Ajinomoto Group

SASB Reference Table

Published: September 2022

 

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is an independent, standards-setting organization that promotes disclosure of material sustainability information to meet investor needs. The table below references the Standard for the Processed Foods industry as defined by SASB’s Sustainable Industry Classification System (SICS) and identifies where the Ajinomoto Group addresses each topic.

SDB: Sustainability Data Book 2022

AR: ASV Report 2022

CS: Corporate Website

Energy Management

FB-PF-130a.1 Accounting Metric

(1) Total energy consumed, (2) percentage grid electricity, (3) percentage renewable

Location

(1) (2)
SDB: Material balance > Fuel, Purchased electricity, Purchased steam, etc. P69
(3)
CS: IR > Library > Sustainability Data Book > Environmental Data > Energy input, Composition of consumed energy (thermal equivalent)
SDB: Material balance > Purchased electricity (derived from renewable energy) P69

Notes

Total energy consumed is disclosed in TJ.

Water Management

FB-PF-140a.1 Accounting Metric

(1) Total water withdrawn, (2) total water consumed, percentage of each in regions with High or Extremely High Baseline Water Stress

Location

(1)
SDB: Material balance > Water P69
SDB: Conservation of water resources in production processes > Water use/intensity > Total water withdrawal, Total water consumption P112
(2)
SDB: Key Initiatives and Progress > Reduction rate of water consumption per production volume unit (vs. FY2005) P22
SDB: Conservation of water resources in production processes > Ratio of water consumed in regions with high water stress P111
CS: IR > Library > Sustainability Data Book > Environmental > Water use/intensity
CDP Water Security

FB-PF-140a.2 Accounting Metric

Number of incidents of non-compliance associated with water quantity and/or quality permits, standards, and regulations

Location

SDB: Response to environmental laws and accidents P68
Three cases of violation in fiscal 2021

FB-PF-140a.3 Accounting Metric

Description of water management risks and discussion of strategies and practices to mitigate those risks

Location

SDB: Key Initiatives and Progress > Reduction rate of water consumption per production volume unit (vs. FY2005) P22
SDB: Environmental management P66-68
SDB: Conservation of water resources P110-113
AR: Approach to reducing environmental impacts and to nutrition P46

Food Safety

FB-PF-250a.1 Accounting Metric

Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit (1) non-conformance rate and (2) associated corrective action rate for (a) major and (b) minor non-conformances

Location

N/A

Notes

The Ajinomoto Group encourages Group companies to acquire and maintain ISO 9001 certification. As of March 2022, 59 of 74 eligible Group companies have acquired ISO 9001 certification. In response to customer requests or other cases, the Group acquires certification of other standards such as FSSC 22000 approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

FB-PF-250a.2 Accounting Metric

Percentage of ingredients sourced from Tier 1 supplier facilities certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized food safety certification program

Location

Not disclosed

FB-PF-250a.3 Accounting Metric

(1) Total number of notices of food safety violation received, (2) percentage corrected

Location

No violation in FY2021

FB-PF-250a.4 Accounting Metric

(1) Number of recalls issued and (2) total amount of food product recalled

Location

SDB: Number of recalls and distribution collections by the Ajinomoto Group P50

Health & Nutrition

FB-PF-260a.1 Accounting Metric

Revenue from products labeled and/or marketed to promote health and nutrition attributes

Location

SDB: Percentage of products with high nutritional value* P30

*Products that meet the Ajinomoto Group criteria and that contribute to improving and enhancing the intake of important nutrients from an international public health perspective

FB-PF-260a.2 Accounting Metric

Discussion of the process to identify and manage products and ingredients related to nutritional and health concerns among consumers

Location

SDB: Contribution to solve food and health issues P23-41
SDB: Assurance of product safety P46-56
AR: Our approach to nutrition P50-51

Product Labeling & Marketing

FB-PF-270a.1 Accounting Metric

Percentage of advertising impressions (1) made on children and (2) made on children promoting products that meet dietary guidelines

Location

Not disclosed

FB-PF-270a.2 Accounting Metric

Revenue from products labeled as (1) containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and (2) non-GMO

Location

Not disclosed

FB-PF-270a.3 Accounting Metric

Number of incidents of non-compliance with industry or regulatory labeling and/or marketing codes

Location

SDB: Incidents of non-compliance P45
No incidents in FY2021

FB-PF-270a.4 Accounting Metric

Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with labeling and/or marketing practices

Location

Not disclosed

Packaging Lifecycle Management

FB-PF-410a.1 Accounting Metric

(1) Total weight of packaging, (2) percentage made from recycled and/or renewable materials, and (3) percentage that is recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable

Location

(1)
SDB: Material balance > Packaging material P69
(2)
SDB: Sustainable procurement of paper P100
(3)
SDB: Use of containers and packaging and recycling implementation fee payments for household products P87

FB-PF-410a.2 Accounting Metric

Discussion of strategies to reduce the environmental impact of packaging throughout its lifecycle

Location

SDB: Key Initiatives and Progress > Plastic usage P21
SDB: Contribution to a circular economy P84-91
AR: Measures and progress for reducing plastic waste P49

Environmental & Social Impacts of Ingredient Supply Chain

FB-PF-430a.1 Accounting Metric

Percentage of food ingredients sourced that are certified to third-party environmental and/or social standards, and percentages by standard

Location

SDB: Key Initiatives and Progress > Sustainable procurement ratio P22
SDB: Initiatives related to key raw materials P98-102
RSPO Annual Communication of Progress 2021

FB-PF-430a.2 Accounting Metric

Suppliers’ social and environmental responsibility audit (1) non-conformance rate and (2) associated corrective action rate for (a) major and (b) minor non-conformances

Location

Not disclosed

Notes

The Ajinomoto Group audits suppliers in accordance with Group policies and provides corrective guidance as needed.

Ingredient Sourcing

FB-PF-440a.1 Accounting Metric

Percentage of food ingredients sourced from regions with High or Extremely High Baseline Water Stress

Location

CDP Water Security P10

Notes

Maize starch: 0%

FB-PF-440a.2 Accounting Metric

List of priority food ingredients and discussion of sourcing risks due to environmental and social considerations

Location

SDB: Initiatives related to key raw materials P98-102
SDB: Supply chain management P103-105

Activity Metric Code Location
Weight of products sold FB-PF-000.A We do not publicly provide this proprietary information.
Ref. The production volume in fiscal 2021 was 2,360 kilotons.
Number of production facilities FB-PF-000.B AR: Global Network P105-106