Sustainability
Responsible Alcohol Producer
Approach and Policy
Alcohol has played an important role as a communication tool for facilitating human relationships since ancient times. However, it sometimes causes so- called alcohol-related issues, including the consumption of alcohol by those under the age of 20 and drunk driving.
The Takara Group believes that tackling alcohol-related issues head-on is an important responsibility for a company that manufactures and sells alcoholic beverages, and has established a "Basic Policy on Responsible Drinking" to promote efforts to solve alcohol-related problems caused by inappropriate drinking.
Basic Policy on Responsible Drinking
As a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, we believe that it is an important responsibility of the Takara Group to address alcohol-related issues, and we will work together with society through various activities to develop a healthy alcohol culture.
- All employees of the Takara Group will act in a responsible manner to spread awareness about the appropriate consumption of alcohol.
- We will endeavor to resolve issues such as alcoholism and other heavy drinking, the consumption of alcohol by those under the age of 20, alcohol consumption by pregnant women, and drunk driving through educational efforts using our website and pamphlets as well as by placing cautionary statements on our product packages and advertisements.
- We will work on alcohol-related issues with various stakeholders including industry associations and NPOs.
- Support the WHO’s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, and implement initiatives aimed at accomplishing this.
- When engaged in the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages and their advertising activities, we will comply with related laws and regulations, voluntary industry standards, the Takara Group Compliance Action Guidelines, and internal regulations.
- We will promote awareness programs for employees.
Targets
| Initiative themes | Specific measures | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| appropriate consumption of alcohol | Educational efforts using our website and pamphlets |
Awareness on the appropriate consumption of alcohol (prohibiting drinking by minors under 20 years old, preventing drunk driving, etc.) by 20% in FY2022 vs FY2020 and by 50% in FY2025 vs FY2020. |
| Awareness programs for employees |
[ Entire Group ] - Raise the awareness of the entire Group employees on the appropriate consumption of alcohol. - Maintain our completion rate of 100% for e-learning and other educational programs on the appropriate consumption of alcohol by all employees of all domestic Group companies*. |
|
| Implementation of responsible marketing | Implement responsible advertising |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Maintain the status of having no cases of violating the voluntary standards on advertisements. |
| Conscientious product labeling |
[ Takara Shuzo ] - Disclose the amount of alcohol contained for major products on the website. Display the amount of alcohol contained on packages of all consumer products sold in Japan, except for alcohol-based seasoning, by fiscal year 2025 . Complete disclosure for RTD products during FY2023. - Display, in addition to the prohibition of underage drinking, warnings about the risk of drinking for expectant and nursing mothers, and warnings to raise awareness on the appropriate consumption of alcohol on all consumer products, except for alcohol-based seasoning, by fiscal year 2025 |
|
| Respect for global guidelines | Respecting WHO’s global strategy on alcohol |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Express support for the global strategy on alcohol of the World Health Organization (WHO) and disseminate its content to, and ensure the understanding of it by, employees. |
| Participation in external initiatives | Participation in dissemination and awareness raising programs on appropriate drinking practices by public interest corporations and other organizations. |
[ Takara Shuzo ] Proactively participate in activities to raise awareness on appropriate drinking practices conducted by the Health and Medicine of Alcohol Association and the Advertising Review Board of Alcoholic Beverages, as a planning committee member and a working member. |
- * Domestic Group Companies: Takara Holdings, Takara Shuzo, Takara Shuzo International, Takara Bio, Taihei Printing, Kawahigashi Shoji, Total Management Business, Takara Butsuryu System, TB, Takara Yoki, Takara Bussan, Luc Corporation, Tokyo Mutual Trading
Related SDGs
Initiatives
Spreading awareness on the appropriate consumption of alcohol
Educational efforts using our website and pamphlets
In 1985, Takara Shuzo launched the “Say No” campaign focusing on the “appropriate day, appropriate sake, and appropriate manner” proposal to foster harmony between society and drinking. The next year, 1986, Takara Shuzo published “Say No Book,” a pamphlet that provided a description of appropriate drinking practices. In 1995, the pamphlet title was changed to “Say No! press,” and in 2009, we pdated the publication and published “Maintaining a Positive Relationship with Alcohol,” a booklet calling for appropriate drinking practices. We distribute this booklet to various organizations. It is also available on Takara Shuzo’s website (only available in Japanese).
The seven things to never do:
| “Maintaining a Positive Relationship with Alcohol” booklet |
|---|
In 1984, we launched our "Not Till Twenty” movement to spread awareness of the dangers of underage drinking. The next year, 1985, we introduced the "Say No” campaign, issuing the “Say No Book.” This campaign told people to obey the rules and manners of drinking, and to never, ever drink when it wasn’t allowed. In 1995, we changed the name to “Say No! Press,” continuing our awareness-raising activities. “Learn the real facts about alcohol so you can maintain a positive relationship with it.” Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. |
Awareness programs for employees
The Takara Group Compliance Action Guidelines stipulates provisions, among others, that the Group’s employees must refrain from excessive drinking and strive to observe appropriate drinking practices. As part of our compliance education, we provided employees with e-learning on alcohol-related issues, and achieved a 100% participation rate. In addition, we hold lectures on "alcohol-related problems" at meetings of personnel and labor managers at Takara Group companies, new employee training, and various other meetings to raise awareness of responsible drinking among employees.
Implementation of responsible marketing
Implement responsible advertising
Takara Shuzo complies with the industry’s voluntary standards for advertisements. Takara Shuzo displays various warnings, while not using expressions that would induce underage drinking on TV commercials on alcoholic beverages, newspaper, magazine advertisements, etc. In addition, Takara Shuzo has established its own internal voluntary standards covering a wider range of fields than the industry’s voluntary standards. We are striving to ensure and maintain the status of having no cases of violating the industry’s voluntary standards by appropriately implementing even stricter internal voluntary standards.
Conscientious product labeling
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Takara Shuzo displays the prohibition of underage drinking on product packages since 1995 and, warnings about the risk of drinking for expectant or nursing mothers since 2004 to prevent drinking while pregnant or nursing.
In April 2021, Takara Shuzo began disclosing the amount of alcohol contained in light alcohol refreshers on its website, as well as other category products. Takara Can Chu-Hi Sumika, which was released in September 2021, was the first brand of the company to display the amount of alcohol contained on the product’s package. We are also displaying such information on other new products in phases.For ready-to-drink products, labeling of net alcohol content was completed in FY2023. By FY2025, we plan to label all consumer products sold in Japan, excluding alcohol-based seasonings. -
Age certification system when accessing website
In 2019, Takara Shuzo introduced an age certification system for access to web pages related to alcoholic beverages on its website to prevent underage drinking.
Respect for global guidelines
Respecting WHO’s global strategy on alcohol
The World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol at the World Health Assembly held in May 2010. Subsequently in 2013, the WHO announced the Global Action Plan 2013-2020, setting a 10% reduction target for the harmful use of alcohol.
In response to the WHO’s initiatives, the Basic Act on Measures against Alcohol-related Health Harm came into force in Japan in 2014. Based on this Act, the Japanese government developed the Basic Plan for the Promotion of Measures against Alcohol-related Health Harm in 2016, presenting specific measures to be taken. Takara Shuzo respects the WHO’s global strategy on alcohol, complies with the Basic Plan for the Promotion of Measures against Alcohol-related Health Harm based on this strategy, and voluntarily and proactively implements measures to solve alcohol-related problems.
| Statement of support for the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy |
|---|
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We, the Takara Group, support the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol adopted by the WHO and will implement initiatives to achieve that strategy. |
Participation in external initiatives
Participation in events to promote and raise awareness about drinking in moderation run by public interest corporations, etc.
In 1980, Takara Shuzo participated in The Health and Medicine of Alcohol Association , under the joint responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Finance, as a representative of the industry as a member of the planning committee.
We also participate as a member of the Advertising Review Board of Alcoholic Beverages, which review alcoholic beverage advertisements and promotions to ensure proper advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages.