EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 | Sustainability

EARTH FOOD CHALLENGE 2030 is the NISSIN FOODS Group’s long-term environmental strategy. The Group aims to realize a sustainable society and raise corporate value by promoting environmental measures at an even higher level.

Specifically, the Group will focus on the two issues of “Limited Resources” and “Climate Change”. To address issues of limited resources, the Group aims to “Source Sustainably,” “Conserve Natural Resources” and “Create a World without Waste.” The Group will set targets for each of these themes and take on the challenge of effectively using resources through sustainable procurement, waste reduction and other means.

To address the issue of climate change, the Group aims to “Manufacture with Green Electricity,” “Develop with Green Ingredients” and “Complete with Green Packaging” and has set CO₂ reduction targets for this challenge. The Group will tackle a range of initiatives including supplementing the electricity used in our business activities with renewable energy and converting the raw materials used in packages and ingredients into those with a lower environmental impact.

The Group aims to source sustainably
through its own assessment and the use of certification schemes.

Targets

Sustainable palm oil procurement ratio: 100%

Key Actions

Use of RSPO-certified palm oil

NISSIN FOOD PRODUCTS began using palm oil certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is produced and processed with due consideration given to deforestation prevention, biodiversity preservation, and human rights protection, at all domestic factories that manufacture CUP NOODLES from February 2020. Currently, the Group’s overall procurement ratio of RSPO-certified palm oil is approximately 20%. In the future, in addition to the procurement of RSPO-certified palm oil, the Group aims to procure only palm oil that is assessed to be sustainable under the Group’s own assessment to achieve the sustainable procurement ratio of 100%.

Procurement of Sustainable Palm Oil

*The ratio of RSPO-certified palm oil used in FY2022 is 36%.

The Group aims to reduce the resources
it uses across all its business activities.

Targets

Overall water use

12.3㎥
per million yen of sales

(IFRS-based sales)

Key Actions

Appropriate monitoring and management of water risks

In addition to reducing the amount of water required in the manufacturing processes of products, the Group reuses water for operations such as cleaning equipment with water originally used for cooling. We use the Global Water Tool of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in striving to secure the water quality and quantity required for plant operations based on an understanding of the water risk of our properties.

In addition to maintaining its waste recycling ratio
in its manufacturing processes,
the Group also aims to reduce waste in its sales and distribution processes.

Targets

Waste recycling ratio: 99.5%

Total waste reduction

50%

*Compared to fiscal 2016; waste in its sales and distribution processes

Key Actions

Participation in global initiative aimed at halving food waste

The Group is participating in the “10x20x30 Food Loss and Waste Initiative” which brings together 10 of the world’s biggest food retailers and providers to each engage with 20 of their priority suppliers to aim to halve rates of food loss and waste by 2030. The initiative brings together Aeon from Japan and Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, IKEA Food, Kroger, Metro Group, Pick n Pay, The Savola Group, Sodexo, Tesco and Walmart from other countries around the world.

Reducing Waste

The Group aims to increase the renewables’ share
of total electricity use in its manufacturing processes.

Targets

Scope 1+2 (CO₂ emissions of reporting company and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies)

42% reduction

*Compared to 2020; overall NISSIN FOODS Group targets (including overseas subsidiaries)
*May 2023 Target Revised

Key Actions

Use of electricity generated by incinerating waste

Since March 2020, more than 50% of the electricity used at the Tokyo Head Office of NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS comes from electricity generated by incinerating waste. Containers for instant noodles have oil residue after consumers finish eating, making them difficult to recycle. They are generally incinerated as burnable waste. To address this, we began using electricity generated by incinerating waste at our Tokyo Head Office, allowing for resources to be used effectively.
The Group will continue focusing on renewal energy capital investment and procurement in the future.

The Group aims to reduce CO₂ emissions
by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculation method.
* LCA determines the environmental impacts of products,
processes or services, at every stage from procurement through production, disposal and recycling.

Targets

Scope 3 (CO₂ emissions of suppliers and other business associates)

25% reduction

*Compared to 2020; overall NISSIN FOODS Group targets (including overseas subsidiaries)
*May 2023 Target Revised

Key Actions

Use of plant-derived ingredients

The feed and water necessary for livestock production and the methane gas emitted from cow belches and excretion have an enormous environmental impact. Plant-derived proteins which have a lower environmental impact are attracting attention. The Global Innovation Research Center has developed meat alternatives such as “Soy Meat” and the Group would like to be able to replace all ingredients originating from livestock with plant-derived ingredients in the future.
The Group also continues its research on Cultured Meat as a food ingredient with a low environmental impact. Cultured Meat is meat derived from cells obtained through tissue cultivation rather than from the body of livestock and has enormous potential as a meat substitute. In March 2019, we were the first in the world to successfully produce bovine muscle tissue in the form of a diced steak.

*CO₂e is short for CO₂ equivalent and, for any quantity and type of greenhouse gas, CO₂e signifies the amount of CO₂ which would have the equivalent global warming impact. (Source: Japan Center for Climate Change Actions)

The Group aims to reduce its usage of petroleum-based plastic.

Targets

Scope 3 (CO₂ emissions of suppliers and other business associates)

25% reduction

*Compared to 2020; overall NISSIN FOODS Group target (including overseas subsidiaries)
*May 2023 Target Revised

Key Actions

Introduction of Biomass ECO Cups

Since December 2019, the Group has been replacing the containers used by products under the CUP NOODLES brand with carbon neutral Biomass ECO Cups. These are environmentally friendly containers with an industry-first biomass content of at least 80%. Compared to the existing ECO Cups, the amount of petroleum-based plastic used per cup is reduced by approximately 50%, and the amount of CO₂e emitted throughout the entirety of the container’s life cycle has been reduced by 16%. Replacement of all containers is expected to be completed in fiscal 2022.

*Carbon neutral means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon over the product life cycle. The CO₂ absorbed by plants through photosynthesis while growing is offset by the CO₂ emitted during incineration and, on balance, there may actually be no impact on the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere (Source: EIC Net/ Environmental Innovation and Communication Organization).
*As of FY2022, NISSIN FOOD PRODUCTS’ CUP NOODLES brand cups have already been switched to biomass ECO cups.