- 100% : Zero / low-calorie options for core brands
- 300% : FOSHU / functional products growth
- 100% : Front-of-pack calorie label & straightforward nutritional information
- 100% : Observation of The Coca-Cola Company Responsible Marketing Policy
What we are doing
We hold environmental education programs in various locations in order to raise awareness about the importance of conserving water and preserving nature. Among the Coca-Cola "Learn from the Forest" projects held in 12 of our plants' water source areas in 2019, a total of 421 employees and their family members thinned forest undergrowth, helped plant rice fields, and tried woodworking while learning about the indispensable nature of water resources.
Production plants | Place | Project name |
---|---|---|
Zao plant | Zao town, Miyagi | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Miyagi ZAOHow the event went |
Saitama plant/Iwatsuki plant | Katashina Village, Gunma | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Gunma KATASHINA |
Ibaraki plant | Ishioka city, Ibaraki | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Ibaraki ISHIOKAHow the event went |
Ebina plant | Atsugi city, Kanagawa | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Kanagawa ATSUGIHow the event went |
Tokai plant | Ena city, Gifu | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Gifu ENA NAKANOHOUHow the event went |
Kyoto plant | Ujitawara town, Kyoto | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Kyoto UJITAWARAHow the event went |
Akashi plant | Tambasasayama city, Hyogo | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Gifu ENA NAKANOHOU |
Daisen plant | Houki town, Tottori | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Tottori HOUKIHow the event went |
Hiroshima plant | Mihara city, Hiroshima | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Hiroshima MIHARAHow the event went |
Komatsu plant | Saijo city, Ehime | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Ehime KOMATSUHow the event went |
Tosu plant/Kiyama plant | Tosu city, Saga | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Saga TOSUHow the event went |
Kumamoto plant | Aso city, Kumamoto | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Kumamoto ASOHow the event went |
Ebino plant | Ebino city, Miyazaki | The Coca‐cola "Learn from the Forest" project in Miyazaki EBINOHow the event went |
We also contribute to the healthy physical and mental development of youth by providing a place to experience farming, nature, and communal living through supporting the NPO Ichimura Nature School. In 2019, during an 8-month period, 60 elementary school (from 4th grade) and junior high school students (up to the 2nd year) spent their weekends learning leadership skills in a natural setting in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The program has received a commendation from Saga Prefecture and won acclaim from those in the community and beyond.
The CCBJH Group believes that thriving communities are a prerequisite for sustainable business activities and conducts a wide range of social activities in local communities based on this belief. Through our core business, we engage in activities such as supporting food banks and collaborating with local governments on agreements to supply drinking water to emergency shelters during disasters. By being involved in these ways, we are forging deeper ties with the community and expanding relationships.
In preparation for large-scale disasters, the Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. Group has entered into agreements with local governments within our distribution area to provide emergency supplies during a disaster. In addition to giving priority to the supply of drinking water to emergency shelters during a disaster, the Group provides beverages, free of charge, from vending machines at city offices and schools. At the end of 2019, we had made agreements with 586 local governments.
In 2019, we responded to requests from the government to provide beverages to residents of Chiba and Fukushima prefectures affected by typhoons Faxai and Hagibis. These efforts were commended in a letter of appreciation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
(Right) Akihiro Higashino, Food Manufacturing Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries
(Left) Raymond Shelton, Head of IR & Corporate Communications,Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, Inc.
Since 2016, CCBJI partner with 22 organizations, including Second Harvest Japan (member of Alliance of Japan Foodbanks), which is Japan's first Food Bank organization and Food Bank All Japan Association, to donate our beverage products on a regular basis to children's cafeterias and social welfare facilities, etc. through Food Bank organizations in different regions.
Food Banks mean "Banks of food" and are the organizations and activities that distribute food items that are still edible, but have to be disposed of, to the facilities and people who are in need. The Food Loss Reduction Promotion Act was enacted last year, and the activities of Food Banks are drawing even more attention.
The number of Children's Cafeterias is increasing year by year due to the changes in the home environment. The Children's Cafeterias are playing the role to provide opportunities for the children from different environments to eat together, prevent loneliness, and receive dietary education, and develop the society that respects diversity. CCBJI is participating in these activities in the hope that our donations will help reduce food loss and resolve challenges that local communities face.
We are working to solve regional social issues collaboratively with local governments, academic, and civic organizations.
The event "Ideason: Mie Mirai ~Connecting us and society through happiness~" was held under collaboration between Mie prefecture, Dr' Aoki's laboratory (the School of Humanities of Mie University), NPO M Bridge and CCBJI. The event participants sought ideas to increase Mie's attractions and to solve problems through discussions, envisaging Mie's happy future. Taking place between Dec 2018 and Mar 2019, this program was attended by a total of 265 people of various generations. They thought about regional issues and exchanged opinions through workshops. There was a huge reaction from the participants, and we received the comment, "I want to continue to take part in such an opportunity and get involved in the community's problem solving", etc.
※What is Ideason?
This is a coined word combining "idea" and "marathon", which has been used in U.S. since around 1990s.
It refers to events in which participants think about a specific issue and figure out ideas to improve the situation within a limited time.
This discussion-based program is also called an "intellectual leisure" and has the large potential as it helps nurture the participant's independence.
Mie Mirai also provides an opportunity for those in academy, industry and government to discuss the creation of Mie's better future.
In Sendai City, Miyagi, we set up the organizing committee with the Sendai City and NPO, Wakatsuku, and implement the Sendai Youth Award to promote youth's active participation in society further. The award has been given to young groups for their activities tackling social issues since 2017.
In 2019 the final round of presentation was conducted on Nov 14 at the Sendai Civic Activity Support Center, where 10 shortlisted groups made passionate presentations about environmental issues, community revitalization, etc. This award has been evaluated highly by the participants, as it could lead to increasing youth's motivation. They commented "This prize is a good opportunity to make youth activities known to many people and I'm glad that our activity is evaluated highly", etc.
In Fukushima Prefecture we're working on the "Challenge Internship Program" with the Fukushima prefectural government and the Fukushima Regional Activity Group Support Center, supporting them in reconstruction from the earthquake disaster.
Under the theme of "helping the youth learn and experience", the program offers opportunities for young people to experience as interns the community reconstruction/creation activities conducted by various organizations for around 10 days. The issues and problems in Fukushima are shared and discussed through the participants' presentations. In 2019, 55 persons took part in this program, who afterward commented positively, "I was able to experience a lot of things through interactions with people in the community", "I was able to revisit the future direction", etc. This gains public favor as a meaningful effort that raises young people's awareness.
The Coca-Cola Foundation carries out a scholarship aid initiative to develop and nurture the type of young talent required by the international community, as well as develop human resources that support the local communities. For over 40 years, this initiative has helped students with financial difficulty to attend university. In 2019, we gave scholarships to 41 new students.
*The Coca-Cola Foundation scholars are recruited through each high school every fall.
● Support for environmental education
The Coca-Cola Foundation is a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation that awards the “Coca-Cola Environmental Prize” to young people in each region who conduct environmental volunteer activities to promote and support community-based environmental education and environment conservation.
The CCBJH Group aims to create shared value by contributing to the revitalization of regional economies through business, while also staying mindful of community issues and undertaking a wide variety of specific support activities. In particular, we manage two corporate sports teams, the Coca-Cola Red Sparks men's rugby team and the Coca-Cola Red Sparks women's field hockey team, who not only deliver game-day thrills to a large number of local fans but also create opportunities for kids to be active and improve their skills in a safe way through educational sports clinics. Both teams are also proactive participants in local events as part of building vibrant communities and a society in which everyone can live healthy and active lives.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. (CCBJI) considers plant tours a method of direct communication with stakeholders, especially consumers and business partners. We offer tours of the Zao Plant (Miyagi Prefecture), Tama Plant (Tokyo), Tokai Plant (Aichi Prefecture), Kyoto Plant (Kyoto Prefecture), and Ebino Plant (Miyazaki Prefecture). Around 170,000 visitors toured these plants in 2019. In order to remain a trusted partner to our stakeholders, CCBJI will continue to communicate information in an easy-to-understand manner about its activities and The Coca-Cola Company's production processes and food safety initiatives, so that consumers can feel confident in choosing The Coca-Cola Company's products.
July - Aug. 2019, we held "summer school" for local children and their parents at five factories where they toured the factories. In addition to regular factory tours, this program includes various initiatives such as "Drink Education", "the importance of hydration" ,"Initiatives for a society with zero waste" and water resource protection activities in the manufacturing process of Coca-Cola products. In 2019, approximately 1,600 customers experienced this special program.
In March 2019, with the cooperation of students from the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, we held the "Let's Enjoy the Environment in a Foreign Language 2019" event at the Kyoto Plant. Parents and children learned about environmental problems while becoming familiar with English, through a fun program consisting of a skit, a filtration experiment, and other activities devised by the university students.
In the Coca-Cola system, we strive to provide easy-to-understand product information to consumers so they can manage their health and choose the beverages best suited to their individual needs. This includes product explanations on our website and calorie information on the front of nearly all Coca-Cola Company products*.
Furthermore, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings Inc. conducts programs for local community residents in order to help support active, healthy lives and lifestyles through beverages.
* Front-of-package calorie information is not provided for fountain beverages (including products for in-cup vending machines and dispensers), returnable bottles, powdered products, diluted products, or water (non-sugar and unflavored).
There has been an increase in heatstroke and other health incidents related to high temperatures and humidity in recent years, and proper hydration during daily life and recreational activities has become more important than ever. Since we manufacture and sell beverages, we work toward the prevention of heatstroke through providing hydration seminars for schools, various organizations, and companies.
At these seminars, we communicate the importance of hydration and replenishing minerals, and the basics of preventing heatstroke.
In 2019, we held 38 hydration seminars, which were attended by around 6,100 people. Participants indicated that they had learned when to effectively hydrate and now understood the need to hydrate frequently. We will continue to communicate information about proper hydration to as many people as possible and contribute to the prevention of heatstroke and related incidents.
In addition to hydration seminars, we have begun holding Drink Education seminars to familiarize people with beverage categories and how to select the products best suited to specific occasions and current physical condition. In 2019, we held a summer school program of Drink Education seminar and plant tour, at our plants at Zao, Tama, Tokai, Kyoto and Ebino during summer break. Around 1,900 local children and their parents participated.
At the seminars, we explained the differences between FOSHU and Foods with Function Claims, since these categories are sometimes confused, as well as how to read packaging labels in order to find helpful information, such as ingredients, nutritional content, calories, and expiration dates. Participants commented that they had learned how to select beverages suited to their circumstances and that they want to apply what they learned in their daily lives.
We will continue to provide beverage information and actively assist our consumers in selecting the products best suited to their lifestyles and needs.
We offer a wide product line-up adapted to diverse needs. We have responded to growing health consciousness with products such as mineral water, non-sugar tea, and no-calorie beverages, and in recent years we have also expanded our line-up to include Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) and Foods with Function Claims. We support our consumers' lifestyles through products that provide overall refreshment and contribute to improving health.
Coke ON is a smartphone app that enables consumers to collect one stamp for each beverage purchased at compatible vending machines and then receive a drink voucher when they have collected 15 stamps. The app now features the Coke ON Walk function, which enables consumers to collect stamps for achieving certain walking targets. Through rewards for reaching cumulative step goals and special events, we help consumers develop healthy habits.
We are expanding the ways in which we can support a variety of consumer lifestyles by proposing a range of mocktail (non-alcoholic cocktail) recipes for the enjoyment of people who do not drink alcohol.
“Fanta Grape” and “Fanta Orange” have no artificial flavors or coloring, and “Minute Maid Qoo Wakuwaku Orange” has no preservatives or artificial coloring.
In December 2016 we launched our Aojiru drink with fruit juice, “Minute Maid Oishii Fruit Aojiru”, under the “Minute Maid” juice brand. This is the first collaborative product with our group company Q’Sai Co., Ltd.
The Aojiru drink uses high-quality kale grown in Japan with no pesticides or chemical fertilizer under a rigid management structure at Q’Sai. Kale has received high recognition in recent years as a “super green and yellow vegetable” with excellent nutritional value among the many vegetables and fruits in the market.
*Sold in Coca-Cola vending machines in our business areas and through the Q’Sai official internet site.
We offer various package sizes to match consumers' tastes and drinking occasions.
As the number of tourists and foreign residents in Japan has increased in recent years, the Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings Inc. Group(CCBJH Group) has been taking part in business initiatives for the development of regional areas. We are also promoting the Olympic Movement in advance of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This currently includes measures to help international customers conveniently purchase products they trust
We have prepared multilingual POP materials (in-store supplementary materials) to help consumers from many nations conveniently purchase products they trust. Coordinating with our business partners, we will offer materials at restaurants so that consumers from overseas can easily order and enjoy Coca-Cola products. On our vending machines, information is also displayed in multiple languages and, with the help of a smartphone, product information can be accessed in up to 15 languages (Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Arabic). We aim to expand the number of multilingual vending machines by 2021.
Previous vending machines were not designed in a way that took the needs of non-Japanese consumers into consideration, even in locations with many tourists. Accordingly, we developed a vending machine that makes it easy for consumers from overseas to select and purchase beverages. We installed the first such machine in Asakusa, a historic district that attracts many overseas visitors.
These vending machines are covered in appealing,original Japanese-style art and display information in multiple languages. The product line-up includes Coca-Cola and Fanta, brands familiar to overseas consumers from many countries, as well as beverage flavors that are exclusive to Japan. Information can also be viewed on local tourist attractions by scanning a QR code,which was added to help consumers have an even more satisfying experience.
As part of providing support for athletes aspiring to compete in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and as another way to promote the Olympic Movement, the Coca-Cola system members are working to install and popularize Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) support vending machines. A portion of the proceeds from JOC Olympic support vending machines is donated to assist athletes through the JOC. By the end of 2018, 2,068 machines had been installed in our sales area.