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Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group Biodiversity Guidelines

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group
Revised on: April 2025

1. Introduction

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group offers its products in more than 130 countries and regions. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵentire business activities, from the procurement of raw materials to manufacturing and sales, rely heavily on various species and "ecosystem services," or in other words, a variety of natural assets such as agricultural, livestock, and fishery resources, genetic resources, water and soil, and pollinators such as insects. Living organisms and their connections contribute to healthy biodiversity, providing natural riches.

However, biodiversity is being lost at an alarming pace, so its conservation has become an urgent global concern.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group recognizes the significance of lessening its impact on biodiversity and safeguarding the environment worldwide, all while doing business. Accordingly, we have established guidelines that stipulate matters related to biodiversity in addition to those described in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group Policies.

2. Approach to initiatives

Biodiversity issues are closely interrelated with environmental challenges such as climate change, depletion of water resources, resource waste, and pollution of water, air, and soil, making it impossible to consider them separately. Taking this interrelationship into account, we will promote efforts to conserve biodiversity, use biological resources sustainably, mitigate the adverse effects of air, water, and soil pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make effective use of resources, and reduce waste, ensuring that these efforts are mutually effective.

In addition, we shall consider the social factors that impact indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), women and young people, as well as considering social justice and equality.

To conserve biodiversity, we believe it is necessary to identify the impact drivers of biodiversity loss through assessments and create a system of action that reduces negative environmental and social impacts while enhancing positive environmental and social outcomes through our business.

We support the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework*1 adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022 (COP 15) and aim to contribute to its achievement.

3. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group Action Guidelines

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Group shall address the issues listed below related to identifying the risks and opportunities associated with biodiversity, preventing and mitigating biodiversity loss, and restoring and rehabilitating biodiversity. We shall publicly disclose the status of our actions and work to maintain transparency.

  1. We will promote efforts to ensure the traceability of raw materials and assess their dependence and impact on biodiversity within our value chain.
  2. We will promote the use of raw materials produced with consideration for biodiversity, including No Deforestation, and ensure that our operations, including our value chain, do not adversely affect areas that are important from the perspective of biodiversity.
  3. We will promote efforts to avoid or minimize the use of substances of concern that could have adverse effects on health and the environment.
  4. We will contribute to the survey and management of natural ocean resources, and work toward their sustainable use.
  5. We are aware of the issue of invasive alien species and will carefully select transportation methods to prevent the unintentional spread of species that could disturb local biodiversity during the transportation of raw materials and products.
  6. We take into consideration the circulation of local water resources when taking in, discharging, and using water, which contributes to reducing risks in areas with high water stress.
  7. We contribute to supporting agriculture that reduces soil contamination to levels that are not harmful to people's health and protects soil health.
  8. We aim to avoid and mitigate biodiversity loss while also restoring and regenerating it through the developing products, services, technologies, and systems that contribute to the environment and society throughout all upstream and downstream value chains, from resource collection and manufacturing to distribution, use, and disposal.
  9. We promote business site design and management that considers the biodiversity of the surrounding area.
  10. We comply with international rules and agreements on biodiversity, including the prohibition of trading in species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  11. We will engage in dialogue with internal and external stakeholders and advance biodiversity initiatives throughout the entire value chain.

4. Goal

By promoting the initiatives outlined above, we aim to reduce the impact of our business activities on biodiversity and contribute to its restoration and rehabilitation, thereby making the impact of our business activities net positive.*2

Notes:
*1 Source text:
*2 To turn the net result of the impact on biodiversity caused by business activities from a negative into a positive one through actions to avoid or reduce the impact on and restore or regenerate biodiversity.