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.

Activity introduction video in 2020

The NPO Ichimura Nature School in Kyushu

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.

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

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.

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.

Initiatives for youth helping to solve social issues

We are working to solve regional social issues collaboratively with local governments, academic, and civic organizations.

"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, 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.

Community reconstruction & creation program "Challenge Internship Program (Fukushima prefecture)"

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 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. 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 Coca-Cola Educational and Environmental Foundation

Energizing Communities through Sports

Community Activities of our Rugby & Hockey Club

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.

Red Sparks Rugby Team

• Sports Clinic/Rugby Class : Held 35 times, attended by 4,430 people (2019)
• Participation in cleaning activities: Fukuoka City Love Earth Cleanup 2019
• Visit to Fukuoka Children's Hospital: Top League charity activity, "FOR CHILDREN"
• Participation in community activities: "Charity mochi pounding" for 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake / Held 90 other events (talk shows and hands on experiences, etc.).

Clinics/Classes
Held

35 times
(2019)

Clinics/Classes
attended by

4,430 people
(2019)

Red Sparks Hockey Team

• 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.

Clinics/Classes
Held

16 times
(2019)

Clinics/Classes
attended by

938 people
(2019)

Plant tour initiatives

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.

Summer School

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.

Let's Enjoy the Environment in a Foreign Language

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.

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 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.

Drink Education seminars

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.

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

We offer various package sizes to match consumers' tastes and drinking occasions.