Nisshin Seifun Group

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 identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

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

Sustainable development strategy
Nisshin Seifun discloses objectives covering sustainability topics across the three benchmark dimensions of environment, nutrition and social inclusion. The company discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics, which includes value chain analysis and assessing stakeholder interests. However, except for targets to reduce GHG emissions, the company does not disclose targets as part of its sustainability strategy.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company does not disclose the governance structure for the implementation of its sustainable development strategy, such as the person, team or committee that holds ultimate responsibility for its implementation.

Stakeholder engagement
While Nisshin Seifun refers to stakeholder engagement activities in its reporting, it does not disclose how it selects stakeholders, an overview of the topics discussed with them or how it integrates stakeholder engagement outcomes into its sustainability strategy.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
Nisshin Seifun reports on its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions annually and demonstrates a reduction over time. In addition, it has set targets to reduce GHG emissions in Japan by 26% and reduce overseas per-unit emissions by 7.8% by 2031, against a 2014 baseline. However, the company has an opportunity to set a target covering its full operations.

Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
While Nisshin Seifun reports on segments of its scope 3 GHG emissions annually and demonstrates year-on-year reductions, no time-bound targets to reduce scope 3 emissions were found.

Water use
Nisshin Seifun demonstrates that it measures water use in its operations and reports on water withdrawals annually. However, the company’s reporting displays an increase in water use since 2016. The company has an opportunity to set targets to reduce water withdrawals across its operations.

Food loss and waste
While Nisshin Seifun is addressing food loss and waste in its operations by reusing food waste from its operations as animal feed and fertiliser, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to reduce food loss and waste across its operations and reporting progress against these targets.

Plastic use and packaging waste
Nisshin Seifun demonstrates that it is reducing its plastic use and transitioning to sustainable forms of packaging, such as through developing packaging with reduced plastic content and offering refill containers. However, the company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to reduce plastic use or transition to more sustainable forms of packaging and reporting progress against these targets.

Availability of healthy foods
Nisshin Seifun discloses that it is introducing reformulated products such as low-sodium flour and flour mixes with added fibre, as well as healthier products such as wholewheat flour and wheat germ. However, the company has an opportunity to disclose quantitative evidence of its reformulation activities as well as set targets to increase the share of healthy foods in its product portfolio.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment or evidence of activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company does not disclose that it provides nutritional information through clear, transparent and accurate labelling.

Responsible marketing
While Nisshin Seifun states that it does not tolerate any harmful influence on children in its marketing activities, no evidence that the company’s marketing activities are aligned with international codes and guidelines regarding marketing to children was found. There is an opportunity for the company to disclose a responsible marketing policy that aligns with relevant international codes and guidelines.

Food safety
Nisshin Seifun demonstrates a commitment to ensuring safe food for consumers by implementing the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system across its operations. While the company provides an overview of food safety certifications per location, it does not demonstrate that 100% of its locations are certified to a food safety scheme programme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative. Moreover, the company has an opportunity to disclose food safety certifications for its suppliers.

Child labour
While Nisshin Seifun 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
While referring to living wages in its human rights policy and supplier code of conduct, Nisshin Seifun does not disclose that it ensures workers in its operations and supply chain receive wages that are sufficient to cover basic needs and some discretionary income for a worker and his or her family. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

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.

Farmer productivity and resilience
The company does not disclose a commitment or examples of activities to support the resilience, productivity and access to markets for farmers, fishers and/or small-scale producers in its supply chain.

Land rights
While the company states that it respects the rights of local and indigenous communities in the regions where its suppliers conduct business, it does not demonstrate that it recognises and respects legitimate tenure rights by following international best practice such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure or free, prior and informed consent.

Nisshin Seifun commits to respecting human rights and the ILO core labour rights in its operations. It also has a publicly available policy statement expecting its suppliers to respect the ILO core labour rights. While the company provides a grievance mechanism for its workers, it does not indicate that this mechanism is also accessible to third parties. No evidence of a due diligence process was found, and the company does not disclose how it engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders.

Nisshin Seifun has a time-bound target related to women’s empowerment and discloses information on workforce composition by gender. However, the company lacks disclosure on other workforce diversity and gender equality metrics such as pay gaps and employees by age group. Nisshin Seifun commits to respecting the health and safety of its workers and places health and safety expectations on its business relationships but can strengthen its monitoring and quantitative reporting. While addressing working hours and living wages in its policies, the company does not disclose commitments to ensure a regular workweek of maximum 48 hours or the payment of living wages in all its locations. No policy or reporting related to collective bargaining was found.

Nisshin Seifun commits to protecting personal data and discloses information on how personal data is used. However, it does not specify whether it allows users to retrieve a copy of the information it collects. The company discloses a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption but does not specify whether these requirements are extended to its supply chain partners through contracts. Neither does it disclose its process for identifying bribery and corruption risks in its operations. No policy setting out the company’s approach to lobbying and political engagement was found, neither was a global tax strategy.