Uni-President

Stakeholder engagement
Uni-President discloses its process for identifying its most relevant stakeholders as well as the outcomes of its stakeholder engagement and its integration into its sustainability strategy, which includes all three pillars of this benchmark. Furthermore, it discloses how it identifies and prioritises its key stakeholder groups.

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

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

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

Sustainable development strategy
Uni-President has a sustainability strategy covering all three benchmark dimensions which was created via a materiality process. However, time-bound and measurable targets are mostly lacking from, offering the company a clear opportunity for improvement.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development strategy
Uni-President has dedicated teams working on sustainability objectives, including the President of the company, who is also the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Chief, leading the CSR Committee. The company’s reports that remuneration of directors and managers is linked to the environmental and social impact of the organization’s business activities, but no further details are disclosed.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
Uni-President discloses a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 80% of 2005 levels by 2025. However, emissions have recently slightly increased. Furthermore, there is no evidence of measurement or objectives related to scope 3 emissions, and the company has an opportunity to align its targets to a 1.5-degrees warming trajectory.

Protection of natural terrestrial ecosystems
Uni-President discloses quantitative evidence of moving towards deforestation-free procurement of soybean. However, the company does not disclose data nor targets related to palm oil and coffee, which are other high risk commodities that it sources.

Water use
Uni-President reports a decrease on water withdrawal in 2019. However, the company has the opportunity to commit to water conservation by setting an overall water withdrawal reduction target for the future, as well as specific targets for water-stressed areas.

Plastic use and packaging waste
While Uni-President discloses a decrease of 102.51 tons of plastic use in 2019 by replacing packaging, it has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by setting targets to reduce plastic use or to transition to more sustainable forms of packaging and by reporting progress against these targets.

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 welfare across its relevant species, geographies and products.

Antibiotic 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 and farm 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
Uni-President states that it strives to meet the Taiwan Dietary Guideline of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in its entire portfolio. It also discloses a quantitative reduction of 7.48 tonnes of sugar used in 2019. Uni-President has an opportunity to disclose how it is addressing potential excess salt, fat, calories, or how it is increasing the offer of foods that include fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
While Uni-President has philanthropic activities that provide food, the company has an opportunity to integrate this objective into its commercial activities.

Clear and transparent labelling
While Uni-President discloses a commitment of compliance with national regulations regarding labelling and commits to providing nutritional information on key relevant nutrients through back-of-pack labels, it has an opportunity to make nutritional information more visible to consumers through the adoption of front-of-pack labels and/or any other consumer-facing nutrition label.

Responsible marketing
The company does not disclose alignment with national or international responsible marketing guidelines related to marketing to children.

Food safety
Uni-President discloses that all of its production plants are ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 certified. However, no information was provided regarding food safety certifications of its suppliers.

Child labour
The company commits not to use child labour in its human rights policy and code of practice, but does not extend this to its suppliers or disclose that it verifies the age of workers.

Forced labour
The company commits not to use forced labour in its human rights policy and code of practice, but does not extend this to its suppliers or disclose that it does not retain worker documents or restrict freedom of movement in its operations and supply chain.

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.

Living wage
The company does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage or requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

Farmer and fisherman 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.

Uni-President discloses a commitment to respect human rights and ILO core labour rights in its operations and provides grievance mechanisms that are accessible to workers and third parties. However, Uni-President does not disclose a policy statement expecting its suppliers to respect ILO core labour rights. No evidence of a human rights due diligence process that includes the identification, assessment and integration of salient human rights risks in the company’s operations and supply chain was found and Uni-President can improve disclosure on how it engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders.

Uni-President commits to respect the health and safety of its workers and demonstrates how it monitors this in its supply chain. However, while the company addresses health and safety in its CSR Code of Practice, it does not disclose a statement expecting suppliers to respect the health and safety of their workers. Related to workforce diversity, Uni-President discloses the proportion of its workforce for each employee category by gender and can improve by also disclosing data on other markers of diversity, such as age. No commitments or reporting on the other decent work topics – living wage, working hours, collective bargaining, and gender equality and women’s empowerment – was found.

Uni-President commits to protect personal data but lacks disclosure on the types of user information it collects. The company prohibits corruption and bribery in its operations and includes related clauses in its contracts with business relationships. However, it does not disclose its process for identifying bribery and corruption risks and impacts in its operations.