“Speak Up!” Our New Whistleblowing System and Commitment to Responsible Business Activities

At Asahi, our dedication to upholding the human rights of those affected by our activities is one of the foundations of our business. We are excited to share some of our latest initiatives to reinforce our ongoing commitment to human rights.

Earlier this year in May, Asahi Group launched a new group-wide whistleblowing system called “Speak Up.”
It enables whistleblowers to report human rights violations and any other form of misconduct or suspected misconduct within the Group either online or via toll-free telephone calls.

The system, independently operated by an external party called Navex Global, Inc., is accessible all day, any day of the year. Reports can be made in all the local languages where we operate. Anonymous reporting is also accepted.
Access to the system extends beyond our executives and employees. The system is open to any Asahi Group company stakeholders. That includes customers, clients, suppliers, business partners, contractors, and their employees, as well as their relatives, spouses, and dependents of these stakeholders.

Despite our best efforts, there may be situations that breach our policies and the law, or that is otherwise unethical. It is important that where there is any misconduct, we detect the issues early and take steps to remedy the situation. Stakeholders’ voices enable us to do this. This is why we named our system to be “Speak Up.”
Our goal is to maintain a highly ethical system. Therefore, we plan to disclose number of reported cases based on The Asahi Speak Up Policy.

For more information, visit our Compliance Promotion page.

Respecting human rights is not just about having a system in place; it’s about responding to potential human rights risks in our supply chain. Asahi Group has been committed to a broad range of initiatives to uphold human rights worldwide.
One of these initiatives involves on-site visits to plantations and manufacturing plants where our raw materials, such as sugarcane and coffee beans, are produced. These visits allow us to engage directly with the producers and conduct dialogues. The aim is to gain a more detailed understanding of any latent human rights risks identified by desk research and consider measures to respond appropriately to the situation.
For instance, in 2023, we visited a site belonging to a company that owns a sugar cane plantation in Brazil that oversees the entire production process, from production to shipping. During our visit, we held dialogues with company representatives about sustainability activities, observed worksites, and interviewed employees in charge of operations.

The visit confirmed that the company had obtained 13 certifications, including Green Energy Label Certification (*1), ISO 14001 (*2), and Bonsucro (*3), as part of its commitment to environmental considerations and respect for human rights. We learned that obtaining these certifications has led to increased business volume and greater profitability.
Our worksite inspections also confirmed that the company implements occupational safety management. Employees wear personal protective equipment that the company provides at sites where sharp instruments are used and paint yellow caution lines to demarcate restricted zones.
We informed our upstream supply chain stakeholders of areas of strength and for further improvement that we observed during the visit to reduce human rights risks in the future.
Moving forward, the knowledge gained through these efforts will be utilized through the application of global standards and information platforms under the Asahi Group’s global procurement arm, Asahi Global Procurement Pte. Ltd., to deepen human rights diligence in the supply chain.

For more information, please refer to our most recent Sustainability Report..
*1: A system recommending industrial and consumer products produced via eco-friendly means
*2: The international standard for environmental management systems.
It provides a framework to aid organizations in protecting the environment and responding to changing environmental conditions while maintaining a balance with socioeconomic needs.
*3: The world’s leading platform and standard for sugarcane sustainability

Our new Speak Up system and site visits in Brazil exemplify Asahi Group’s dedication to human rights under our policy, Human Rights Principles.

Furthermore, the new management structure, effective April 2024, includes the appointment of a Group Chief Sustainability Officer (Group CSO) to spearhead our effort to integrate Sustainability into Management. This new role underscores Asahi Group’s strong commitment to sustainability and to accelerating our human rights efforts.

The reason for our dedication to sustainability is simple.

For over 100 years, Asahi Group has cherished nature’s gifts to deliver on its great taste promise to consumers around the world. Our products and services have promoted people-to-people connections, created communities, and brought more fun to life for everyone.

As we continue this legacy, we commit to respecting the human rights of all those affected by our business activities. This commitment guides us to continue to make the world shine brighter through greater respect for human rights and implementing robust systems to mitigate risks.