Nippon Suisan Kaisha (Nissui)

Stakeholder engagement
Nissui demonstrates leadership by having one of the most robust stakeholder engagement approaches in the benchmark: it discloses its process for identifying and engaging with stakeholders across its value chain, the outcomes of its stakeholder engagement and the integration of these outcomes into its sustainability strategy. Additionally, the company’s stakeholder engagement covers sustainability topics across all three benchmark dimensions (environment, nutrition, and social inclusion) across its value chain.

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
Nissui discloses a 2030 sustainability strategy covering sustainability topics across all three benchmark dimensions for its own activities and its value chain. The strategy is split in three sections: preserve the bountiful sea and promote the sustainable utilisation of marine resources and their procurement; aim to be a company where diverse human resources play an important role to address the social agenda; and contribute to a healthy lifestyle with food safety and security. The first two contain specific time-bound targets/key performance indicators, but the last, related to nutrition, lacks any.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
Nissui has established a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee with the company’s president and chief executive officer as chair, demonstrating accountability for and oversight of its sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body. However, the company has an opportunity to strengthen accountability by linking sustainability objectives and targets to roles and remuneration.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions
Nissui has set a 2030 carbon intensity target, but this only covers scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from activities in Japan. The company has an opportunity to set ambitious, global, science-based targets for its entire operations. Further, Nissui does not report on its scope 3 emissions. It thus has an opportunity to improve by setting and disclosing a scope 3 emissions target.

Sustainable fishing and aquaculture
Nissui commits to the procurement of sustainable marine products by 2030, but details on the target definition were not found and the reporting is inconsistent. The company has a significant opportunity to better define how it aims to achieve a sustainable supply of fishing and aquaculture products.

Protein diversification
The company does not disclose that it is diversifying its protein portfolio, for instance, by increasing the proportion of plant-based proteins and other alternatives.

Water use
Nissui has a time-bound target to reduce water use by 10% by 2023, relative to 2015, but only for activities in Japan. The company has an opportunity to expand the scope of its reporting and target.

Animal welfare
The company does not disclose that it is addressing key animal and aquatic welfare issues. 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
Nissui 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
While Nissui discloses that it introduces processing technologies that reduce salt concentration in food, it has an opportunity to disclose reformulation efforts regarding key nutrients such as fat or toxins.

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.

Clear and transparent labelling
While the company discloses a commitment of compliance with national regulations regarding labelling, 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.

Food safety
Nissui reports compliance with the FSSC 22000 food safety system certification, which is based on adherence to the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. This system was implemented at 17 Japanese business sites in 2020, but it is unclear whether it covers all the company’s global operations. The company has an opportunity to expand its programme and disclosures on the topic.

Forced labour
While Nissui 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/or restricting workers’ freedom of movement.

Living wage
Nissui 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.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
Nissui 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
Nissui reports that it is involved in the education of next-generation fishers in Japan and overseas. For instance, through its Global Fisheries Scholarship Program, Nissui supports Maori youth from New Zealand. However, the impact on and number of beneficiaries is not clear, and the company could further disclose the impact on communities.

Nissui commits to respecting human rights and the ILO core labour rights of its workers, and it has a publicly available statement of policy that expects its supply chain partners to commit to respecting the ILO core labour rights. However, the company provides limited disclosure on human rights due diligence, and it does not disclose how it identifies, assesses and takes action to address its human rights salient risks in its own operations and supply chain. Neither is evidence disclosed of how the company engages with affected and potentially affected stakeholders impacted by its operations. Nissui provides a grievance mechanism for workers. While the company indicates that external communities and individuals can make a report through its customer service centre, it does not disclose whether this channel allows for anonymous reporting.

Nissui has a publicly available policy statement expecting its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers, and it discloses how it monitors their performance in this regard. However, the company does not disclose a commitment to respect the health and safety of workers in its own operations and lacks reporting on key metrics such as the number of fatalities in the workplace. On gender equality and women’s empowerment, the company has time-bound targets for women accounting for 30% or more of new recruits but lacks an overall commitment on the topic. No commitments regarding living wages, fair working hours and collective bargaining were found, and the company does not report on workforce diversity metrics.

Nissui publicly commits to protecting personal data but could improve by disclosing what type of user information it collects and the types of third parties with whom this data is shared. While the company addresses bribery and corruption on its website, it does not disclose a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption in its operations and business relationships. Moreover, no policies setting out the company’s global tax strategy and approach to lobbying and political engagement were found.