Sustainability
Development of environmentally friendly products
Refuse
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Sales of shochu by measure is a method of selling only the contents without using new containers.
Takara Shuzo delivers shochu in dedicated tanks directly from the factory to the retail stores. Customers bring their own empty containers such as PET bottles to the retail store, where the containers are washed. Customers then purchase the desired amount by filling it in their own containers. In this way, we have modernized the traditional method of selling alcoholic beverages known as “sales by measure.”
As of April 2022, our products are sold by measure at 106 stores and this has been well received by customers who appreciate the elimination of container waste and the ability to purchase only the amount they want. Please check the list of stores that offer sales by measure and visit the store nearest you. -
Reduce
Reducing the weight of containers can have environmental benefits such as reducing resource consumption during manufacturing and fuel use during product transportation.
For this reason, Takara Shuzo has been working on reducing the weight of various containers. In fiscal year 2002, we reduced the weight of Eco Pet bottles for shochu, and in fiscal year 2003, we reduced the weight of the 720 ml returnable bottle of Takara Shochu Jun. Furthermore, in fiscal year 2004, we adopted a super lightweight glass bottle for Takara Organic Hon-Mirin, which is approximately 30% lighter and about 100 g lighter than the conventional one. Since then, we have continued our efforts to reduce the weight of various containers.
Examples of weight reduction
Handle-equipped 4-liter shochu bottle
200 ml bottle cup
Reuse
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The use of returnable containers, including 1-sho (1.8-liter) bottles, is an effective way to conserve resources and reduce waste.
Takara Shuzo is one of the top users of 1-sho (1.8-liter) bottles in Japan, but unfortunately, due to changes in consumption styles, the number of 1.8-liter bottles used for sake, shochu, and hon-mirin is steadily decreasing. Therefore, in 1994, Takara Shuzo changed its 720 ml bottles to returnable bottles for its main product, Takara Shochu Jun and Takara Shochu Legend. By the end of March 2021, the number of reusable 720 ml returnable bottles reached 96.53 million. -
Recycle
Takara Shuzo developed the first PET bottles in the alcoholic beverage industry that fully comply with the “Voluntary Design Guidelines for Designated PET Bottles,” which were established in 1998 to increase recycling efficiency. Further, to make sorting easier for customers, we have been promoting recycling by adopting removable caps for hon-mirin and cooking sake in 1999, and pouch packs for Sho Chiku Bai Ten in 2011.
| Recycling of sake packs |
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