Low-impact product development

Initiatives to increase the proportion of low-impact products

The Sustainable R&D Subcommittee, which is a company-wide organization made up of members from the R&D department, quality assurance department, each Department, and production and logistics department, has defined low-impact products as new or renewed products (including products with an improved low-impact rating) that meet at least one of the following criteria: 1) low impact on the global environment, 2) low impact on people's work and labor environments, and 3) response to food resource depletion. The committee is working to promote and monitor the improvement of the ratio of low-impact products, aiming to achieve the target of 100%*1 low-impact product ratio by 2030.
On the other hand, when we look at the ratio of low-impact products limited to the contents of products*2, the current ratio is still low at 30%, so Sustainable R&D Subcommittee discussed measures to increase the ratio across divisions and set the target for 2030 at 38%.

Figure 1

Current status of low-impact product ratio and 2030 target

容器包装においては、今後さらにプラスチック廃棄ゼロの取り組みを推進することで、2030年の低負荷商品比率100％目標に繋げています。プラスチック廃棄ゼロに向けては、「パッケージング分科会」※3が中心となり、「紙らくパック^®（地球環境と使用性に配慮した、J-オイルミルズの紙パックシリーズ）」の開発強化・横展開や、プラスチックのモノマテリアル化※4によるリサイカブル化を推進しています。
さらに、現状の低負荷商品を対象別に分類すると（図２）、①地球環境への低負荷と②人の作業・労働環境へ対応した商品が多いですが、2030年に向けては、③食資源枯渇への対応に当たる賞味期限延長やフードロスへ対応した新商品開発、また既存品の賞味期限延長等の取り組みを強化していきます。

Figure 2

Number of low-impact products Current situation by target and 2030 target (narrow definition)

In addition, we have introduced an environmental checklist into the product design and development process to promote the development of new low-impact products and renewals that incorporate low-impact features, and to ensure that we can monitor these efforts continuously.
After its launch in 2023, the scope will be gradually expanded, with the aim of actively incorporating "low impact," one of the means to achieve "Joy for Life," the future we aim for in our corporate philosophy system, into new product development and renewed products, and to increase the consistency and appropriateness of information disseminated both inside and outside the company.

Figure 3

Promoting and monitoring low-impact products using an environmental checklist

*1 Cans, bottles, some plastic packaging, and other packaging that is already recyclable, as well as packaging-less products such as paper cartons and containers, are also counted as low-impact products.
*2This definition refers to the pure product itself, excluding containers and packaging.
*3 Packaging Working Group: An organization under the Sustainability Committee that primarily promotes packaging development aimed at achieving zero plastic waste, and works in cooperation with Sustainable R&D Subcommittee to improve low-impact products.
*4 Mono-materialization is the process of converting a multi-material, which is a combination of multiple different materials, into a single material (mono-material). This makes recycling easier and reduces the burden on the environment. We will also explore new recycling mechanisms.