Sustainability 2026 Vision
The basis of "the Meiji Group's Approach to sustainability" is to fulfill sustainability by putting the Group Philosophy into practice on a day-to-day basis in mainstay businesses and by remaining a corporate group society needs. Each Meiji Group employee will advance activities based on the Corporate Behavior Charter to meet stakeholders' expectations and continue fulfilling social responsibilities.
The Meiji Group’s Mission in Sustainability Activities
Toward the Meiji Group’s Next 100 Years, Designing a Future Where Everyone Around the World is Happy and Healthy.
The Meiji Group will mark the 110th anniversary of our founding in 2026. We must reconstruct our foundations with a view to the next 100 years to further enhance the Group’s corporate value. Currently, society is at a major turning point. Companies are required to not only expand their business scale but also contribute to solving social issues through their business activities. We will once again review the significance and role of our business activities in society and strengthen activities unique to the Meiji Group that originated from the idea of solving social issues.
The Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision
As Food and Health Professionals, We Contribute to Addressing Social Issues through Our Business Activities, and to Realizing a Sustainable Society for People to Live Healthy, Peaceful Lives.
The Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision is broken down into three themes: Healthier Lives, Caring for the Earth and Thriving Communities, plus the shared theme: Sustainable Sourcing. Here, we identify and set materiality issues and KPIs. Based on this framework, shown in the figure, we promote specific sustainability activities and address social issues.
| Themes | Domains |
|---|---|
Healthier Lives |
Health and Nutrition 
Quality and Safety |
Caring for the Earth |
Climate Change 
Circular Economy 
Water 
Biodiversity |
Thriving Communities |
Human Resources 
Society |
Sustainable Sourcing |
|
Collaboration with UN agencies and relevant organizations Engagement in SDGs Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision |
Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision
Creating our Vision
When laying out our sustainability vision, we took a long-term view and set out the activities we believed that Meiji Group should engage in. Our Group Sustainability Committee will evaluate our progress with the KPIs we have established, and publicly disclose this information.
STEP 1Identify issues and select activities
Select activities tailored for the Meiji Group considering business initiatives, community requests and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
STEP 2Identify materiality and set the KPIs
Set the KPIs. Confer with experts outside of the company regarding the selected activities, identify materiality (material issues).
STEP 3Obtain approval from management
Sustainability secretariat and the Group Sustainability Committee discusses, and the Board of Directors makes a decision.
Progress of Sustainability 2026 Vision
2017
- Began discussions to establish vision
Mr. Peter David Pedersen, Mr. Hidemi Tomita
2018
- Established vision
- Identify materiality
- Revised how the vision's activities in each area are related to the SDGs
2019
- Joined UN Global Compact
- Discussions with outside experts
Mr. Peter David Pedersen - Established Sustainable Management Department at Meiji Holdings
- Revised human right policy and procurement policy, and established a new marketing policy
2020
- Established Water Resources Policy, Plastic Policy, and Social Contribution Activities Policy
- Established Long-Term Environmental Vision "Meiji Green Engagement for 2050"
- Discussions with outside experts
Prof. Takeshi Mizuguchi at Takasaki City University of Economics
We exchanged opinions on medium-term management targets for sustainability activities and information on the wide-ranging sustainability activities unique to the Meiji Group that span food to pharmaceuticals.
2021
- Newly established the Farm Animal Welfare Policy and the Diversity and Inclusion Policy
- Newly established the Meiji Group ESG Advisory Board, holding meetings twice a year
External Experts
Takeshi Kamigochi
Senior Managing Executive Officer, Vice General Manager, Oil & Fats Business Unit, J-OIL MILLS, INC.
Mari Kogiso
CoCEO, SDG Impact Japan
Peter David Pedersen
Representative Director, NPO NELIS
2022
- Newly established the Guidelines for Employment of Foreign Workers, the Pollution Prevention Guideline, and Soybean Procurement Guideline
- Meiji Group ESG Advisory Board held twice a year
External Experts
Takeshi Kamigochi
Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer General Manager, Oil & Fats
Business Unit, J-OIL MILLS, INC.
Mari Kogiso
CoCEO, SDG Impact Japan
Peter David Pedersen
Representative Director, NPO NELIS - Sustainability meetings for overseas group companies started
Approach to Sustainability Activities under the 2023 Medium-term Business Plan
The 2023 Medium-term Business Plan sets out the concept of realizing both profit growth and sustainability activities. The significance of sustainability has thus increased in business management. We will strengthen our activities so that by FY2023, the Meiji Group will become a company that is highly evaluated internally and externally as an advanced sustainability company in Japan.
Outline of Activity Plan
Structure of the Meiji Group' Sustainability Activities
There is a wide range of sustainability activities. We have organized them into initiatives that exhibit the Meiji Group' uniqueness and initiatives that form the foundation of corporate activities. In particular, we consider that the domain unique to the Meiji Group is centered on "Healthier Lives." Japan faces the issues of a declining population and aging society with a decreasing birthrate, and extending healthy life expectancy is a critical social issue. The Meiji Group aims to contribute to solving these social issues with our Food and Pharmaceutical businesses and to realize both economic value and social value.
Approach toward SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of the 17 goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 for the year 2030. In our endeavors, we have identified 13 primary goals that will contribute to society in the Meiji Group' business activities. Recognizing that FY2021 marks the beginning of "the Decade of Action"* to address the SDGs, we are working to achieve the SDGs through the Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision.
See how our sustainability themes link to the SDGs