Ezaki Glico

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. It provides that it identifies materiality for the group in line with feedback from consumers, business partners, employees, shareholders, investors and other stakeholders.

Plastic use and packaging waste
The company demonstrates commitment, has policies or engages in activities related to plastic use reduction and transitioning towards sustainable packaging. Its efforts include reducing the weight of plastic trays, switching to straws made with 5% plant-based materials or biomass plastic and eliminating use of plastic cup containers.

Food safety
The company provides evidence that 100% of its own operations are certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-recognised food safety scheme. It also discloses that it acquires FSSC 22000 certification for food safety management system at each manufacturing site.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion area.

Respect human rights
The company has a publicly available policy statement committing it to respect human right. It also has a grievance mechanism accessible to all workers where human rights violations can be reported without fear of reprisals.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company has an opportunity to link performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. Furthermore, it could disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise with respect to the company’s most material sustainability topics.

Lobbying and advocacy
The company has an opportunity to disclose a list of trade associations of which it is a member. Furthermore, the company can provide a clear and detailed framework for assessing the alignment of these trade associations with its sustainability targets. Additionally, the company can report any potential misalignments between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and its sustainability targets.

Stakeholder engagement
The company has an opportunity to disclose how it engages with stakeholders, the issues raised during such activities, and the outcomes of its stakeholder engagement.

Sustainable development strategy
While the company discloses some sustainability objectives including those related to climate and water, there is room to establish group-wide targets for the most material topics of its value chain. Additionally, the company has an opportunity to report consistently against all its targets.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company discloses its intensity-based targets for CO2 emissions and reports progress against those targets. However, there is no evidence that the company has set a target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions or reports progress on reducing them. Furthermore, the company’s scope 1 and 2 emissions targets could be aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory. While the company discloses quantitative reductions in its CO2 emissions during production, it does not disclose whether this has resulted in a reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The company also has the opportunity to reduce its scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and should consider disclosing a time-bound target for reducing these emissions. It is crucial for the company to report progress against these scope 3 targets. Additionally, the company’s scope 3 emissions targets should be aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Food loss and waste
The company discloses its FLW reduction targets, but it does not measure progress against these targets. However, it has the opportunity to align its FLW reduction goal with SDG12.3, which aims for a 50% reduction by 2030.

Plastic use and packaging waste
While the company describes its activities to reduce plastic use and transition towards sustainable packaging, it has an opportunity to disclose the associated quantitative data.

Water withdrawal
The company has an opportunity to enhance its disclosures relating to water use and withdrawal.

Availability of nutritious foods
The company has an opportunity to demonstrate how it is improving the nutritional quality of its products and to set targets to increase the share of more nutritious products in its portfolio.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company has an opportunity to implement front-of-pack labels or other consumer-facing nutrition labels that assist consumers in making healthier food choices. Additionally, the company can disclose the percentage of products that have been covered by its front-of-pack labeling schemes.

Food safety
The company has an opportinity to disclose the percentage of food suppliers certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme.

Child labour
The company has an opportunity to disclose a commitment to prohibit child labour in its supply chain and establish an age-verification system for its value chain. Further, it could provide evidence of how it builds the capacity of its suppliers to prevent child labour impacts.

Forced labour
The company has the opportunity to disclose forced labour requirements for its operations and supply chain. Specifically, it could prohibit the payment of recruitment fees, the retention of workers’ personal documents, and the restriction of workers’ freedom of movement. Furthermore, it could provide evidence of how it builds the capacity of its suppliers to prevent forced labour impacts.

Living wage
The company has an opportunity to set a target for paying a living wage across its direct suppliers and describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it sources. Also, it could disclose the percentage of workers across its own operations or suppliers that are paid a living wage.

Act ethically
The company has an opportunity to disclose a policy on bribery and corruption. and include anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its business relationships’ contracts. Additionally, it can establish a process to address these issues, along with a grievance mechanism for stakeholder complaints.

Moreover, the company can demonstrate ethical practices by disclosing its approach to lobbying and political engagement, clarifying its non-participation in political contributions, and transparently revealing lobbying expenditures.

Provide and promote decent work
The company has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to its operations and supply chain workers’ health and safety by disclosing a policy statement and providing evidence of monitoring suppliers’ compliance. Additionally, it could set a time-bound target for ensuring all workers receive a living wage, describe the living wage determination methodology, and disclose strategies to support suppliers in paying this wage standard.

Furthermore, the company could commit to gender equality and women’s empowerment and disclose related targets. It could also disclose the representation of women on the highest governance body and the ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men.

Respect human rights
The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to human rights by disclosing a policy statement that respects the ILO fundamental rights at work, in its operations and supply chain. Additionally, the company could describe the process for identifying human rights risks and impacts across all its activities, including its suppliers, as well as the process for assessing and identifying its salient human rights issues. Moreover, the company could establish a global system to address these salient human rights issues by implementing preventive, mitigative, or remedial measures.