Maruha Nichiro

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 nutrition measurement area.

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

Sustainable development strategy
Maruha Nichiro discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics as well as the outcome of this process in relation to its sustainability strategy. However, no time-bound targets in any of the measurement areas were found.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development

Maruha Nichiro’s chief operating officer is the chair of the sustainability committee, demonstrating that oversight of the company’s sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body. However, no remuneration policy linked to sustainability objectives was found.

Stakeholder engagement
Maruha Nichiro’s stakeholder engagement covers sustainability topics addressed by all three benchmark dimensions (environment, nutrition and social inclusion) across its value chain. However, the company could further improve by disclosing its process for identifying and engaging with stakeholders across its value chain.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
Maruha Nichiro has set scope 1 and 2 carbon intensity targets for 2021, but there is no evidence they concern global activities at the parent-company level. The company has an opportunity to set science-based targets aligned with a 1.5-degree pathway. In addition, Maruha Nichiro can start reporting its scope 3 emissions and set relevant targets for reducing these.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
Maruha Nichiro has not set time-bound targets but formulated a broad sustainable fishing goal. The company publicly discloses little information about the sustainability of its wild fisheries and farmed fish stocks. While Maruha Nichiro states that it aims to increase its certified fish portfolio, no evidence was found indicating that its activities are following a positive trend towards sustainable use of marine resources.

Water use
No information on water use and reduction targets was found. Maruha Nichiro has an opportunity to follow its peers by reporting on water consumption across its own operations and supply chain and set appropriate water consumption reduction targets, particularly in water-stressed areas.

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

Food loss and waste
While Maruha Nichiro is addressing food loss and waste in its own operations by donating undelivered products to food banks, it has an opportunity to clarify its commitment by setting targets to reduce food loss and waste across its operations and supply chain and reporting against these targets.

Availability of healthy foods
Demonstrating broad commitments to healthy foods, one of Maruha Nichiro’s objectives is to reduce salt and calories and fortify calcium in its portfolio. However, no metrics or targets on the impact of this objective was found.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
Maruha Nichiro does not disclose a commitment and activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Food safety
While Maruha Nichiro discloses compliance with national regulations and has created its own food safety standards based on certifications recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the company does not provide evidence that 100% of its operations are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme.

Forced labour
While Maruha Nichiro 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 restrict workers’ freedom of movement.

Living wage
Maruha Nichiro does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage nor requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
Maruha Nichiro 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 and fisher productivity and resilience
Maruha Nichiro 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.

Maruha Nichiro publicly commits to respecting human rights and the rights of its workers. However, the company does not disclose sufficient information on its human rights due diligence system, particularly the processes in place to assess and act upon human rights risks. Although Maruha Nichiro states it engages with various stakeholders, it does not disclose the categories of stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. Regarding a grievance mechanism, it is unclear whether anonymity is guaranteed for the company’s workers and whether the mechanism is accessible to external individuals and communities as well.

Maruha Nichiro places health and safety expectations on and monitors the performance of its suppliers, but it could further improve by developing a policy statement on health and safety across its operations. The company discloses data related to workforce diversity and is committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment, although it does not disclose women-to-men salary information and only 7% of its board members are women. No information on paying a living wage or sufficient details on decent working hours were found in the public domain.

Maruha Nichiro publicly commits to personal data protection, but no privacy statement relating to the sharing of and access to personal data was found. Further, the company’s bribery and corruption policy does not prohibit these activities explicitly. Similarly, no responsible tax approach or jurisdiction-level tax disclosures and no responsible lobbying policy were found in the public domain.