Asahi Group’s Three Tohoku Region Plants to Switch Purchased Electric Power to Renewable Energy from December
Expansion to 21 out of 33 domestic plants
Accelerating efforts to reduce CO2 emissions toward “Asahi Carbon Zero”
Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.
(Tokyo, Japan - November 24, 2021) - Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. announces that its three domestic plants in the Tohoku region—Asahi Breweries Fukushima Brewery, Nikka Whisky Sendai Plant Miyagikyo Distillery, and Nikka Whisky Hirosaki Plant—will switch their purchased electric power to renewable energy from December 1.
Among Asahi Group domestic plants, the switchover was already completed at 18 plants*1 in the Kanto and Kansai regions in April 2021, and with the switch this time, the total will be 21 plants. As a result, approximately 54% (143 GWh) of the electricity purchased for all domestic Asahi Group production bases will be made renewable, with CO2 emissions reductions of 67,000 tons per year. The Asahi Group is accelerating its efforts toward achieving RE100*2 and Asahi Carbon Zero*3, and aims at making the purchased electric power for all domestic bases renewable by 2025. The Group also expects to adopt renewable energy for 64 out of its 70 domestic and overseas production bases (over 90%) by 2025.
The renewable energy for the Tohoku region will be purchased via Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. The electric power to be purchased is generated at renewable energy power plants (hydroelectric and geothermal) located in the six prefectures of the Tohoku region and in Niigata Prefecture, with integrated environmental value (Non-Fossil Certificates*4) and electric power value.
The Asahi Group sets forth “Contribute to a sustainable society through our business” as one of the principles of the Asahi Group Philosophy. Moreover, Asahi Group Environmental Vision 2050 sets the middle- to long-term CO2 emissions reduction target “Asahi Carbon Zero” as a response to climate change, and aims at zero CO2 emissions by the year 2050.
Toward achieving Asahi Carbon Zero, the entire Group is working to actively utilize renewable energy at domestic and overseas production bases and promote energy conservation by revising manufacturing processes and improving distribution efficiencies, etc. The Group is also conducting verification tests introducing a power-generation system with fuel cells using biomethane gas derived from wastewater and CO2 separation and recovery testing equipment, and positively advancing research and development.
In addition to becoming the first company in the Japanese beverage industry to participate in RE100 in October 2020, the Asahi Carbon Zero target received approval as a 1.5℃ target from the SBT (Science Based Targets) initiative. *5
As a company which conducts business while utilizing the “blessings of nature,” the Asahi Group aims at handing down the “blessings of nature” to the next generation by actively promoting efforts to address various environmental issues.
- Asahi Breweries, Ltd.: Ibaraki, Kanagawa and Suita breweries; Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd.: Tochigi, Kashiwa, and Nishinomiya plants; Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd.: Gunma, Fujisan, Fuji Yoshida, Akashi, and Rokko plants; Asahi Group Foods, Ltd.: Ibaraki, Tochigi Sakura, Tochigi Koganei, and Osaka plants; Asahi Beer Malt, Ltd.: Koganei and Yasu plants; Asahi Biocycle Co., Ltd.: Gunma plant.
- RE100 is an international initiative aimed at making 100% of the electric power used in business activities sourced from renewable energy by the year 2050.
- “Asahi Carbon Zero” is the Asahi Group’s medium- to long-term target for reducing CO2 emissions. It aims to achieve zero CO2 emissions in Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 by 2050, and to achieve 50% reductions in CO2 emissions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 (compared to the 2019 level) and 30% reductions in CO2 emissions in Scope 3 (compared to the 2019 level) by 2030.
- Non-Fossil Certificates are certificates of the value of electricity generated from non-fossil sources such as solar power, hydropower, geothermal energy and other non-fossil energy sources.
- The Science Based Targets initiative is a joint initiative established by CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to resolve problems from the increase in greenhouse gases. The initiative encourages companies to set reduction targets consistent with scientific knowledge toward the goal of limiting the average global temperature increase from climate change to 1.5℃ compared with the level prior to the Industrial Revolution.