Stakeholder Engagement

Kirin Group Stakeholders

The Kirin Group believes that customers, shareholders and investors, employees, communities, business partners, and the environment are stakeholders common to all Kirin Group companies. To realize the Kirin Group’s unique CSV, through our businesses, we treasure these relationships with stakeholders and aim to co-create new value.

  • Cooperation with Stakeholders

Customers We will use our technological expertise in manufacturing to pursue high quality and meet customers' expectations, bringing well-being. pleasure, and comfort to people's lives everywhere through the joy of food and well-being.
Shareholders and investors To further strengthen corporate governance and increase corporate value over the medium to long term, we will enhance disclosure of information and engage in constructive, two-way communication.
The environment We will ensure that resources circulate in such a way as to reduce the environmental load generated by our value chain, ensuring that the earth can replenish its resources.
Business partners Through fair transactions, we will build relationships of mutual trust with all business partners toward the creation of a sustainable society and offer better products and services to our customers.
Communities We will treasure the local communities that support our business activities and contribute to their healthy and sustainable growth.
Employees We will foster an organizational culture where a diversity of people can enjoy working, feel that they are experiencing human growth through their jobs, and take on the challenge of innovation.

Stakeholder Engagement

To achieve the sustainable development of the Kirin Group and society, we engage in dialogue with a variety of stakeholders and Kirin Group executives when revising our CSV policy. Accordingly, “Our CSV Commitment” reflects the views of society.

Human Rights Risk Assessment and Action Plan for Supply Chains (May 2022)

In the "Group Materiality Matrix (GMM)," which was reevaluated at the start of the new mid-term management plan, we have positioned human rights as one of the most important issues and are promoting initiatives to further respect human rights. As part of these efforts, we held a dialogue on human rights with an external expert, focusing on human rights in the supply chain, and exchanged opinions on our past efforts and the future.

(Attendees)

  • Asako Nagai, Managing Director, Tokyo Office, BSR

(In-house)

  • Junko Tsuboi, Senior Executive Officer (in charge: Personnel and General Affairs), Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

  • Masao Maehara, Senior Executive Officer (in charge: Supply Chain Management and Production Technology Strategy), Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

Contents on the day

1. Explanation of the Kirin Group's human rights initiatives
  1.  History of initiatives (In addition to employee-centered awareness-raising activities that have continued for more than 40 years, initiatives have been expanded to include all stakeholders since the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were announced)
  2.  Supply chain initiatives to date (e.g., establishing the Kirin Group Sustainable Procurement Policy and Supplier Code and disseminating them to suppliers, identifying risks through supplier surveys, and conducting human rights due diligence based on risk assessments)
  3.  Future human rights due diligence action plan (risk assessment results by procuring country and item, and plan for human rights due diligence after 2022)
2. Information provided by BSR Nagai
  1.  Update on human rights and environmental due diligence a legal requirementin Europe
  2.  National Action Plan on "UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights" in Japan
  3.  What companies should expect in the face of increasing regulation, including mandatory ESG disclosure by securities regulators
3. Exchange of opinions
  1.  Comments from BSR Nagai
    • It is important to have a positive impact on the community through human rights due diligence, so please keep that in mind as you move forward with your efforts.
    • The issue of foreign technical intern trainees and specified skilled workers in the supply chain should be tackled in a comprehensive manner after determining priorities, since each supplier has already been surveyed to determine whether or not there are any applicable trainees.
    • The Kirin Group's website does not disclose its human rights initiatives in a cohesive manner, making them inaccessible. The Kirin Group has been making efforts related to human rights in the past, for example by supporting acquisition of Rainforest Alliance certification, and it would be better to improve the accessibility of information so that such efforts can be easily seen.
    • We appreciate the various human rights initiatives being undertaken by the Kirin Group, but we need to further accelerate them in order to become a global leader in CSV. We suggest that further enhancement of the human rights promotion system should also be considered.
  2.  Future actions based on the exchange of opinions
     At the Group Business and Human Rights Meeting held on June 24, 2022, we decided to proceed with the following initiatives based on the feedback we received at the human rights dialogue.
    • We work to address the root causes of the problems uncovered in our human rights due diligence and to positively impact the local community.
    • We consider introducing a grievance mechanism for early detection and resolution of issues throughout the supply chain, and also consider addressing issues related to foreign technical intern trainees and specified skilled workers within this context.
    • We review the structure of the disclosure of human rights initiatives on our website and improve its accessibility.
    • We strengthen the human rights system necessary to carry out our human rights activities toward our 2027 vision.

Formulating Our CSV Purpose (Long-Term Non-Financial Target) and Updating Our CSV Commitment (October 2018)

The Kirin Group’s long-term management vision, Kirin Group Vision 2027, sets out the Group’s aim to become “a global leader in CSV, creating value across all of its products and services, from Food and Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” As a long-term non-financial target, we have formulated the Kirin Group CSV Purpose, which establishes guidelines for creating shared value with society and promoting sustainable shared growth. Moreover, we have updated the Kirin Group CSV Commitment, the medium- to long-term action plan of the Kirin Group CSV Purpose. Through the process of formulating these targets and guidelines, we have engaged in dialogue with external participants and their opinions are reflected in the CSV Purpose and the CSV Commitment.

External Participants:

  • Fidelity International
    Head of Engagement, Japan
    Hiroki Sampei

  • Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance,
    Keio University
    Norichika Kanie

  • National Hospital Organization
    Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center
    Takanobu Matsuzaki

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited:
Ryosuke Mizouchi, Senior Executive Officer (CSV Strategy), Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
Ryuji Nomura, Executive Officer, General Manager, CSV Strategy Department, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

Extracts of Opinions Received

CSV Purpose
  • When considering management and awareness within the Company, it would be desirable to quantify the CSV Purpose.
  • For example, initiatives being taken in Myanmar and Sri Lanka also have the potential to contribute to poverty relief. The Group should, without reservation, highlight the contribution it makes to society. When doing so, how about doing it with reference to the globally shared language of SDGs, awareness of which is rapidly growing?
CSV Commitment
  • The wording used for each item is too dry. Without language that attracts people’s attention, it will not be possible to gain the understanding of employees and other stakeholders.
  • Investors expect relative competitiveness to enhance corporate value. The Group should clarify what value will be generated as a result of CSV activities.
  • Rather than talking about reality-based progress, the Group should describe its long-term vision from the perspective of the SDGs.
  • When looking only at the risk side of the alcohol business, the operating environment is becoming increasingly harsh. However, taking concerted industry-wide initiatives and then expanding the possibilities from there is surely the best approach for the Kirin Group. The Slow Drink idea is a really easy one to understand.

Establishment of “Our CSV Commitment” (November 2016)

A discussion on the social issues that the Group should seek to address took place at a June 2016 meeting of the Group CSV Committee* between the president & CEO of Kirin Holdings, who chairs this committee, and the presidents of major Group companies. It was based on this discussion that we defined the priority themes for the Group’s initiatives. Subsequent discussions were at operating companies and relevant units to complete “Our CSV Story” and “Our CSV Commitment.” International guidelines were referenced to incorporate a social perspective while Group CSV representatives met with external experts. The input gained through these meetings was reflected in “Our CSV Commitment.”

  • To support the Kirin Group’s proactive and independent CSV initiatives, the Group CSV Committee meets once a year in principle, with the meeting chaired by the president & CEO of Kirin Holdings.

External experts:
Mariko Kawaguchi, Chief Researcher, Research Division, Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd.
Hideto Kawakita, CEO, International Institute for Human, Organization and the Earth (IIHOE)

Kirin Group representatives:
Seiichi Hashimoto, Senior Executive Officer in Charge of CSV Strategy, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
Masaya Hayashida, Executive Officer & General Manager, CSV Management Department, Kirin Company, Limited
Hiroyuki Morita, Director, CSV Management Section, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (As of December 2016)

Input from External Experts

Alcohol-related problems:
It will be important to verify the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to date. It would be best for the Company’s programs to be able to formulate measures and provide education based on issues identified through communication with patients and healthcare professionals.
Health and well-being:
The Kirin Group’s initiatives are a beneficial undertaking for addressing the issue of rising healthcare expenditures, which is a shared concern faced by the entire world.
Community engagement:
Would it not be possible to go beyond simply procuring Japanese hops and wine grapes for use in Kirin products to create sustainable businesses from the perspectives of sightseeing and other aspects of regional development?