Sustainability Initiatives

Basic Views

In March 2021, the NH Foods Group formulated Vision 2030 as a milestone in efforts to achieve its corporate philosophy.
This is a vision of where we want to be in 2030. In addition to our existing values of safety and reliability and deliciousness, it represents our desire to expand the possibilities of protein by thinking outside the box to create a variety of food scenes that respond to changes in the social environment and people's lifestyles and to continue to support happy daily eating.
On the occasion of the formulation of this vision, we reviewed the previous Five CSR Material Issues and re-identified the Five Materialities (key issues) as the social issues to be solved on a priority basis toward the realization of Vision 2030.
The Group aims to achieve these Five Materialities to realize a sustainable society.

The Five Materialities

Stable procurement and supply of proteins
Global population growth, climate change, and other factors are expected to make it increasingly difficult to supply proteins. The NH Foods Group aims to ensure the stable procurement and supply of proteins. In addition to existing quality-related safety and reliability initiatives, we will advance efforts to supply diverse proteins in a way that is considerate of the environment and social aspects of our supply chains, such as human rights and animal welfare.
Food diversification and health
Changes in lifestyle and other factors are leading to the need for diverse solutions in the area of food as well. The NH Foods Group will contribute to a happy and healthy life by developing products and providing services that meet diverse needs.
Contributing to a sustainable environment
We face various environmental issues such as climate change, food loss, and marine plastic litter. The NH Foods Group’s businesses involve bringing our customers the bounty of nature, and we are determined to help solve issues such as greenhouse gases, food loss, and plastics throughout the value chain.
Co-creation and shared prosperity with local communities and society as a whole through food and sports
As a good corporate citizen, the NH Foods Group aims to be an enterprise loved and trusted by local communities and society as a whole, as we walk and grow together, deepening ties formed through food and sports.
Employee development and respect for diversity
The NH Foods Group aims to be “a place where employees can feel truly happy and fulfilled.” Based on a deep respect for individuals, we strive to create workplaces where employees can thrive and demonstrate their unique strengths.

NH Foods Group Five Materialities

The Medium-Term Management Plan and the Pursuit of Sustainability

On April 1, 2021, we launched our Medium-Term Management Plan 2023. We will strive to solve social issues through its business and contribute to the formation of a sustainable society by promoting both its business strategy and sustainability strategy through the implementation of materiality in order to realize the vision.

Vision2030

Unleash new potentials for protein

Business strategies

  1. Shift to a sustainable business model with profitability
  2. Establish a growth model for Overseas Business
  3. Provide new value through new products and services
  4. Strengthen corporate functions to achieve the Vision

Theme

Building systems that pave the way to the future

Business policies

  1. Strengthen profitability by improving the efficiency of existing businesses
  2. Create value through dialog with consumers
  3. Enhance and develop technological capabilities for conceptualizing and realizing the future of food
  4. Change gears in overseas market deployment
  5. Pursue sustainability

The NH Foods Group and SDGs

The Group recognizes that corporations have an important role to play in fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and is actively engaged in attempts to resolve various issues. In particular, the Group believes that engaging in the Five Materialities(Key Issues), which outlined in February 2021, will contribute both to the realization of SDGs and to the establishment of a sustainable society.

What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 goals and 169 targets adopted by the UN in September 2015. They clarify global priority issues and the “Future we Want,” and the UN hopes to achieve the goals by 2030. The SDGs define goals and targets in the three fields of economy, environment, and society, and call on governments, corporations, and civil societies across the world to ensure that the limits of the world are not exceeded, that poverty is eradicated, and that all people are respected and provided with equal opportunities.

Promotion System

The Group has established a Sustainability Committee with the chairperson and director of NH Foods Ltd. serving as chair. In principle, the committee meets at least once every quarter in order to hear the opinions of external experts and outside directors who have expertise in ESG matters and to carry out activities such as formulating sustainability policies and strategies, and checking the progress being made by each Group company. The details of these discussions are reported to the Board of Directors, which makes decisions if necessary.

The ES (Environment/Social) Subcommittee and TCFD Task Council operates under the committee and comprises the director in charge of sustainability and the heads of major departments and divisions. It has been tasked with formulating specific strategies that correspond to discussions by the committee and developing measures to be carried out by business divisions.

Sustainability Promotion Framework

Organization Entity Role Organization Frequency
Sustainability Committee ・Development of the Group's sustainability policy and consider the strategy ・Director
・Outside Director
・General Manager of Business Division
・Audit & Supervisory Board Member / Outside experts
4 times / year
ES (Environment/Social) Subcommittee ・Incorporating the strategies determined by the Board of Directors into the business units
・Formulate measures and indicators for key issues
・Director in charge of Sustainability
・Head of Departments and Sections
4 times / year
TCFD Task Council ・Evaluating the risks and opportunities accompanying climate change and following this ・Director in charge of sustainability
・Director in charge of management of each business division
・Head of departments and sections and personnel
2 times / year

Composition of the Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee meets once per quarter, and discusses policies and themes relating to Sustainability for the Group as a whole, and to confirm the status of measures related to Sustainability.

As of June 2023

Position Name Role
Chairperson and Director Tetsuhiro Kito Committee Chairperson
President and Representative Director(President and CEO) Nobuhisa Ikawa Committee Member
Director and Managing Executive Officer Fumio Maeda Committee Member
Director and Managing Executive Officer Masahito Kataoka Committee Member
Director and Managing Executive Officer Kohei Akiyama Committee Member
Director (Outside) Yasuko Kono* Committee Member
Director (Outside) Hideo Arase* Committee Member
Director (Outside) Tokushi Yamasaki* Committee Member
Managing Executive Officer Nobuo Oda Committee Member
Managing Executive Officer Yukihiro Matsumoto Committee Member
Executive Officer Hirohide Fujiwara Committee Member
Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside) Shigeru Nishiyama* Observer

* Independent officers

Outside Experts

Position, Name of the company Name Role
External Director , Kurita Water Industries Ltd. Keiko Tanaka Committee Member
General Manager, CSR & Global Environment Center, Daikin Industries, Ltd. Satoru Fujimoto Committee Member
Satoshi Okazaki Certified Public Accountant Office Satoshi Okazaki Committee Member
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health,School of Medicine, Keio University part time lecturer Itsuko Horiguchi Committee Member

Activities to Raise Awareness of the Vision and Materialities

We are carrying out activities to raise awareness among employees of the idea that, in order to achieve the vision, each individual employee needs to execute measures addressing the materialities. In 2021, the first year of its formulation, we have created a Vision book that encourages employees to think that the vision and materialities are things that concern them, and this book is distributed to all employees at Group companies in Japan, and held study sessions.
In addition, the president visits each business sites and holds town meetings to directly exchange opinions with employees about their thoughts and ideas regarding the vision and materialities.

NH Foods Ltd. have also created new systems to support effortstoward the realization of Vision2030. Our vision of “Unleash new potentials for protein” cannot be achieved without the freedom to express ideas and take up new challenges. We have therefore included challenge items in our new management by objectives system. Other new systems created for this purpose include programs to encourage employees to contribute product development ideas and new business ideas. We have also established an awards system for positive initiatives that contribute to the realization of the vision.
Besides, we hold study sessions at training sessions by job level, disseminate information through company newsletters and Intranet, and conduct penetration surveys through employee questionnaires.

Vision Book

A town meeting at Nipponham Processed Foods Ltd.’s Kanto Plant