CSO Message
I assumed the role of Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in April 2026. My primary mission as CSO is to create “trade-on,” the process of delivering the meaningful social value of sustainability to our customers through our business and transforming it into sustainable corporate value. This philosophy is fundamentally aligned with our approach in the nutrition business, where we have consistently materialized nutritional value as product value and ultimately linked it to economic growth. We will steadily achieve business sustainability and enhance corporate value by placing sustainability at the core of management and integrating it into our business strategies.
The environment surrounding companies has undergone significant changes in recent years, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, resource constraints, and human rights issues. Addressing these social issues has become a critical management theme that shapes a company's competitiveness and sustainable growth.
That is why I believe it is essential not to view sustainability as separate from business activities, but rather to integrate it into the business itself and realize a “trade-on” between social and economic value.
Fusing Sustainability and Business Strategies
In FY2021, the Meiji Group adopted Meiji ROESG®1 as its top management indicator, promoting sustainability management that aims to balance ROE (economic value) and ESG (social value). Today, sustainability is positioned as the foundation that underpins our business strategies.
Under our 2026 Medium-Term Business Plan, we are implementing concrete initiatives by integrating 12 materialities into our major brands and business activities.
One such initiative is the Meiji Sustainable Products Certification System. In addition to nutritional value, this system visualizes the value of initiatives across the entire value chain, including raw material procurement that takes into account human rights and the environment as well as the circular economy, as product value. I believe that incorporating sustainability into products as “value customers can recognize” and linking it to customer choices is a key theme for strengthening our future competitiveness.
Linking Contributions Toward Achieving Nature Positive2 to Business Sustainability
For the Meiji Group, which is based on resources derived from nature such as milk and cocoa, the sustainability of natural capital is a critical foundation for business continuity. Therefore, we recognize that contributing to nature positive is one of our most important management issues.
The Group is advancing ecosystem conservation and restoration, carbon neutrality, and the circular economy through a three-pronged approach. We are carrying out initiatives such as regenerative agriculture and forest conservation through collaboration with dairy and cocoa farmers.
We have positioned FY2026 as a year to further accelerate these initiatives. We are actively participating in international discussions and collaborations, such as through our involvement in the Global Nature Positive Summit and the International Horticultural Expo (GREEN×EXPO 2027).
Creating Value Through Dialogue with Stakeholders
Linking sustainability to corporate value requires initiatives that involve not only our own company but also our supply chain, the industry, and society as a whole.
We are also working to address industry-wide issues and shape rules through participation in the Japan Food and Agriculture Society (JAFAS) and public-private partnerships. Moreover, we place great importance on dialogue with stakeholders, including shareholders and investors, and will demonstrate the enhancement of corporate value through the fusion of sustainability and business strategies by delivering concrete actions and results.
June 2026