Plastic Use in Product Packaging

The Fuji Oil Group is working to reduce our use of packaging at each company. We are gathering details on individual companies’ activities and sharing information within the Group.

There has been progress on intergovernmental negotiations to regulate plastic. For example, at the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in 2022, it was resolved to establish an international legally binding agreement to solve the critical issue of plastic pollution, while at the 49th G7 Summit in Hiroshima held in 2023, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations pledged to “reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040.”
Due to the fact that 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 these types of packaging to minimize our environmental impact.
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 work 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.

Reducing plastic use

Some examples of initiatives to reduce product packaging and plastic in FY2023 are as follows:

• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. engaged in the following initiatives, which were proposed from within the company.
  - Switched from disposable to reusable plastic containers to reduce plastic waste.
  - Reviewed operational procedures, which helped reduce usage of sampling containers and plastic bags.
  - Downsized plastic film to reduce plastic usage.
• Fuji Oil Europe (Belgium) used 100% reusable plastic film.
• Companies reassessed packaging types to reduce material usage: Fuji Oil (Zhang Jia Gang) Co., Ltd. (China) downsized plastic film; Fuji Oil (Thailand) Co., Ltd. downsized cardboard boxes.
• Bulk transportation in ISO tank containers and flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) helped to reduce the use of packaging materials.