Prima Meat Packers Group’s Material Issues

Material issues

Securing safe, reliable food

How we address the issue

We will ensure the safety and reliability of our products to give our customers a greater range of dietary options and to build a sustainable system of production.

Related SDGs
  • 2 Zero Hunger
  • 3 Good Health and Well-Being
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Material issues

Recommending health-conscious products

How we address the issue

We will innovate in the field of healthy and wholesome food to produce health-focused foods that help our customers build a better and more nutritious diet.

Related SDGs
  • 2 Zero Hunger
  • 3 Good Health and Well-Being
Material issues

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

How we address the issue

We will work toward reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, with medium- and long-term time horizons. As part of this effort, we will use efficient and green energy.

Related SDGs
  • 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  • 13 Climate Action
  • 14 Life Below Water
Material issues

Reducing the volume of waste output

How we address the issue

To reduce food loss, we will reduce food waste and recycle more of it. To prevent ocean plastic pollution, we will reduce plastic waste.

Related SDGs
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  • 14 Life Below Water
Material issues

Reducing water usage

How we address the issue

Recognizing the scale of the global water crisis, we will make our water usage more sustainable by using less water.

Related SDGs
  • 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  • 14 Life Below Water
Material issues

Reducing plastic usage

How we address the issue

Working toward a circular economy, we will generate less plastic waste and use less plastic in our products.

Related SDGs
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Material issues

Safeguarding biodiversity

How we address the issue

To minimize negative impacts on biodiversity such as biodiversity loss and destruction of ecosystems, we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, use less water, and generate less waste.

Related SDGs
  • 14 Life Below Water
  • 15 Life On Land
Material issues

Achieving sustainable procurement of raw materials

How we address the issue

We will procure raw materials and animal feed from sources in multiple countries, act with fairness and integrity in our dealings with suppliers, and consider environmental sustainability in our procurement activities.

Related SDGs
  • 10 Reduced Inequalities
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  • 15 Life On Land
Material issues

Addressing animal welfare

How we address the issue

We will safeguard animal welfare in our hog farming business and other operations that involve livestock.

Related SDGs
  • 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Material issues

Respecting and promoting diverse workstyles

How we address the issue

We will respect and value every employee by providing a workplace environment that is inclusive and engaging.

Related SDGs
  • 5 Gender Equality
  • 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Material issues

Hiring and developing outstanding human resources

How we address the issue

We will unleash employees’ full potential so that they can contribute to society through their job.

Related SDGs
  • 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Material issues

Occupational health and safety that focuses on mental and physical health

How we address the issue

We will take measures to safeguard employee health in the course of their business activities to provide a workplace environment in which employees feel mentally and physically well.

Related SDGs
  • 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Material issues

Strengthening corporate governance

How we address the issue

We will build structures that encourage transparency and sustainable corporate development. With such structures, we will act with integrity in our decision-making and business practices and contribute to the development of our industry.

Related SDGs
  • 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Process for specifying material issues

To achieve sustainable growth as a company, we must analyze the major risks and opportunities that will affect growth of the Group from the perspective of ESG. We must then develop strategies to address these risks and opportunities with a long-term perspective. With this in mind, we developed a business strategy and specified the strategic priorities.

The figure shows that items of high interest to stakeholders and of high interest to the Prima Meat Packers Group are identified as key issues.
  1. Step 1
    Identify and categorize social issues

    We examined the criteria that external ratings bodies use when evaluating a company’s ESG performance. These included the sustainability standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and the MSCI (a leading rating agency for sustainable investments). We identified 38 issues (a total of 164 items) that featured in all three sources and that also seemed relevant to our stakeholders. We then examined these issues further to identify those that matter the most to our businesses. As a result, we selected the 23 issues to refine the shortlist.

  2. Step 2
    Survey internal divisions

    To determine how much the issues matter to stakeholders, we polled 12 internal divisions that have a high level of stakeholder engagement. Their responses highlighted certain topics that frequently arise in stakeholder dialogue and are thus important to stakeholders. To determine how much the issues matter to us, we evaluated their relevance to our strategy and business activities as well as the opportunities and risks they present.

  3. Step 3
    Determine relative priority of issues

    We plotted the issues onto a matrix. In this matrix, the vertical axis indicated how much the issue matters to stakeholders and the horizontal axis indicated how much it matters to us. The issues that mattered the most to both stakeholders and to us included reduction of carbon emissions, conformance with animal welfare standards (an issue of increasing global concern), sustainable procurement, and development of health-oriented products. We provisionally defined these as material issues.

  4. Step 4
    Review by president and experts

    President Naoto Chiba reviewed the results and rated each issue for its suitability as a material issue. Next, members of an expert panel and a taskforce debated the selected issues in light of the latest trends. As a result of these two review processes, and with the approval of the Executive Council, we settled on 10 material issues in five categories.

  5. Step 5
    Updating the set of material issues

    We finalized the set of material issues in September 2020. In fiscal 2023, the Sustainability Committee considered the changes in socio-environmental conditions that had occurred in the years since 2020. The committee also considered feedback from stakeholders and experts. Ultimately, we decided to add three more material issues, bringing the total to 13: reducing water usage, reducing plastic usage, and safeguarding biodiversity. The set of material issues may be updated again in the future as necessary.