Plastic Use in Product Packaging

Relevance to our business

Due to the fact our customers are manufacturers, many of our products, such as oils and fats, are shipped in bulk via tank trucks, one-ton containers, and steel drums. Other products, such as chocolate, whipping cream and solid fats, are packaged in plastic and shipped in cardboard boxes. We believe that it is important to reduce our usage of packaging and plastic to minimize our environmental impact.

Basic approach

The issue of plastic pollution is increasingly in the spotlight these days. At the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in 2022, countries from around the world resolved to start intergovernmental negotiations towards an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution. At the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations pledged to “reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040”.
Packaging serves three key functions: keeping food safe to eat; maintaining food quality; and communicating product information. Amid growing concerns about resource depletion and marine plastic pollution, we aim to reduce our plastic use by reducing (thinning, decreasing weight, and replacing with a recyclable material), reusing, and recycling plastic packaging materials in a manner that also maintains these three functions.

Management system

We carry out initiatives at each Group company. We are gathering and sharing information about these activities within the Group to help reduce packaging in the Group as a whole.

Reducing plastic use

Some examples of initiatives to reduce product packaging and plastic in FY2022 are as follows:

• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. promotes direct printing on cardboard to reduce the use of plastics in product labeling. For certain products, the company has also started using biopolymer-blended laminate film, which has a lower environmental impact.
• Plastic waste from Fuji Oil Ghana Ltd. consists mainly of drinks plastic bottles, so water dispensers have been installed to reduce the number of bottles thrown away.
• Tianjin Fuji Protein Co., Ltd. (China) works on reducing packaging defects by ensuring more stringent production management.
• Bulk transportation in ISO tank containers and flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) helps to reduce the use of packaging materials.