On November 27, five soft drink companies—Asahi Soft Drinks, Ito En, Kirin Beverage, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, and Suntory Foods International—announced that they will explore new areas of collaboration in packaging and logistics, as part of the "Social Issues Response Study Group" established last November.
Amidst growing social responsibility to reduce environmental impact and realize a sustainable society, the research group has engaged in broad discussions on social issues such as the logistics 2024 problem, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, and food waste.
The five companies have identified several future areas for consideration, including relaxing the expiration date requirements at the time of delivery, further improving logistics efficiency, and reducing GHG emissions through lighter PET bottles and caps, as well as improving the efficiency of container and packaging materials.
Specifically, in terms of logistics, we will promote round-trip transportation and joint delivery with other companies in the same industry and companies in different industries, as announced in May of this year. In addition, we will work to improve the efficiency of container and packaging materials such as caps, cartons, labels, and PET bottles (including recycled PET bottles and label-free PET bottles) to reduce GHG emissions throughout the entire value chain.
They have also begun considering ways to promote the use of renewable energy through solar power generation installed on the buildings of supplier companies. Sapporo Beer will also participate, aiming to establish a scheme.
The research group holds information exchange and discussions with relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as well as logistics research groups from other industries. They collaborate with various parties to address social issues that are difficult for individual companies to solve, leading to improvements. The five companies plan to continue their business activities aimed at realizing a sustainable society.
