Environmental education programs

The Coca-Cola "Learn from the Forest" projects

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.

Due to the impact of the spread of COVID-19, in 2020 we canceled the event to put a priority on protecting the health and safety of participants. Meanwhile, we set up special pages within our website to inform many people of the importance of forest preservation and activity details, where we introduced the activities in videos and images. In addition, we implemented a project of woodcrafting kit using timbers from forest thinning in our activity areas and a rice giveaway project.

Activity introduction video in 2020

Contributions to local communities through business

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.

Emergency agreements and supporting communities impacted by disasters

We have concluded emergency agreements in preparation for largescale disasters across our sales areas.
These agreements are to ensure that people impacted by an emergency canrapidly access drinking water, so we will prioritize water supply to emergency shelters and provide residents with beverages free of charge from vending machines. As of the end of 2020, we had agreements with 1,059 local governments and organizations.

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.※Situation in 2019

Donating products through food banks

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.

In 2020, we provided approximately 20,000 cases of products to 22 food banks around Japan that distributed them to facilities that provide meals for children with busy or absent parents and social welfare facilities.

Tourism promotion agreements

We have concluded tourism promotion agreements with local governments such as in Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Kyoto prefectures, for the purposes of promoting tourism in the region.
Based on these agreements, we are developing Coca-Cola bottles with unique designs in each region and carrying out initiatives that include donating a portion of the sales proceeds.

Community support vending machines

We are promoting the installation of community support vending machines with unique illustrations at sightseeing locations and tourist attractions within sales areas. A portion of the sales proceeds of The Coca-Cola Company’s products from these support vending machines is donated to local governments and NPOs in those areas and is used to fund activities like regional revitalization and community development.

Ebino Plant receives Prime Minister’s Award in 2020 for promoting the greening of business sites

The CCBJI Ebino Plant (Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture) received the Prime Minister's Award in 2020, which is granted to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated outstanding contributions in promoting the greening of business sites.
An important production and logistics base in the southern Kyushu area, the Ebino Plant is a park-based facility in harmony with the rich, natural environment. The plant and its grounds attract as many as 150,000 visitors annually, including 70,000 visitors for our plant tours. In the plant’s water source area, we have concluded agreements with Ebino City and local forestry associations to carry out forest conservation activities and promote the protection of water resources. This award is normally presented at the Ceremony of awarding the MIDORI Prize (hosted by the Cabinet Office), which is held in April each year.
However, the ceremony was cancelled to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and an award presentation ceremony was held at the Miyazaki prefectural government’s office in November 2020.

A collaborative program to address community challenges

In Miyagi, Fukushima, Mie, and Miyazaki prefectures, the CCBJH Group is supporting initiatives designed to help solve regional issues. Based on collaboration between industry, government, academia, and nonprofit organizations—for example, regional administrations, educational institutions, and municipal organizations—the initiatives are conducted through a variety of projects, such as youth-led workshops, activity presentations, and awards systems.

"Ideason: Mie Mirai" (Mie prefecture)

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.

Please click here for more details of Mie Mirai

"Sendai Youth Award" (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)

In Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, we set up the organizing committee with Sendai City and General Incorporated Association Wakatsuku, and implemented the Sendai Youth Award to promote youth’s active participation in society further. The award has been given to organizations mainly composed of young people for their excellent efforts to contribute to the solution of social issues and the achievement of SDGs since 2017.
During the public presentation of the final screening which was held in November 2020, the final screening for the ‘Awards Category,’ which recognizes activities by youth working to solve social challenges, and the interim reports for the ‘Collaboration Category,’ which was established the year before to generate new activities through collaborative efforts between local enterprises and youth organizations, were held online.
Confronting challenges that became apparent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations covered a vast range of activities including exchange and support activities with the community with flexible ideas and efforts aimed at regenerating shopping arcades, etc. The initiative has received high praise for its efforts to improve the motivation of young people.

FY2019 activity photos

Photo of FY2020 final screening public presentation

"Challenge Internship Program" Action to 2030; Your power creates Fukushima

In Fukushima Prefecture, we started cooperating in the "Challenge Internship Program” from 2016, with the main aim of developing youth who will be active in the society and revitalizing the local community.
We have been engaged in this project, which has the theme of "supporting youth’s learning and experience", together with Fukushima Prefecture and the Fukushima Regional Activities Group Support Center. The project is to encourage youth to learn the regional challenges and the charm of Fukushima Prefecture through internships at NPO organizations which are working on various activities aiming at solving regional challenges including recovery from the disaster, and to promote the creation of a future town.
Participants 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 project has been received very well as an opportunity to raise awareness of youth and a meaningful effort.

FY2019 activity photos

Photos of the FS2020 debriefing session/closing ceremony

The Coca-Cola Educational and Environmental Foundation

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. Starting 2020, in addition to those who plan to go to university, we also recruited those who plan to go to graduate school and be engaged in the "studies related to earth and environmental resources" for scholarship with the aim of promoting sustainability and SDGs.
*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 Coca-Cola Educational and Environmental Foundation

Energizing Communities through Sports

Community Activities of our Hockey Club

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings Group contributes to the revitalization of local economy through its business and works on various support activities while being constantly aware of community challenges. We operate the company sports "Coca-Cola Red Sparks Hockey Club (Women)". And the team not only delivers excitement to the local people through the games, but also creates opportunities for the young people to exercise, improve their technical abilities, and communicate safer instruction methods through the sports clinic. The team actively participates in local events to help the local people to create a bright and vibrant community and a society in which everyone can live actively and healthily.

Red Sparks Hockey Team

The Coca-Cola Red Sparks women’s field hockey team is based in Hiroshima and is a member of the Hockey Japan League (HJL). Amid the restrictions placed on practices and games, the women’s field hockey team won three major domestic championship titles* for the first time since the team was formed. The team has received numerous awards from local governments and regions for its achievements, including both the Hiroshima Prefecture Governor’s Physical Education and Sports Award, and the Hiroshima Citizens Award (2020).

• Sports Clinic/Hockey Class : Held 16 times, attended by 938 people (2019)
• Participation in cleaning activities: Hiroshima Flower Festival/Zero Waste Clean Walk Hiroshima
• Participation in Community Activities: Hiroshima International Peace Marathon "Runner participation", NPO Top Sports Club Network Thanksgiving Festival 2019 "Street fund-raising activity", "Reconstruction Sports Event" for 2018 West Japan Torrential Rains, etc.

For the first time, the women’s field hockeyteam won three annual domestic titles

Plant tours

Plant tours are 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). Aiming for a partner trusted by everyone, we are using our plant tours to communicate 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. In 2019, we had approximately 170,000 visitors.
In October 2020, a tour facility was completed inside the new Hiroshima Plant (Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture).

Zao Plant (Miyagi Prefecture)

Tama Plant (Tokyo)

Tokai Plant (Aichi Prefecture)

Kyoto Plant (Kyoto Prefecture)

Hiroshima Plant (Hiroshima Prefecture)

Ebino Plant (Miyazaki Prefecture)

Birth of Hiroshima Plant

The Hongo Plant (in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture) that suffered devastating damages from the heavy rains in the western Japan in July 2018 was relocated to a site in the same city and reborn as the Hiroshima Plant in June 2020. In October 2020, a plant tour facility was completed. In efforts to become a symbol of reconstruction for not only our employees but also the people in the community, we will further contribute to the recovery and development of the community through the plant and deliver safe, secure, and valuable products.
* The schedule of starting plant tours in Hiroshima Plant has not be decided.

Online plant tours

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the plant tours have been suspended since the end of February 2020. However, the "Online Plant Tour" in which you can remotely participate from anywhere across the country whether you are at home or in school, and the "Virtual Plant Tour" where you can watch videos introducing the production lines and experience the "Coca-Cola Test" are available on our website. We look forward to your "visits".

Summer School

Our plants that have plant tours organize the "Summer School" targeting local children and their guardians.This program has special contents that covers not only various initiatives such as quality control in The Coca-Cola Company’s production processes and water resource conservation activities, but also "IN IKU", "hydration", and "initiatives for Ｗorld Without Waste" in addition to the normal plant tour.
This program was canceled in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but in 2019, we had around 1,600 customers who experienced the program.

Let's Enjoy the Environment in a Foreign Language

Supported by Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto Plant offers “Let’s Enjoy Learning about the Environment in Other Languages,” in which participants enjoy studying about the environment, interspersed with foreign languages.
Families selected from open entry experience programs developed by the students based on the theme of a foreign language and the environment, incorporating “plays” and “experiments,” as they learn about environmental issues while familiarizing themselves with a foreign language.

Open communication and correct information

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).

Hydration seminars

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 had 38 seminars and enjoyed roughly 6100 participants.However, in 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19, we held only 2 seminars with around 240 participants. Going forward, we will contribute to the prevention of heat stroke by utilizing the web meeting system to communicate knowledge on correct hydration to more people.

Drink Education seminars

In addition to communicating correct hydration, we hold IN IKU seminars to introduce various types of soft drinks and explain how to choose the right drink for each occasion and physical condition. In this seminar, we cover the characteristics and differences between FOSHU and Foods with Function Claims, which are often confused with each other, and explain how to read ingredients, nutrition, calories, and expiration date and other information on labels that are useful when selecting products.
In 2019, we held IN IKU seminars that are combined with the popular summer holiday plant tours at the Zao Plant, Tama Plant, Tokai Plant, Kyoto Plant, and Ebino Plant, where approximately 1,900 elementary school students and their guardians participated.
* Canceled in 2020 due to the suspension of the plant tour.

Coke ON Walk

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.

Mocktails

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.

Drinks with no artificial coloring

“Fanta Grape” and “Fanta Orange” have no artificial flavors or coloring, and “Minute Maid Qoo Wakuwaku Orange” has no preservatives or artificial coloring.

Various package sizes and PET bottle shapes

We offer a wide range of packages, from drinking scenes and sizes to suit your taste, to easy-to-reach designs and shapes that are easy to recycle after drinking.

Partnerships with local governments inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

With the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, CCBJI will work closely with local governments as a partner in the region, as well as invigorate local communities, promote education, and support human resource development. We have concluded comprehensive agreements in many regions to promote efforts to improve civilians’ lives in a wide variety of fields, including crime prevention, disaster prevention, health, and sports.

宮城県加美町との包括連携協定の調印式

Vending machines to build momentum for the Olympics and support athletes

In cooperation with the Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, which is the Presenting Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay, we developed the “Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial Vending Machine” exclusively for local areas through which the torch relay passes, to support the fostering of regional momentum toward the Olympic and Paralympic Games and regional revitalization initiatives. We are also developing the “JOC Olympic Support Vending Machine” and the “JPC Paralympic Support Vending Machine” to support top athletes aiming to participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

JOC Olympic Support
Vending Machine

JPC Paralympic Support
Vending Machine

Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial
Vending Machine