Biodiversity conservation and restoration

Material Issue

Biodiversity

Management information

Relevance to our business

While benefitting from rich natural ecosystems, the business activities of the Fuji Oil Group affect biodiversity as well as climate change. We are working with stakeholders to conserve and restore biodiversity in the locations around the world where we source our raw materials and where we do business.

Basic approach

We published the Fuji Oil Group Policy on Biodiversity in March 2023, setting out our basic approach to biodiversity and action guidelines. Based on this policy, we will avoid or reduce negative impacts on biodiversity throughout the value chain, work to conserve and restore natural ecosystems with nature-based solutions, and contribute toward nature positive global goals.^*

Fuji Oil Group Policy on Biodiversity (PDF, 196KB)

* The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, aiming for a world in harmony with nature by 2050.

Management system

The ESG Division Officer of Fuji Oil Holdings Inc. oversees initiatives in this area. The Sustainability Committee,^*1 an advisory body to the Board of Directors, monitors the progress and results of initiatives as a material ESG issue.^*2

Goals / Results

At least 90% complete At least 60% complete Less than 60% complete

FY2022 Goals	FY2022 Results	Self-assessment
Formulate Group policy on biodiversity conservation	Established and published the Fuji Oil Group Policy on Biodiversity

Analysis

In FY2022, we set out to understand how our activities are related to biodiversity throughout the value chain, and identified biodiversity issues relating to our business as a whole, such as habitat loss due to conversion of forest to agricultural land, impact on ecosystems in areas surrounding farmland, climate change, and water resources. We then formulated a Group policy including comprehensive action guidelines throughout the value chain, taking into account the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and biodiversity topics relevant to the food industry.

Next step

We will investigate our dependence and impact on biodiversity and consider which issues we should prioritize. We will continue to research and develop ways of contributing to biodiversity, such as sustainable procurement of raw materials to avoid or reduce the negative impact on natural ecosystems and developing environmentally responsible raw materials. We will also raise awareness of the importance of natural ecosystems among our employees, as well as support capacity building of farmers and suppliers.

Specific initiatives

Initiatives to address biodiversity issues

We are working to address the following biodiversity issues throughout the value chain, in terms of both reducing negative impacts and creating positive impacts.

Preventing deforestation and promoting reforestation

Palm oil production areas: Satellite monitoring of forests to identify and protect high conservation value forests (HCV) and high carbon stock (HCS) forests^*1
Cocoa production areas: Tree planting and forest monitoring^*2
Shea kernel production areas: Parkland conservation^*3

Impact on farmland and surrounding ecosystems; reducing the use of chemicals

Palm oil production areas: Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Unifuji: harnessing ecosystems for pest control, expansion of certified palm oil, support for smallholders to introduce regenerative agriculture^*1
Cocoa production areas: Support for introduction of agroforestry and GAP^*2
Development and promotion of soil conditioners made by upcycling soy whey (a byproduct of the production process)^*4

Climate change (Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, reducing waste)

Shea kernel production areas: Using byproducts (e.g. shea kernel meal) as fuel after oil extraction^*3
Reducing CO₂ emissions by saving energy and introducing renewable energy at Group sites; reducing waste by improving processes and reducing water content of sludge^*5
Development of manufacturing technologies to reduce environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle^*6
Research into soybean cultivation using CO₂ captured from a waste incineration facility (CCU)^*6
Development of functional food ingredients by making effective use of pea fiber^*7
Reducing customer food waste by developing technologies to maintain the freshness and deliciousness of food^*7
Development of palm oil alternatives using oleaginous yeast^*8

Use of water resources

Reducing water usage at Group sites^*5

Stakeholder engagement & capacity building

Raw material production areas/farms: Landscape initiative^*1, empowerment of female farmers^*2*3, parkland management training for female farmers^*3
Suppliers: Engagement with NDPE^*1, introduction of Labour Transformation Programme (LTP)^*1
Employees: Raising awareness through internal communication sites (Japanese, English, Chinese, Portuguese) and sustainability training (for management level in Japan and Group companies in Japan and other countries)