Marubeni Corporation

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

No leading practices were found for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

No leading practices were found for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
Marubeni Corporation discloses a sustainable development strategy that includes sustainable development objectives and targets. The company has identified climate change and environmental management as two of its most relevant sustainability topics and reports “Action Plans and Targets” against them. However, no sufficient disclosure is found on the nutrition dimension aspect of its operations.

Governance and accountability for sustainability
Marubeni Corporation has a Sustainability Management Committee, which defines materiality issues for its environmental, social and governance (ESG) across its businesses. However, while the company discloses that accountability and oversight for its sustainability strategy lies with the board, it provides no evidence of a remuneration policy regarding sustainability.

Stakeholder engagement
While Marubeni Corporation provides evidence of its materiality assessment that entails stakeholder engagement activities, the company fails to disclose how it selects the stakeholders, an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
Marubeni Corporation discloses its scope 1 and 2 emissions data and has set a 1.5-degree trajectory target, aiming to be net-zero by 2050. However, there is no reporting yet on this target. In addition, its scope 3 emission target does not concern its entire scope 3 emissions. The company has room to expand on its scope 3 ambition.

Protein diversification
While Marubeni Corporation discloses that it is diversifying its protein portfolio, through investment in DAIZ, a plant-based meat company, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to increase the production of alternative proteins.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
While the company has a commitment to promoting environment-friendly products by selling MSC/ASC certified products, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting and reporting against targets as well as by disclosing quantitative data that demonstrates progress in its sustainable fishing and aquaculture activities.

Water use
While Marubeni Corporation has a target to reduce water withdrawal by 3% against a 2011 baseline that covers its operations in Japan, there is room for the company to set group-wide targets on water withdrawals.

Food loss and waste
While the company is addressing food loss and waste in its own operations through promoting recycling of food waste and reduction of resource usage, it has an opportunity to disclose a commitment by setting targets to reduce food loss and waste across its own operations and supply chain and reporting against these targets or also disclosing quantitative data to demonstrate that it is reducing food loss and waste in its own operations and supply chain.

Plastic use and packaging waste
The company does not disclose that it is reducing its plastic use and transitioning to sustainable forms of packaging.

Animal welfare
The company does not disclose that it is addressing key animal and aquatic welfare issues for its relevant key species in its own operations and supply chain. It has an opportunity to disclose a commitment that addresses key issues for animal and aquatic welfare across its relevant species, geographies and products.

Antibiotics use and growth-promoting substances
The company does not disclose that it is reducing or prohibiting the prophylactic use of antibiotics and growth-promoting substances for aquatic animals relevant to the company. It has an opportunity to disclose a commitment on antibiotics which addresses the topic across its relevant species, geographies and products.

Availability of healthy foods
While Marubeni Corporation states that it is contributing to food safety and reliability, it fails to disclose a commitment and activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment to address food insecurity by improving the accessibility and affordability of healthy and nutritious foods.

Workforce nutrition
While the company discloses a programme to improve workforce nutrition through providing healthy menu options at staff cafeterias and health promotion campaigns, it has an opportunity to develop this programme further to ensure it discloses quantitative evidence on the percentage of food offerings and the provision of nutrition-focused health checks and breastfeeding support throughout its operations.

Food safety
While Marubeni Corporation provides a “Policy on Initiatives for Food Safety and Reliability”, the company does not disclose evidence of ensuring safe food for consumers through compliance with national regulations and the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, nor an effective food safety certification scheme.

Child labour
While the company commits to prohibiting child labour in its own operations and requires its suppliers to adhere to the same standard, it has an opportunity to disclose a policy requiring its suppliers to have an age-verification system in place.

Forced labour
While the company commits to prohibiting forced labour in its own operations and supply chain, it has an opportunity to disclose a requirement that prohibits its suppliers from retaining workers’ personal documents and restricting workers’ freedom of movement.

Living wage
Although Marubeni Corporation states it encourages its suppliers to pay a living wage, the company does not disclose any time-bound target for paying a living wage across all operations and include living wage requirements in its contractual arrangements with its suppliers.

Farmer productivity and resilience
As part of its commitment to support the resilience, productivity and access to markets for farmers, Marubeni Corporation contributes to reduce the loss of biodiversity and works on a project on forest conservation activities and providing livelihoods to Indigenous people. The company has an opportunity to demonstrate that it is measuring the outcomes and impact of a proportion of its support activities.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company does not disclose that it specifically recognises the health and safety risks to vulnerable groups, such as migrant and temporary labourers, women, and young farmers.

Marubeni Corporation commits to respect human rights and the ILO core labour rights, and has a publicly available statement of policy that expects its business relationships to commit to respecting the ILO core labour rights. The company provides a grievance mechanism for employees, but does not demonstrate this is accessible to external stakeholders. While demonstrating how it identifies human rights risks for its subsidiaries and supply chain, the company does not disclose a such a process covering its full operations and can improve disclosure on the assessment and integration of salient human rights risks. Moreover, Marubeni Corporation does not demonstrate it engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders.

Marubeni Corporation publicly commits to respecting the health and safety of its workers, expects suppliers to adhere to the same standard and monitors their performance. However, it can strengthen its quantitative disclosure by reporting on the main types of work-related injuries. Marubeni Corporation reports on the proportion of its workforce by gender, but lacks disclosure on other markers of diversity such as age and ethnicity. No commitments or reporting on the other decent work topics – living wage, fair working hours, collective bargaining, and gender equality and women’s – were found

Marubeni Corporation prohibits bribery and corruption in its operations, includes related clauses in its contracts with suppliers, and discloses how it identifies bribery and corruption risks and impacts. However, there remains an opportunity to further strengthen its reporting channel by making it accessible to all stakeholders without fear of reprisals. Although Marubeni Corporation commits to protect customer personal data, it has an opportunity to expand this commitment to also include other groups such as employees. The company does not disclose a global tax strategy nor its approach to lobbying and political engagement. Neither does it disclose tax payment for each of its relevant jurisdictions nor its lobbying expenses.