Our Policies and Approach
Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation
Since our founding, Suntory Group has placed great importance on being consumer-oriented, sincerely listening to and engaging sincerely with our customers. This long-standing policy of consumer orientation is clearly stated in the Voluntary Declaration of Consumer Orientation.
Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation
- Nobuhiro Torii
- President, and Member of the Board,
- Representative Director,
- Suntory Holdings Ltd.
In line with Suntory Group’s Corporate Philosophy, we offer products and services of the highest quality that enrich the lives of people around the world and contribute to a sustainable natural environment.
We aim to be a “Growing for Good” company that is a good corporate citizen trusted by consumers.(April 2017 enactment)
Initiative Policies
(1) We will offer products and services that create harmony with customers
We value close communication with customers, placing top priority on the customer. We will respond sincerely to opinions and requests received from customers. We will strengthen initiatives that help to develop and improve our products and services.
(2) We will pursue safety and reliability for customers
Grounded in the Suntory Group All for the Quality Policy, we will continually work to maintain and improve quality in all of our processes, from planning and development of products and services, to procurement of materials such as water, agricultural products and packaging, to manufacturing, distribution, sales, and services. We will strive to improve the quality of our products and services while preventing quality risks through the Quality Assurance Committee which promotes quality management throughout the Group.
(3) We will utilize customer feedback in our business activities
We will share the valuable information and opinions received from customers quickly throughout the Group and reflect that feedback in our corporate activities and the actions of our employees, ranging from improving products and services to strengthening risk management.
(4) We will strive to provide information to customers
We will strive to use accurate indicators and easy-to-understand expressions for the labeling of our products, promotional materials and advertisements. We will also work to enhance information on our websites to enable customers to search for themselves online, in addition to using the communications received through the Customer Center such as telephone calls, letters, and emails. We will offer quality-related information in an easy-to-understand manner for customers.
(5) We will foster a culture and awareness among employees to take action from the viewpoint of customers
We will continue the Customer Satisfaction Cultivation Activities to foster a corporate culture in which all of our employees consider the viewpoint of customers in their work. We will hold training programs for all employees, including those in divisions that have few opportunities to hear the views expressed directly by our customers.
Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction and Course of Action
Based on the Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation, the Customer Center set out its Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction in 1999 so that each and every employee always acts with the goal of delivering customer satisfaction. We formulated the Course of Action for our Customer Center in 2002 to be put into comprehensive practice by all of the Customer Center staff.
Customer Center
Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction
We strive to realize, maintain and improve customer satisfaction in every way through various activities to fulfill the responsibility as a member of the society. We value communication with the customers and provide safe and reliable products and services that bring joy to the customer and gain their trust, while providing information and implementing customer feedback to our business activities.
Course of Action for Customer Center
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1.We will respond to customer inquiries and complaints in a timely, accurate and sincere manner while being fair and just.
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2.We will proactively provide reliable information that brings satisfaction to the customer.
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3.We will incorporate feedback and requests of the society in the company.
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4.We will comply with laws and our own standards to protect the rights of the customer.
Customer Response Standard
Suntory Holdings Ltd. and 11 Group companies* formulated a Customer Response Standard in accordance with ISO10002 (JIS Q 10002) as a working mindset for implementing the Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction and the Course of Action for Customer Center. The regulation recognizes the rights of customers to make inquiries and provide feedback, and clearly states our responsibility to actively respond to customers with the objective of maintaining and improving customer satisfaction through our corporate activities. In addition, we will formulate and thoroughly familiarize employees with standards and procedures based on this course of action.
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*Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd., Suntory Foods Ltd., Suntory Beverage Solution Ltd., Suntory Foods Okinawa Ltd., Suntory Products Ltd., Suntory Spirits Ltd., Okinawa Suntory Ltd., Suntory Business System Limited, Suntory Global Innovation Center Ltd., Suntory Corporate Business Ltd. and Suntory Field Expert Ltd. (as of July 2025)
CREDO (SUNTORY MIND for Customer Service)
The CREDO (SUNTORY MIND for Customer Service) was formulated as a doctrine for customer service in 2013 to firmly root the Basic Policy on Customer Satisfaction and the Course of Action for Customer Center in the hearts of each and every employee in their daily tasks. We created this CREDO with all the staff at the Consumer-Oriented Management Department in an effort to cultivate an organizational culture that fosters activities leading to greater customer satisfaction.
Our Initiatives
Communicating with Customers
Suntory Group has prioritized customer satisfaction and valued dialogue with customers since our founding. In 1976, we established the Consumer Affairs Department to serve as a contact point for customers. Today, Suntory Holdings Ltd’s Consumer-Oriented Management Department serves as its successor and continues to reflect the opinions and requests we receive from customers in our corporate activities.
Responding, Sharing and Utilizing Customer Feedback
Our Customer Center uses a proprietary information search system to respond quickly and accurately to customers so that those who make inquiries are not left waiting.
By recording the inquiry and our response in our core information management system upon receiving the inquiry, valuable information from the customers is shared immediately with relevant departments to enhance quality and improve risk management. We periodically share the feedback we receive from the customers with relevant departments to strengthen our VOC activities* that reflect this feedback in our corporate activities and employees course for action, which includes improving our products and services and enhancing our provision of information.
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*VOC (Voice of Customer) activities: Activity to reflect customer feedback in management policy.
Flow of customer information
Customer voices to our Customer Center (Results of 2024: Approx. 75,000)
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*1Complaints: Includes expressions of dissatisfaction by customers about products or corporate activities
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*2Inquiries and feedback: Includes a wide range of questions and opinions expressed by customers other than complaints
Valuing Customer Feedback for Product Development
We are aiming to improve quality, product development and the provision of information by incorporating opinions and requests from our customers. Having a point of view of our customers is crucial in developing products that are safe and easy to use. We carefully listen to the feedback, and aim to provide products that are kind and considerate to everyone.
We listen to customer feedback carefully and use it to continuously improve our products and services. Customer feedback regarding products of other companies and products in other categories are shared with the development division to stimulate new findings from a wider perspective and make prior checks from the customers’ point of view.
The following are examples of how we have utilized actual customer feedback in our products and services, using a variety of situations as a starting point.
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*Products that are no longer sold are also shown.
Customer feedback
I would like the caffeine content information on the “BOSS Caffeine” product to be easier to see.
Making the most of customer feedback
The caffeine label was placed prominently on the front of the product to make it easy to understand, and the warning for children and nursing mothers was also included using noticeable colors.
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*This product is no longer available
Customer feedback
The designs of “Horoyoi” <Iced Tea Sour> and <Cassis and Orange> are similar. Can you make them easier to distinguish?
Making the most of customer feedback
The designs have been changed so that customers can easily distinguish them at a glance.
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*The designs have since been further revised
Customer feedback
Are there any beverages to prevent heat stroke?
Making the most of customer feedback
Suntory offers a wide product lineup of beverages containing moderate amounts of salt, which are effective in combating heat stroke.
Customer feedback
Can “Iyemon green tea ‘Ocha Dozo’” be heated using a warmer?
Making the most of customer feedback
The bottle was not originally designed to be heated, but now it can be used both cold and hot, and can also be heated in using a warmer or other device. To make it easier to understand that the bottle can be used both cold and hot, the phrase “Delicious both cold and hot” has been added to the product itself.
Customer feedback
The labels on the PET bottles are difficult to remove. Sometimes glue is left behind.
Making the most of customer feedback
We have developed a glue that is easier to peel off than conventional glues while maintaining the same adhesive strength.
The new glue will be applied progressively to a wide range of products in the future.
Customer feedback
There is no cut line at the bottom of the wine cap seal, making it difficult to remove from the container when sorting.
Making the most of customer feedback
To make it easier for customers to remove, we have added the cut line to the cap sticker of all PET bottled wines.
Expanding communication outlets: Use of Digital and Social Media tools
In addition to communication by telephone, letter, and email through the Customer Center, we are working to enhance the information on the Customer Center website by utilizing photos and illustrations for customers who search for information through the website. In addition, we have prepared an inquiry form in English to respond to inquiries from overseas customers. We opened a LINE customer service center in 2022 and continue to create an environment where customers can easily contact us.
Suntory Customer Center website (PC)
Suntory LINE app Customer Service
Communicating Our Consumer-Oriented Initiatives to Society
Suntory Group actively communicates our consumer-oriented management philosophy and initiatives through various media and activities.
Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation and Activity Report
The specific activities we have undertaken based on the Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation are disclosed to society annually through our corporate sustainability website. In January 2020, we were selected received the 2019 Consumer Affairs Agency Commissioner Award for Consumer-Oriented Management in recognition of our good practices.
As a company that discloses its Voluntary Declaration toward Consumer Orientation, we have provided the declaration and content of activities on the Customer Affairs Agency website.
For detailed archives of our sustainability website, see Reporting Archive.
Employees with Consumer-Oriented Mindset
In order to promote consumer-oriented management, we conduct enlightenment activities for employees for nurturing consumer-oriented mindset.
Continuing to Meet Consumers Expectations
We focus on consumer-oriented enlightenment activities and culture-building, with the aim that each employee will deepen his or her understanding of changes in customer attitudes and interests, and be capable of delivering products and services that exceed customer expectations.
Overview of Internal Enlightenment Activities
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*VOC : Voice of Customer
Consumer-Oriented Awareness-raising Company-wide Activities
Seminar for Taking Prudent Consumer-Oriented Actions
We hold the Consumer-Oriented Action Brush-up Seminar annually for all employees. Each employee listens to voices including the words of encouragement from customers and is presented with examples of consumer-oriented activities being undertaken at each site in the company to deepen a consumer-oriented mindset and encourage action. After attending the seminar, each employee declares what he or she can do as an individual “Consumer-Oriented Action Declaration”. In addition, the seminar is widely distributed to Group companies in a form that makes it easier for them to take the seminar, such as by video distribution, and the entire Suntory Group is working to firmly establish consumer-oriented behavior.
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Message from the President
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Video Introducing examples of
consumer-oriented activities
Month for Enhancing Suntory's Consumer-Oriented Spirit
Every May is designated as the Month for Enhancing Suntory’s Consumer-Oriented Spirit. It applies to all Suntory Group companies in around the world and presents an annual opportunity to think about consumer-oriented spirit and reaffirm the significance of consumer orientation and the need to take prudent actions, both on an organizational and individual basis.
Each department recalls their specific day-to-day tasks and discuss what they are doing or not doing in terms of consumer orientation. It also provides an opportunity to reflect upon the Consumer-Oriented Action Declaration issued at the beginning of the year and serves as a catalyst for having a consumer-oriented spirit to take prudent actions.
The System for On-site Customer Relations Promotion Leaders
Beginning in 2018, we have assigned "Customer Relations Promotion Leaders" to play a central role in further penetrating and establishing customer orientation, particularly at sales offices that have many direct points of contact with customers.
VOC Monitoring by Management
At Suntory Group, we provide a program for management to listen to calls from customers received by the Customer Center in real-time. They can hear the questions, concerns and opinions that customers have about Suntory Group products and services in daily life. This puts in place an opportunity to utilize all of this customer feedback to better address their needs.
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Chairman Niinami listening to customer
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President Torii listening to customer feedback
Talent Development at Every Level
As a part of our talent development program, we carry out training in line with the career path of each employee. During new employee training, participants will learn about the Suntory Group's consumer-oriented spirit continuously passed down since its foundation. Employees in their third year listen in groups to customer feedback and discuss their thoughts and expectations to learn more about the importance of consumer orientation. Employees who are being promoted to management are practically educated on consumer-oriented decision-making such as through group discussions based on business experiences.
Enhancing Opportunities for Employees to Listen to Customers
We engage in activities to strengthen opportunities to share customer feedback with employees, including those who do not have the opportunity to directly interact with customers.
Disseminate Customer Feedback through Monthly Reports and Weekly Reports
We share customer opinions and requests widely within the company on a weekly and monthly basis via the intranet and e-mail. The aim is for employees to consider this feedback about our products and corporate activities, and link them to their own work and actions.
Employee opinions and impressions about this customer feedback are also posted, allowing employees to exchange opinions and consider perceptions different from their own.
Harmonics Report provided to employees via our intranet
