On October 30, Suntory Group and Unicharm Group announced that they will jointly begin full-scale operation of long-distance round-trip rail container transport between the Kanto and Shikoku regions starting in November.
<Flowchart of rail container transport>
The two groups will collaborate to transport Suntory's alcoholic beverages and soft drinks from Kanto to Shikoku, and Uni-Charm's hygiene products from Shikoku to Kanto. By switching from truck transport to rail container transport, the two groups expect to reduce the number of trucks they operate annually by approximately 200 and cut CO2 emissions by approximately 180 tons.
<Suntory container>
<Unicharm container>
Responding to changes in the logistics environment, such as the "Logistics 2024 Problem" which stipulates limits on overtime work for truck drivers and the further increase in transportation volume, has become an increasingly important issue in recent years. The Suntory Group has been working towards realizing safe, secure, and sustainable logistics through its "Smart Logistics" initiative, promoting the use of cutting-edge technologies and collaboration with various companies and local governments. Moving forward, the company aims to create a more favorable working environment for logistics companies and drivers, while also promoting logistics that considers the natural environment, thereby realizing sustainable logistics.
Furthermore, Suntory and Unicharm operate a relay-style round-trip transportation system using trucks in the same section, and in December 2024, they received the "Green Logistics Partnership Conference Special Award" at the "FY12 Excellent Logistics Partnership Awards" held by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
