Reidentifying the material issues that support Seven & i Group's sustainable growth

In 2022, the Seven & i Group reviewed its material issues, to further enhance its sustainable management.

Behind this move were changes in the social conditions in which we do business. The largest of these was growing interest in issues concerning the environment, including global warming, and human rights. People's interest in these subjects continues to grow with the spread of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and today we feel that doing business with a focus on social solutions is one of the missions of any global enterprise.

In light of these changes, we've identified social topics that we should consider, referring to sources including global frameworks such as the SDGs and evaluation items used by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating agencies. We also surveyed more than 5,000 stakeholders, including 7-Eleven franchise store owners, about the topics that the Seven & i Group should address. Through these efforts and expert dialogue, we revised our material issues over a period of about one year.

Focusing on the people essential to the retail industry

In revising our material issues, the management team focused above all on people.

Together with product lineup and price, how to ensure that customers can enjoy the shopping experience is of utmost importance to the retail industry. The Seven & i Group enjoys the support of more than 160,000 employees in Japan and globally—even more when we include 7-Eleven franchises around the world. To deliver new shopping experiences every day it is essential to maintain workplace environments where all employees can do their work with good health and positive attitudes and to provide them with opportunities to improve their abilities. Based on this point of view, management has pledged to “improve work engagement and environment for people working in Group businesses.”

Improving the quality of management together with all stakeholders, to realize our vision for the organization

As it plays a role in responsibly delivering to stakeholders the value generated by raw materials producers and manufacturers, the Seven & i Group comes into contact every day with approximately 60 million stakeholders around the world. They include customers, business partners, and franchise store owners. Aiming to be a world-class retail group focused on food, the Seven & i Group currently is growing its value chain around the world, identifying the CVS business in Japan and other markets as a growth driver.

Aiming in this way to be a global leader, the Seven & i Group believes that we must lead not only in quantitative aspects such as sales and profit but also in the qualitative aspects of management. Toward this end, it is vital that the Group promote environmental and community sustainability together with the customers, business partners, franchise store owners, and employees that make up our global value chain. Based on this concept, we have added the new material issue “achieve a sustainable society through partnerships.”

Our efforts to enhance these partnerships include the CSR audits that we have conducted together with our business partners in Japan and around the world since 2012, the Seven & i Group Business Partner Sustainable Action Guidelines revised in 2019, and enhancements to our structure for human rights due diligence based on the Guidelines. In the area of the environment, we are advancing initiatives under our GREEN CHALLENGE 2050 environmental declaration together with 7-Eleven, Inc., in North America, and we plan to expand them worldwide.

While enhancing sustainability together with our customers, we also emphasize sale of sustainability-certified seafoods. By 2050, we aim to use 100% accredited sustainable ingredients in our private brands, including Seven Premium. Furthermore, in the area of community engagement we are concluding comprehensive alliance agreements with local governments in Japan in a wide range of areas including local production/local consumption, support for seniors, improving health, and environmental protection. We plan to expand these agreements in the future.

As our businesses grow, we must never forget engagement with customers in the community

The retail industry has deep roots in the lives of customers in the community. Even amid active globalization, as a member of the retail industry we must never forget to propose solutions based on a close look at the issues, concerns, and dissatisfactions of the individual customers who live and work in our communities. These concerns and dissatisfactions represent potential needs. We consider addressing each of them individually, to realize solutions to social issues through our businesses, to be the fundamental essence of the Seven & i Group’s sustainability management.

While numerous global enterprises do business around the world, there is no such thing as a global consumer. Our customers live in their own communities, with their own familiar customs and cultures. Keeping this in mind, we will continue to strive store by store toward solutions for important social issues such as the environment and human rights, based on the spirit of “think globally, act locally.”

Seven & i Group Material Issues