Message from the Head of Corporate Planning HeadquartersGRI: 2-22

Enhancing our sustainability strategy integrated with management to build a sustainable future for food

In light of the continuous changes in the external environment marked by increasing uncertainty, we recognize that sustainability is also important for strengthening risk management. We are therefore stepping up our sustainability efforts while enhancing our business management as well as our management of organizational functions. From April 2025 we adopted a new structure as an operating holding company. As the officer in charge of promoting sustainability under this new structure, I would like to take this opportunity to provide an explanation about our initiatives.

In the Fuji Oil Group, we consider management strategy and sustainability strategy to be inseparable from each other. We position the promotion of sustainability at the core of management, not just as activities for corporate social responsibility, but as a means to continuously enhance corporate value.

In Reborn 2024, our medium-term management plan aim to achieve the vision of “Together with our stakeholders, we will co-create a sustainable future for food, based on plant-based ingredients that are both delicious and healthy.” We have thus far sought to co-create both social value and economic value that balances the resolution of social issues with the growth of the Group. Reborn 2024 incorporates our strong desire to evolve into a corporate group that can generate new value, and we positioned the past three years as a period to strengthen the management foundation necessary for this transformation into a corporate group that truly creates new value.

One of the fundamental policies for strengthening this management foundation is enhancing sustainability ― sustainability strategy integrated with management strategy. We aim to advance our efforts in sustainability by integrating them into our management strategy, thereby creating positive value for the environment and society, and enhancing our corporate value in the medium-to-long term. Our Sustainability Committee, an advisory body to the Board of Directors, has deepened its discussions while reinforcing the connections between material ESG issues and our business strategy. We have also set environmental, social and governance goals linked to the key policies of Reborn 2024 in the performance evaluations of directors and executive officers who are also responsible for the execution of business.

We are promoting three key themes under the policy of enhancing sustainability: (1) differentiation through sustainable procurement; (2) mitigating climate change and biodiversity risks; and (3) utilizing human resources. We believe these initiatives are indispensable to the provision of rapid and appropriate measures to address the social issues present in the food value chain.
The connection between our specific management strategy and sustainability strategy is reflected in the following key themes.

• Differentiation through sustainable procurement: We aim to build a sustainable supply chain by tackling environmental and human rights issues in regions where our key raw materials such as palm oil and cocoa are produced, and by strengthening our collaboration with suppliers. This initiative not only mitigates risks but also enhances the added value and competitive advantage of the Group’s products. For example, our efforts in sustainable palm oil have led to numerous inquiries from customers and the creation of sales opportunities.
• Mitigating climate change and biodiversity risks: As a company working to create plant-based food products, responding to climate change and engaging in biodiversity conservation and restoration is one of our key basic policies. We are working to reduce our environmental impact across the entire value chain with the aim of achieving a nature positive and net zero transition by FY2050. We are introducing energy-efficient equipment in our manufacturing processes and adopting renewable energy sources, reducing our water usage, and upcycling by-products from plant-based protein ingredients. We are also working to prevent deforestation and promote reforestation in the value chain.
• Utilizing human resources: Fostering a culture in which everyone in our diverse workforce can fully demonstrate their capabilities and drive innovation is essential for accelerating the provision of new value. We promote diversity and inclusion (DE&I) and we are committed to creating a safe workplace environment. We also take steps to improve employee health (health and productivity management). Human resource development is essential for sustainable growth, and we are focused on employees’ further understanding of our vision, developing globally capable personnel and next-generation executive candidates, and providing a wide range of experiential opportunities. The empowerment of female employees is also an important issue that we continue to address.

Not only do we consider these initiatives to be our social responsibility, but we also incorporate them into our business. For example, in product development planning, we place importance on the sustainability of raw materials and manufacturing processes, in addition to the aspects of deliciousness and healthiness. We are also creating products that contribute to solving social issues, such as long-term storage technology that helps reduce food loss and waste and the development of functional food materials that address some of the health challenges of older people. In addition, we are engaged in the development of products that can contribute to solving issues such as labor shortages faced by our customers.

Our sustainability initiatives are pursued through a process of co-creation with our stakeholders. We recognize that collaborating and sharing insights with suppliers, customers, business partners, and various other stakeholders along the value chain is key to solving social issues and creating new value. Dialogue with stakeholders forms the basis of our sustainability management and also leads to improvements in our activities.
In this way, for the Fuji Oil Group, our sustainability strategy is integrated with the management strategy and has become a critical element in realizing our 2030 vision, strengthening competitiveness, and enhancing corporate value. Going forward, we will continue to challenge ourselves and improve on our efforts to build a sustainable food value chain under the core concept of creating plant-based food products that support the health of people and the planet. Together with our stakeholders, we will continue to co-create a sustainable future for food.

Taro Takahashi
Executive Officer
Head of Corporate Planning Headquarters
Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.