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Suntory expands water education provision target for 2030
Japan’s Suntory Group has announced that it will expand its water education programmes and initiatives to provide access to safe water to more than five million people globally by 2030, a fivefold increase from its original one million target.
In 2023, Suntory achieved its initial one million target, with water education programmes reaching 710,000 people and access to safe water provided to 360,000 people since 2004.
The group has now pledged to further its goals on a global scale through water education programmes as well as its efforts to provide access to safe water in countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.
The Mizuiku programme, which Suntory has run for more than 20 years, has progressively expanded its reach, with the total number of participants exceeding 580,000 as of December 2023. Suntory’s programme aims to make children aware of the importance of water and the environment. Since its first launch in Japan in 2004, it has expanded globally to Vietnam, Thailand, France, China, Spain, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
As stated in the company’s Environmental Vision toward 2050, Suntory Group aims to reduce the water intensity of production at its owned plants*2 by 50%*3 globally, and replenish more than 100% of water used at all of its owned plants globally through conservation of the surrounding ecosystem. To achieve this, the Group has set four main pillars of action (reduction of water used in direct operation, water replenishment, sustainable water uses in raw ingredients, water education and access to safe water) in the Environmental Targets toward 2030, advancing various initiatives globally.
Masaaki Fujiwara, chief sustainability officer of Suntory Holdings, commented: “At Suntory Group, we position water sustainability as top priority because we recognize that water is not only essential to our business, but also a precious shared resource. That’s why we are committed to continuously expanding our science‐based initiatives and educational programs for children, to ensure the availability of quality water for generations to come.”
Since 2021, Suntory China Holdings, with the support of its subsidiary ASC Fine Wines, has collaborated with public welfare organisations including the Shanghai Volunteer Service Foundation and the Beijing Association on Education for Sustainable Development to introduce the programme to elementary schools across Shanghai and Beijing.
Activities undertaken for children as part of the Mizuiku include building a sponge city in Shanghai and caring for the Grand Canal in Beijing.
To date, Mizuiku China has delivered its curriculum to over 80,000 students in 270 schools.
In 2024 Suntory China Holdings launched the Suntorian Volunteer Programme, which invites employees to participate in Mizuiku China classes. Employees are given opportunities to contribute directly to the Suntory’s corporate value of “Giving Back to Society”.
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