Message from the Executive Officer in Charge of Sustainability

The Purpose of the Ajinomoto Group is to contribute to the well-being of all human beings, our society and our planet through "AminoScience." Sustainability is at the heart of Ajinomoto ASV management. Our 2030 Roadmap shows how we are advancing initiatives aligned with important issues (Materiality) in Six Material Themes.
With five years to go until 2030, we continue to reduce negative impacts through our business activities and leverage our strength in "AminoScience" in cooperation with stakeholders to develop technologies, expertise, products, and services that generate positive impacts on society. Through this approach, we will work consistently toward creating a healthy and prosperous society, healthier and more abundant lifestyles, and the sustainable enhancement of corporate value.

The year 2024 was the hottest year in recorded history, with an average temperature increase of more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. We see floods, wildfires, and other disasters occurring across the globe, impacting our lives and economies tremendously.
Our responsibility is to pass down a rich global environment and a healthy society to future generations. This commitment is essential for sustainable business activities. Among all the urgencies, climate stabilization is one of the most pressing. To achieve climate stabilization, we must become nature positive. In other words, we must stop the loss of nature and put nature back on a path to recovery. The circular economy, nutritionally balanced diets, and human rights are a few of the other interconnected issues that we must address in parallel. The Ajinomoto Group leverages our strengths and work with scientists, policy makers, business leaders, and stakeholders globally and locally to achieve more impactful results. In 2024, we joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as another step forward in our activities.

A total of 70% of Ajinomoto Group procurement comes from agricultural, livestock, and marine products. It goes without saying that our group is heavily dependent on nature. Agrifood systems are a major source of emissions, accounting for more than 20% of total GHG emissions and second only to the energy industry. Agrifood has a significant impact on the global environment while being affected by those changes at the same time. Meanwhile, one-third of the world's food is wasted. Further, one-third of the world's population, or 2.8 billion people, do not have access to healthy food. The hidden costs of agrifood systems, including diseases caused by unhealthy diets, have been reported to be more than 10% of global GDP.
As you can see, we must transform the agrifood systems in many ways while creating diverse opportunities for business and employment. The Ajinomoto Group is committed to improving local environments and farmer livelihoods. One measure to this end is our support of agricultural and livestock products through recycled nutrients from the bio-cycling of fermentation by-products into fertilizers and feeds. We have built on these activities over the past several years to develop products that will transform the agriculture and livestock industries.

Throughout our more than 110-year history, the Ajinomoto Group has supported nutritionally balanced diets across the world without compromising on food culture or taste. We have also learned more recently of the clear connection between cooking and sharing meals with subjective well-being. The Ajinomoto Group will continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with our stakeholders and partners to meet all challenges, leveraging our tangible and intangible assets developed through "AminoScience."