and packaging, which will both reduce environmental impact and conserve biodiversity. We will work with suppliers and other business partners to advance efforts to minimize ecosystem impacts throughout the value chain, from the procurement of packaging materials to disposal and recycling.
Suntory Bird Conservation Activities
Recognizing that wild birds are barometers of the environment, Suntory Group has advocated that protecting birds leads to protecting human beings and the natural environment and started its bird conservation activities in 1973. In 1989, we established the Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation to provide financial assistance to bird conservation activities inside and outside Japan. As of 2024, we have provided grants totaling over 700 million yen to 517 projects. To this day, we continue to support bird conservation projects by NPOs and research institutions around the country. These projects are wide-ranging and include habitat conservation, protection of rare species, and environmental education.
Suntory bird conservation activities first focused on raising awareness about common wild birds. Since the launch of our Save the Birds! campaign in 1973, we have used television commercials, newspaper ads, and posters to share photographs and messages about wild birds, which has raised public interest in nature conservation. We have also been communicating the importance of bird watching and conservation to future generations through activities such as sponsoring a poster-sketching contest for elementary and junior high school students in honor of Japan’s annual bird week and providing support to bird-loving groups across Japan.
1st Save the Birds! Campaign newspaper ad
Since wild birds sit at top of the ecological pyramid, tracking their movements can tell us about the health of the entire ecosystem. Given their importance, we not only provide support through the Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation but also conduct wild bird surveys in our own water replenishment forests Natural Water Sanctuaries to help monitor the forest ecosystems.
Guided by our philosophy of being an enterprise “sustained by nature and water,” Suntory Group will continue its work to conserve biodiversity, always having gratitude and reverence for the ecosystems that nurture water and living things. We will share with external parties the knowledge and technologies we have gained through our business activities and deepen our partnerships with government, NPOs, and local communities while contributing to the realization of a sustainable society that coexists in harmony with nature.
