Promoting the Asahi Group Environmental Vision 2050
■The 2030 CO2 reduction target for Scopes 1 and 2 again revised upward—from 50% to 70%— toward achieving the Asahi Carbon Zero, and 50 billion-plus yen to be invested in decarbonization
■A new containers/packaging target set to switch from conventional to 100% eco-friendly PET bottles by 2030
Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.
(Tokyo, Japan – January 21, 2022) — Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. announces that it has again revised CO2 reduction targets toward achieving the Asahi Carbon Zero, a medium- to long-term climate change goal under the Asahi Group Environmental Vision 2050. We have also set a new containers/packaging target to promote a shift from conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles to those made from eco-friendly materials. One of our guiding principles set out in the Asahi Group Philosophy is to “contribute to a sustainable society through our business.” As a company doing business by utilizing the blessings of nature, we will accelerate our various initiatives toward achieving the sustainability of society as well as of our business.
Asahi Carbon Zero targets for tackling climate change raised again
In a bid to accelerate efforts toward achieving the Asahi Carbon Zero, a medium- to long-term goal of reducing CO2 emissions to zero by 2050, we have revised the 2030 reduction target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 50% to 70% compared with 2019. This marks the second upward revision following the one in December 2020 from 30% compared with 2015 to 50% compared with 2019.
In addition to the ongoing introduction of renewable energy that is well underway in Europe and Oceania, we launched efforts in April 2021 to make a gradual renewable shift in purchased electricity for use in production bases in Japan. As of the end of December 2021, renewable electricity accounted for some 54% of total electricity purchased for domestic production bases. Thanks to these developments, we now expect to achieve the target ahead of schedule.
Going forward, we will advance efforts across the group, among other things, to generate and make better use of renewable energy such as solar power within the company, reconfigure production processes to better save energy, and develop new technologies for decarbonization, while actively working toward greater use of renewal energy both in Japan and abroad.
Furthermore, while seeking to curb the resulting increase in costs, we are willing to make necessary environmental investments, including those for purchasing renewable energy to achieve the revised target. By 2030, we will be investing 50 billion yen or more in measures for decarbonization.
[Reference] Revisions to the targets toward the Asahi Carbon Zero
| Initial targets set in 2018 | Revised in December 2020 | Revised in January 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2050 targets |
Zero CO2 emissions for Scopes 1, 2, and 3 | No change | No change |
| 2030 targets |
30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions compared with 2015 | 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions compared with 2019 | 70% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions compared with 2019 |
| 30% reduction in Scope 3 CO2 emissions compared with 2015 | 30% reduction in Scope 3 CO2 emissions compared with 2019 | No change |
A new target set for containers/packaging to switch from conventional PET bottles to 100% eco-friendly bottles
In line with our approach to sustainable containers/packaging, the Asahi Group has established the Guidelines of Containers/Packaging Design to promote the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). In tackling the problem of plastics, an urgent global issue, we have set out Guidelines on Plastics, and we are proceeding with efforts toward achieving the 2030 targets set under the 3R + Innovation strategy.
We are already working to introduce plastic containers made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled or biomass materials, with our operating companies in Japan and abroad setting their respective targets. As a unified target applicable to all operating companies across the globe, we now aim to make a switch from conventional PET bottles to those 100% made from eco-friendly materials by 2030.
In Japan, Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd. is slated to start producing large sized PET bottles 100% made from chemically recycled resin in April 2022. With this, those made from recycled PET resin will account for some 40% of large sized PET bottles produced annually by the company, reducing CO2 emissions from bottle production approximately by 47% or 18,400 tons per year compared with the current level. The Asahi Group has equity investment in R Plus Japan, Ltd., a company established to undertake a cross-industry initiative for plastic recycling, working to develop a new chemical recycling technology with the aim of bringing it into practical application in 2027.
As for overseas operations, we began using bottles 100% made from recycled PET resin in 2019 for the mineral water brand Cool Ridge in Australia. In addition, a recycled PET bottle materials factory, a cross-industry joint venture established by Asahi Beverages and its partners, is slated to go into operation in February 2022. It will be capable of processing the equivalent of around 1 billion plastic bottles annually, which will be converted into more than 20,000 tonnes of high-quality recycled PET bottles and food packaging.
[Reference] 3R + Innovation
Direction of the Asahi Group’s containers/packaging strategy toward 2030
| Previous targets | Targets as of January 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Realize 100% utilization of materials for plastic containers that can be used effectively by 2025 | No change |
| 2 | Begin examinations for achieving a 100% conversion to eco-friendly materials for plastic containers by 2030 | Achieve a 100% conversion to eco-friendly materials for PET bottles by 2030 |
| 3 | Examine the development of eco-friendly materials and sales methods that do not make use of plastic containers | No change |