The Suntory Group is supported by the bounty of water and nature, and we engage in environmental activities to preserve beautiful water for the future, including Natural Water Sanctuary initiatives to protect forests where water is nurtured.
One of these activities is Suntory Mizuiku*1 — Education Program*2 for Nature and Water, a next-generation environmental education program launched in 2004. Mizuiku is a program unique to Suntory that helps children experience the wonder of nature, become aware of the importance of water and the forests nurturing it, and consider what they can do to pass on water to future generations.
The program is deployed in Japan and, in collaboration with local NGOs and other organizations, in seven other countries. As of December 31, 2023, the cumulative number of participants exceeded 580,000.
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*1Mizuiku is a registered trademark of Suntory Holdings Limited.
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*2Sponsor: Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, etc.
Suntory Mizuiku Expanding in 8 Countries
Japan
Mizuiku education in Japan is centered on two programs: the Outdoor School of Forest and Water, offering shared hands-on nature experiences for parents and children, and the Teaching Program at Schools, a program for elementary schools.
Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water received the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Jury Award for Excellence for Companies Promoting Youth Experiential Activities in fiscal 2022.
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*Sponsor: Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, etc.
Outdoor School of Forest and Water
This hands-on nature program, geared to elementary school students from grades 3 through 6 and their parents or guardians, is held in the home regions of (Mineral Water) Suntory Tennensui. Participants experience for themselves the importance of water and of the forests that produce it amid the great outdoors at Hakushu (Yamanashi prefecture), Kita Alps (Nagano prefecture), Okudaisen (Tottori prefecture), and Aso (Kumamoto prefecture). We also operate a remote school that enables participants to experience nature from home. The Outdoor School of Forest and Water staff conduct the program together with expert instructors who play active roles locally in environmental education.
Outdoor School of Forest and Water
Teaching Program at Schools
We offer study programs for students in grades 4 and 5 in elementary schools together with their teachers. We believe we can make a difference by teaching the cycle and importance of nature through videos and experiments, so that together we can pass down water to future generations. We also conduct online classes, and elementary schools all over Japan can participate.
Teaching Program at Schools
Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water website
Vietnam
Since March 2015, we have offered a Mizuiku program in Vietnam.
In cooperation with international NGOs, we have developed original teaching materials, and since 2017 we have been working with the Young Pioneer Organization (CCYPO) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Moreover, since 2022, we have been collaborating with the Ministry of Education and Training to provide classes for elementary school students in grades 3 and 4 on the importance of water, water sanitation, and water source conservation. In addition, we are contributing to the installation of toilets and washrooms at elementary schools to improve sanitary environment of children.
This activity was created to contribute to Target 6.B of Sustainable Development Goal 6 “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.”
In December 2022, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage concluded a comprehensive collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Education and Training to deploy Mizuiku programs across Vietnam over a three-year period.
Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water in Vietnam
Thailand
We have offered a Mizuiku program in Thailand since July 2019.
With cooperation from local NGOs, we are developing water awareness projects in elementary schools in the capital of Bangkok, as well as in Rayong and Saraburi provinces. We are also engaged in erosion prevention projects in the northern province of Chiang Mai and the southern province of Nakhon Nayok. By slowing stream currents, installing small weirs to support permeation of underground water, and planting trees to prevent soil from flowing into streams, we can prevent sediment-related erosion, and we plan to continue these efforts.
Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water in Thailand
France
In July 2020, Suntory Beverage & Food France established a workshop-based water education program for elementary school students in partnership with Grand Parc Miribel Jonage, a nature park located near its Meyzieu Plant. The program includes content on the role forests have in cultivating water, experiments to show how rainwater becomes underground water, and more.
In 2017, Suntory Beverage & Food France initiated a 20-year water-conservancy partnership with Grand Parc Miribel Jonage. Together with the local community, we are promoting conservation activities in forests extending into the park, including protecting and nurturing the water and natural environment in areas near factories. We are also conducting Mizuiku educational activities in line with this partnership.
Workshop-based water education program in France
China
Since September 2021, with the cooperation of the Shanghai Volunteer Foundation, a local public interest group, we have been conducting a Mizuiku program for grade 3 and 4 elementary school students in Shanghai. This program teaches elementary school students the basic knowledge about water and the habit of saving water, through experiments and videos about how nature works with contents tailored to the local situation such as by questioning “where does city water come from and end up in?”
Suntory Mizuiku — Education Program for Nature and Water in China
Spain
Since May 2022, we have been conducting a Mizuiku program in Spain. With support from local environmental experts, we are offering an educational program for elementary school students in the province of Toledo. The field activities are carried out in the natural environment of the Guajaraz reservoir in the vicinity of Toledo, where the main factory of Suntory Beverage & Food Spain is based and source their water from. The program teaches children the importance of water, such as by deepening their understanding of the natural water cycle and how it relates to their daily lives, how to use water responsibly, and the relationship between water and biodiversity, as well as provides training and ideas on how to preserve and improve the quality and quantity of water in the future.
Suntory Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water in Spain
United Kingdom
In May 2023, we launched a Mizuiku program in the United Kingdom. In collaboration with a charitable organization that conserves the environment of local rivers, we are developing a nature experience program for children up to elementary school age and their families in the Severn River basin, the water source for the Coleford Factory. The program teaches students about the importance of water and water conservation, including basic knowledge about water and the water cycle, and the relationship between water and biodiversity.
Suntory Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water in the United Kingdom
New Zealand
In May 2023, we launched a Mizuiku program in New Zealand. In collaboration with an NPO that works to preserve local river environments, we are developing on-site classes for elementary school students. The program conveys to students the mechanisms of nature and the importance of water, and covers basic water knowledge, including the water cycle, as well as ocean pollution prevention, including upstream river cleanup.
Suntory Mizuiku - Education Program for Nature and Water in New Zealand