Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino Registered as OECM in Global Database

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. announced today that its Water Source Forest in Ebino has been registered in the global database (Note 1) as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measure (OECM). This recognition follows the forest’s certification as a Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site by the Ministry of the Environment for the second half of FY2023 (Note 2).

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino is a woodland located in the water source area of our Ebino Plant in Miyazaki Prefecture. We have been conducting water replenishment activities* to conserve water resources in this area, which was certified as a Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site (Note 2) for the second half of FY2023 by the Ministry of the Environment. Of the Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites certified in FY2023, the Ministry has registered 48,000 hectares in the global database as OECMs, excluding overlap with protected areas. Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino’s 203 hectares were included in this registration.
 * These activities aim to restore the water used in our manufacturing process back to nature through forest conservation and initiatives.

We aim to contribute to biodiversity conservation through forest maintenance and other activities in the water source areas of our plants.

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino
We have established agreements with local governments and forest cooperatives in the areas surrounding all 17 of our plants to promote water resource conservation by designating forests in these water source areas as Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forests. Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino, covering about 203 hectares, is located in the water source area for our Ebino Plant (Miyazaki Prefecture).  In 2014, we signed a four-party forest conservation agreement with Miyazaki Prefecture, the mountain-foot common forest, and the Nishimoro Forest Association, and have been engaged in water source replenishment activities. The 203-hectare woodland has been confirmed to be home to freshwater crabs, frogs and other amphibians, kites, blue pigeons, damselflies and other important species. Through the conservation of the forest in the water source replenishment area, we are contributing to the preservation of this rich diversity of life.

Aerial view of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino, looking from the east side.

(Note 1) Global databases
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database on OECM (WD-OECM) are the most comprehensive global databases on marine and terrestrial protected areas/OECMs. They are joint projects between UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and are managed by UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The global achievement of the 30 by 30 target will be evaluated based on these databases.

(Note 2) Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site
The Ministry of the Environment upholds the 30 by 30 target, which aims to effectively conserve more than 30% of land and sea areas as healthy ecosystems, in order to realize Nature Positive, a global goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. As one of the initiatives to realize Nature Positive, the Ministry of the Environment started to certify areas where biodiversity is being conserved through efforts by the private sector, such as corporate forests, mountain villages, woodlands, and urban green spaces, as Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites.
Since 2023, we have been participating in the 30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity, which was launched by volunteer companies, local governments, and organizations, promoting efforts to achieve the 30 by 30 target. By conserving biodiversity through forest maintenance, we will contribute to the achievement of the 30 by 30 target

[Reference] (Links are in Japanese only)
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Water Source Forest Ebino certified as Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site by Ministry of the Environment
https://www.ccbji.co.jp/news/detail.php?id=1521

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan joins the 30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity
https://www.ccbji.co.jp/news/detail.php?id=1302

Ministry of the Environment press release: Registration of Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites, etc. in global databases
https://www.env.go.jp/press/press_03264.html

※Please note that the information contained in this news release is current as of the date of release. Certain information may have changed since the date of release.