We are committed to promoting various initiatives to reduce environmental impact through the entire value chain.

Continuing activities to reduce environmental impact

Suntory Group promotes the reduction of package weight, the use of recycled materials, and the installation of energy-saving vending machines to countermeasure global warming, effective use of resources, preventing pollution and managing chemical substances through the value chain, from ingredient procurement, manufacture to distribution, sales, and recycling.

Suntory Environmental Vision toward 2050/Environmental Targets toward 2030

Measures Against Global Warming

The Suntory Group is also working to combat the effects of global warming. The Suntory Group strives to raise awareness about ways to prevent heat stroke with the rising temperatures at elementary schools and companies. This initiative include the free provision of posters and leaflets (total of 14.1million copies distributed as of June 2022) to raise awareness about preventing heat stroke created together with The Education Newspaper to elementary schools throughout Japan and the support of heat stroke measures at each school. We are also linking to other activities to raise awareness about heat stroke by manufacturing and selling GREEN DAKARA which is recommended as a countermeasure to heat exhaustion^*1.

• *1
  The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare recommends 40-80mg of sodium per 100ml as a countermeasure to heat exhaustion.

Reducing GHG through Use of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation

Plants and research facilities of the Suntory Group are actively using renewable energy as well as implementing energy conservation measures to reduce GHG emissions. In addition, number of plants that have achieved net-zero CO₂ emissions are growing, including through utilization of carbon offsetting.

Use of Renewable Energy

Suntory Group aims to transition the electricity used at all its production and R&D sites involved with beverage, food, and liquor business in Japan, the Americas, and Europe to those generated by renewable sources.

In April 2022, we switched the electricity purchased by all our 30 production and R&D sites*1 in Japan to those generated by renewable sources. This amounts annual GHG reduction of approximately 150,000 tons*2. Through this, over 90% the electricity purchased by our production and R&D sites in Japan, the Americas, and Europe became generated by renewable sources. Furthermore, Suntory Hall and Suntory Museum of Art also uses electricity generated by renewable sources.

• *1
  Sites involved with beverage, food, and liquor business
• *2
  Based on amount of emissions in 2020

In addition to purchased electricity, we are also installing solar panels and biomass boilers at our plants to generate renewable energy on our own.

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  Suntory Minami Alps Hakushu
  Water Plant

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  Suntory Kita Alps Shinano-no-Mori
  Water Plant

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  Carcaixent Plant (Spain)

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  Biomass boiler
  (Suntory Kita Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant)

Net-zero CO₂ Emissions Plant

The Kita Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant (Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture) which started operation in May 2021 as a fourth water resource for Suntory Tennensui Mineral Water, become the Suntory Group’s first zero CO₂ Emissions plant in Japan through adoption of solar power generation facility and boilers which use biomass fuel, of well as purchasing electricity sourced from 100% renewable energy.

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  Suntory Kita Alps Shinano-no-Mori
  Water Plant

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  System for Achieving Zero CO₂ Emissions
  at Suntory Kita Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant

Energy Conservation in Vending Machines

We are implementing various initiatives to save energy in vending machines in Japan as one of priority initiatives to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) in the entire value chain.

Key Features of Suntory Vending Machines

Reducing Energy Consumption of Vending Machines

Since we introduced a peak-cut feature in 1995, we have been striving to introduce vending machines with lower consumption of electricity. Since 2007, we have been promoting installation of heat-pump vending machines that facilitate even more efficient energy usage compared to conventional vending machines as main energy-saving machine. Nearly all of the vending machines put into use in 2010 and all new vending machine (excluding some special-function machines) from 2011 were heat-pump models and also LED lighting were installed to them.
From 2012, we started introducing Hybrid Heat-pump Vending Machines which can reduce electricity consumption by additional 30% compared to normal Heat-pump Vending Machines.
In addition, by fitting refurbished machines^*1 with heat-pump equipment, the ratio of heat-pump vending machines against all Suntory vending machines was 87% in the end of 2021.
In 2013, "Mahou VIN Vending Machines"^*2 which has a capability of suspending cooling for extended time by to having high refrigerant effect from using vacuum heat insulation materials, etc., in addition to energy saving heat-pump function. This vending machine enables the reduction of both environmental impact and electricity load during the peak hours in summer.

• *1
  Vending machines that have been removed from service, refurbished, and reinstalled for retail use
• *2
  Vending machine that is capable of suspending cooling for extended time due to high refrigerant effect by using vacuum heat insulation materials, etc. Refrigeration is suspended for 8 to 14 hours each day.

Introducing Ultra-Energy-Saving Vending Machines

In April 2014, we began adopting "Ultra-Energy-Saving Vending Machines" (Eco Active Machines) that operate on approximately half the energy consumption (420kWh/year) compared to conventional heat-pump vending machines with the cooperation of machinery manufacturers the use of to further aim to contribute to reducing environmental impact. It stores two compressors, one dedicated to heating and other cooling and uses various latest technologies such as inverter control, vacuum heat insulation materials, electronic expansion valve and LED lighting to control energy consumption to an optimum condition to realize reducing electricity consumption.

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  © Sanden Holdings Corporation

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Promoting a 24-hour Lights Out

To promote reductions in GHG emission and combat global warming, vending machine manufacturers have promoted energy-saving measures since 1991, prior to establishment of the Kyoto Protocol. As a result, during the 15 years leading up to 2005, we achieved an approximate 50% reduction in energy consumption per vending machine. The industry also agreed to aim for a further 37% reduction by 2012, in comparison to 2005 figures, with indoor vending machines having a 24-hour "Lights Out" rule and outdoor machines having no lighting during daytime hours^*. The industry met its goal in 2011.

• *
  Reduces about 10% of power usage by turning off the lights during the day time, about 20% by 24 hours

Measures Against Chlorofluorocarbon

Controlled chlorofluorocarbons that destroy the ozone layer are not used for refrigerants in our vending machines today. New vending machines that are introduced also use no chlorofluorocarbons substitutes that have a large impact on global warming. All of our machines are assumed to be R-1234yf, which has a low global warming potential.

Initiatives to Reuse Vending Machine Parts

We are actively conducting initiatives to realize effective use of resources even in vending machines. We are advancing development of technology toward the reuse of parts as well as management systems for the reuse of parts in order to use vending machine parts that are collected in vending machines again. In 2021, the reuse rate of parts that required repair or maintenance was 58%. We are striving to effectively use resources by expanding the components to reuse parts even further in the future.

Ensuring Reasonable Waste Disposal of Vending Machines

We are leading the industry in building a Vending Machine Waste Disposal System that collects and recycles vending machines to throw away, which we have expanded nationally since January 1997. We are strictly managing disposal from the initial selection of vending machines to discard to the final disposal in compliance with the revisions to the Wastes Disposal and Public Cleansing Act in April 2001. We are properly processing broken machines by understanding the amount of machines to collect based on the Act for Rationalized Use and Proper Management of Fluorocarbons even in regards to the fluorocarbons that are used as a refrigerant in vending machines.

Installation of Vending Machines to Provide Beverages in Emergencies