TOKYO, Japan – Suntory Holdings, a global leader in the beverage industry, announced that it will aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity in the group’s 63 directly-owned manufacturing sites and R&D facilities in Japan, the Americas and Europe by 2022¹. In addition, the company will start introducing internal carbon pricing to its group companies this year and plans to invest a total of approximately 100 billion JPY (equivalent to approximately 900 million USD²) by 2030 to shift to low-carbon alternatives.
The company estimates that these actions together will amount to a reduction of approximately 1 million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its direct operations compared to a business-as-usual projection for 2030.
This will well position the company to meet its target to halve GHG emissions in its direct operations by 2030³ and ultimately achieve net zero GHG emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.
“As a company with a mission ‘to create harmony with people and nature,’ we are committed to doing everything possible to decarbonize our business,” says Tak Niinami, CEO of Suntory Holdings. “We will further accelerate our work by taking immediate actions in places where we can shift to 100 percent renewable electricity, which is a critical step in achieving our climate goals.”
As of 2020, a total of approximately 30% of electricity used in the company’s manufacturing sites and R&D facilities in Japan, the Americas and Europe is sourced from renewable sources. In the European business, almost all electricity in the company’s directly owned facilities is sourced from renewable sources, with the company’s soft drinks business, Suntory Beverage and Food Europe, already meeting 100%.
By 2022, the company will aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity in these respective markets through various procurement methods*1. Some of Suntory Group’s manufacturing sites have achieved or are set to achieve carbon neutrality, including through utilization of renewable electricity. Some recent and upcoming developments include:
All four soft drinks plants in France, namely La Courneuve, Meyzieu, Donnery and Chateauneuf de Gadagne, have already achieved carbon neutrality
The Suntory Kita-Alps Shinano-no-Mori Water Plant in Nagano, Japan began operating in May 2021 as the company’s first carbon neutral plant in Japan
The Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery, set to open later this year in Clermont, Kentucky in the US, will be the company’s first distillery powered by renewable electricity
The Suntory Group will continue its efforts to promote sustainable management and contribute to tackling social issues on a global level.
*¹ For its alcohol and non-alcohol beverage business
*² Exchange rate 1 USD = 110 JPY as of June 2021
*³ Total reduction versus 2019 baseline in scopes 1 and 2
