Sustainability

Community

Approach and Policy

The Takara Group will contribute to the development of local communities by seeking communication with local communities, recognizing their needs and issues, and undertaking initiatives to resolve them.
The needs and issues of local communities are diverse and are likely to change with the times. These range from global issues such as climate change, to local issues such as garbage, the education of children who will be responsible for the next generation, promotion of the economy and culture, and large-scale disaster support.
As a good corporate citizen, we strive to understand what challenges our local communities are facing and what they require through communication with stakeholders. We will then consider what we can do for the needs and challenges we have identified and take actions to contribute to the development of local communities.

Targets

Initiative themes Specific measures Targets
Education for children Hold events for the purpose of environmental education and food education, and conduct on-site classes at local elementary schools

[ Takara Shuzo ]

- Continue offering Takara Shuzo Farm School.

- Continue offering Takara Shuzo Eco-School.

[ Takara Bio ]

- Continue offering visiting lectures and lessons for nearby educational institutions.

(Continue to give lectures on topics such as gene therapy and regenerative medicine, and deliver presentations on experiences with activities to design career plans.)

Contribution to the promotion of local communities and culture Participate in local cleaning activities and support local communities

[ Entire Group ]

Continue to participate in and cooperate with activities such as participation in cleaning activities as volunteers throughout Japan and sponsorships at local events.

Promotion of local economies Continually foster community- based products

[ Takara Shuzo ]

Continue Takara CRAFT, which uses the precious gifts of the local natural environment and connects agricultural producers with consumers, and developing and nurturing products only available in specific regions that are tailored to local tastes.

- Annually hold 20 activities supporting local fruit farming (harvest support/fundraising, etc.) by FY2030.

Develop local economies by effectively utilizing untapped resources

【Takara Shuzo】

- Develop 10 upcycled products by FY2030.

Support after large-scale disasters Provide donations, supply water, and carry out volunteer activities in disaster-stricken areas

[ Entire Group ]

Provide aid as quickly as possible in response to requests from local governments

through efforts such as carrying out volunteer activities with a focus on supplying water.

Related SDGs

  • 08
  • 12

Initiatives

Education for children

Hold events for the purpose of environmental education and food education, and conduct on-site classes at local elementary schools

Takara Shuzo Farm School

Since 2004, Takara Shuzo has been providing an environmental education program, the Takara Shuzo Farm School, for the purpose of teaching children who will lead the future the importance of protecting the natural environment and its biodiversity and conveying the preciousness of natural bounty.
We could not hold the Farm School for the past few years due to COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2023 we hosted three classes, including rice farming experience and nature observation in a rice field in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, targeting elementary school students and their families.


Since "Takara Shuzo Farm School" could not be held at COVID-19 pandemic, "Takara Shuzo Farm School Online" was held on the web in 2022 and 2023.

Program contents

●Establishment of "Everyone's Cultivation Diary Page" where participants can post their rice cultivation at home using the "Rice Paddy Field Experience Kit at Home" (currently closed).

●Video clips of rice growing from seedling production to harvesting, as well as video clips of nature observation around the rice paddies, were made available.



Takara Shuzo Eco-School

Since 2012, we have been conducting an environmental education program, the Takara Shuzo Eco-School, for third to sixth grade elementary school students and their families, in which they can learn with fun about the current situation of waste problems and how to reduce waste while experiencing recycling. In 2023, classes were held in Kyoto City and also Koto-ku, Tokyo.

  • * The event was cancelled in 2022 as in 2020 and 2021 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infections.
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Takara Bio conducts on-site bio classes at elementary schools

Since 2018, as part of the comprehensive learning curriculum stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the education curriculum guidelines, we have been conducting on-site classes at elementary schools in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture. To have children deepen their understanding of biotechnology, we introduce in an easy-to-understand manner the content of our work, including research on cancer therapeutic agents as a typical example, as well as videos of our employees actually working in the laboratory. We are working to have children learn independently and find an opportunity to think about how they live their lives, not only through textbooks but also cross-cutting, comprehensive, and exploratory learning experiences.

  • * The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infections. However, we plan to reopen the event if the situation allows.

Contribution to the promotion of local communities and culture

Participate in local cleaning activities and support local communities

The Takara Group actively participates in and cooperates with various activities. These include participation in cleaning activities as volunteers throughout Japan and sponsorships at local events. Furthermore, social contribution activities by employees, such as cleanup activities, are promoted through ISO 14001 by assigning points to each business unit and setting numerical targets.

Examples of community contributions in each area

- Support for local environmental events

(Including Open Forest in Matsudo, Flower Support in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Environmental Festival for Trying With Children, Reuse Containers Support Program, and more)

- Distribution of the container recycling picture book, “Takara Shuzo Recycle Road,” to anyone who wants it

"Takara Shuzo Recycle Road" 

- Distribution of the Try Rice Paddies at Home Kit to anyone who wants it

"The try Rice Paddies at Home Kit" 

- Participation in local volunteer cleaning activities

(Including Edogawa River Cleanup Campaign, Kyoto City Town Beautification Campaign, Nishikyo-ku Tenno-no-Mori Cleanup Campaign, Kaguchi Beach Cleanup, Gotemba Cleanup Campaign, and more)

- Cleaning areas surrounding our offices and plants

Contribution to the local hot spring water supply business by providing waste hot water free of charge

In June 2014, the Shimabara Plant began providing the city of Shimabara with waste hot water generated after alcohol distillation as a contribution to the local community, and after a trial period of approximately two years, the plant began full-scale operations in April 2016.
The temperature of the Shimabara hot spring source was originally low, and the cost of fuel and other maintenance costs to raise the temperature had been a major burden. However, the introduction of a heat pump heating system that uses waste water from the Shimabara Plant has led to a significant reduction in energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and energy costs.
On October 31, 2016, we were also presented with a letter of appreciation from Shimabara City in recognition of our significant contribution to the stable operation of the Shimabara hot spring water supply business.

ヒートポンプ

Heat pump

島原市から贈呈された感謝状

Certificate of Appreciation presented by Shimabara City

Promotion of local economies

Continue to foster community-based products and support producers

Winner of the 7th Eco-Pro Award

At the 7th EcoPro Awards, Takara Shuzo's "KYO LEMON, created on abandoned farmland, and TaKaRa CRAFT KYO LEMON CHU-HI initiative, which uses KYO LEMON," won the Minister of Finance Award.The reasons for the award are as follows.

・The originality of the approach to solving the social issue of abandoned farmland through the development and commercialization of local agricultural products. In particular, we would like to commend the social aspect of the system that has been established to collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders, including farmers, manufacturers and government, in the series of processes from the cultivation of agricultural products to commercialization.

・One of the most important approaches to future environmental initiatives is to develop them with the aim of improving regional sustainability performance. This can be evaluated as a good example of a project that contributes to solving regional issues in collaboration with the local community.

エコプロアワード受賞

◇ “TaKaRa CRAFT”

TaKaRa CRAFT is a limited-edition chuhai made using a hitotema-zukuri that carefully brings out the characteristics and individuality of the ingredients, using local ingredients and base alcohol.We promote sales in the production areas by carefully selecting ingredients unique to each area and creating flavors that complement local gourmet foods. In addition, as a result of the aging population and other factors, there is a shortage of labor during harvest time in the production areas, so our employees continue to visit the production areas to help with the harvest. While working on these activities, we became involved as a promoting partner in the "Thinking about Japan through food. Nippon Food Shift" initiative, which aims to bring together all the people who support Japan's food industry and the government to think, discuss, and act.We will continue to develop and nurture locally-based products that are loved by local people, and work to revitalize the local economy.

小笠原レモン

Volunteer harvesters for Odawara lemons

◇Tochigi Yuzu
By utilizing rare domestic fruits and promoting them as chuhai, we have been working to enliven the region. In the past, when we were handling Mogi blueberries from Tochigi as another product, we faced the issue that the region was not known as a yuzu producing area, even though it cultivated yuzu. Yuzu can also be found in Kochi and Kyoto, and it would be difficult to commercialize it as a regular product, but by commercializing it as TaKaRa CRAFT, we can spread the word that Mogi also has yuzu. Since its launch as TaKaRa CRAFT, we have been able to create new demand of about 20 tons per year in the Tochigi yuzu producing area.

栃木ゆず

◇Ogasawara Passion Fruit, Island Lemon
We took part in the Ogasawara Islands Agriculture Revitalization Project and launched “TaKaRa CRAFT” (Ogasawara Passion Fruit), which uses Ogasawara fruit. While the summer months of July and August are the tourist season in Ogasawara, the harvest season for the local specialty “passion fruit” is from April to July, before the tourist season. The local people wanted tourists to be able to taste the local specialty, so they worked with the producers to develop it.By processing it into chuhai, it can be made available all year round, which has made it possible to raise awareness of the product even outside of the harvest season, making it a hospitality product for tourists.

小笠原パッションフルーツ

When visiting producers in Ogasawara, the group heard that Island Lemons were hardly being used, and they wanted to find a way to utilize them, leading to the commercialization of the product. This has created new demand of about 7 tons per year for the entire village of Ogasawara.Currently, both passion fruit and Island Lemons are also sold on the ferry that connects the mainland and the Ogasawara Islands. They will continue to contribute to raising awareness, and will work to revitalize the production area while spreading awareness of the benefits of Ogasawara.

小笠原レモン

Promotion of the local economy through the effective use of unused resources

◇ “TaKaRa CRAFT”
At TaKaRa CRAFT, we are working to minimize waste from the design stage by making effective use of parts that would normally be discarded, such as the fruit skins and seeds that are discarded after the juice has been extracted, as well as items that are discarded due to being out of standard or being damaged.The peel and other parts of the fruit contain a lot of the fruit's flavor, so you can use them to enjoy the taste of real fruit. In addition, by selling them continuously, we will support sustainable agriculture in the region.In August 2024, we invested in Japan Juice Co., Ltd., which supplies the domestic fruit juice used in our chuhai drinks, including TaKaRa Craft, and will continue to accelerate the resolution of social issues through our business.

フードロス削減

◇TaKaRa HAKKO JORYU SOUR
TaKaRa HAKKO JORYU SOUR uses a new type of alcohol called "fermented peel spirits," which has been developed by upcycling citrus peels that would otherwise be discarded using the drink's unique fermentation and distillation techniques.By fermenting the citrus peels, the aromatic components contained in the peels are extracted, and then these are distilled to extract only the necessary components, resulting in a complex aroma and richness that can be felt the moment you put it in your mouth.

発酵蒸留サワー
Provide donations, water supply, and volunteer activities

In the event of large-scale disasters, we provide relief supplies and monetary donations to support the affected areas. In addition, our employees participate in relief activities as volunteers.

Major Donations

Year Reason Amount Other support Target
2011 Great East Japan Earthquake 30 million yen Supplying water from large wate Japanese Red Cross
2014 Great East Japan Earthquake recovery support Donated land owned by the company in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, to the city for Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture
2016 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake 10 million yen Japanese Red Cross
2018 2018 Torrential Rains 10 million yen Japanese Red Cross
2018 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake 5 million yen Japanese Red Cross
2019 2019 East Japan Typhoon 10 million yen Japanese Red Cross
2020 Shuri Castle Reconstruction A percentage of product sales Okinawa Prefecture Shuri Castle Restoration and Reconstruction Support Donations Secretariat
2022 Humanitarian Assistance in Ukraine 10 million yen United Nations World Food Programme

2024

2024 Noto Penisula Earthquake

10 million yen


Japanese Red Cross