Materiality
Based on our sustainability policy, we have conducted materiality assessment to prioritize the social issues which we believe are the most relevant to our business and important to our stakeholders. In the assessment process, first of all, we identified risks and opportunities throughout our value chain and at the same time tried to understand social issues comprehensively with referring to international guidelines. In addition, we conducted internal discussions with relevant divisions, and held interviews with stakeholders.
Through discussions at the Sustainability Committee, we selected five issues as materiality.
We are strengthening the corporate governance as the foundation for all of our sustainability activities.
Materiality Risks & Opportunities, and Response Policies with overall Materiality
For each materiality, the Company examines the possible “Risks & Opportunities, Response Policies, and Impact Level” and establishes a response policy.
| Materiality | Assumed risks and opportunities | Degree of influence |
Response Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food safety |
Impact of food accidents on customers' health and loss of trust, lower evaluations by stakeholders, and a decline in sales To win the trust of customers by increasing food safety and security, and to improve the reputation of each stakeholder and revenue sales |
◎ |
Establishment of strict standards for health and safety, and thorough education for employees. Promote inspections of in-house stores and factories and improvement of discovered issues Continuous implementation of supplier plant audits |
| Co-existence and co-prosperity with producers |
Increase in environmental impact, impediment to biodiversity, unstable procurement of foodstuffs due to difficulties for producers, etc., resulting in price increases, and a decline in evaluations from each stakeholder To stabilize the procurement of foodstuffs by reducing environmental impact, contributing to biodiversity, and stabilizing the lives of producers, thereby stabilizing prices, and improving the reputation of each stakeholder |
○ | Promote diversified initiatives such as the development of a menu of collaborations between local production and local consumption of local production and the use of domestically produced foodstuffs, mainly by business subsidiaries |
| Contribution to a carbon-free society |
Regulatory risks associated with climate change, instability in the supply of food and energy, and resulting price increases, as well as lower assessments by stakeholders Stabilization of food and energy supplies through mitigation of climate change, thereby stabilizing prices, and improvement of evaluations by stakeholders due to recognition of contributions to a carbon-free society, as well as an increase in sales, etc. |
○ |
Promotion of efficient logistics through integration of logistics bases, etc. Promotion of energy reduction measures through energy- saving management, maintenance, and replacement with energy-saving equipment. Promotion of reduction in use of plastic products |
| Reduction of food waste |
Decrease in assessments from each stakeholder and increase in costs due to stagnant reduction of food loss Improved evaluation by each stakeholder and reduced costs due to progress in reducing food loss |
○ |
Promote reduction of various food loss during purchase, cooking process, and product provision To recycle food waste |
| Promoting diversity in workplace |
Outflow of human resources due to stagnant promotion of diverse human resources, deterioration of business base due to a decline in the quality of human resources, decrease in evaluation by customers, and decrease in sales Acquisition of human resources through progress in promoting the active participation of diverse human resources, strengthening of the business base by improving the quality of human resources, improvement of customer evaluations, and increase in sales |
◎ |
Establishment of a system and promotion of measures to enable diverse human resources, such as foreigners, women, persons with disabilities, and seniors, to play an active role according to their respective circumstances and lifestyles |
