Seven & i Group has established the Sustainable Procurement Policy that includes traceability, conservation of biodiversity, response to climate change issues, and consideration of human rights, and we have promoted initiatives with the aim of co-existing with nature as set forth in the GREEN CHALLENGE 2050 Environmental Declaration. In addition, in the GREEN CHALLENGE 2050, it is stipulated that we make 50% of food ingredients used in our original products (including Seven Premium) sustainable by 2030, and 100% by 2050.

Seven & i Group is working to sell products for which sustainability is guaranteed, such as those certified by the MSC^※, to pass on the rich blessings of the sea to future generations. Further, to fulfill our responsibility as a retail business that connects producers and customers, we are also focusing on conveying the value of these products and the producers’ desires to customers through our stores and websites.

Since October 2018, in the marine products under Seven & i Group’s Seven Premium private brand, 3 cod roe products and 3 karashimentaiko (salted cod roe with red pepper) products, and an other product (as of the end of February 2023) certified by MSC have been sold at the stores of Seven & i Group. These are natural marine products obtained through fishing practices that are friendly to marine resources and the marine environment and have passed management system inspection even for processing and distribution. In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, MSC certified products accounted for 8.1% of Seven Premium marine products.

At Ito-Yokado, York-Benimaru, and York, 6 products with ASC^※ certification are being sold as marine products of the Group's private Seven Premium brand (as of the end of February 2023). ASC certification is conferred upon aquaculture companies that have shown consideration of their responsibilities to the environment and society. In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, ASC certified products accounted for 3.0% of Seven Premium marine products.

Ito-Yokado is the first major Japanese retailer to obtain MEL^※ certification, a certification system for eco-friendly catching and cultivation of marine products. From April 2020, 4 original “Fresh Fish with Traceability” products—yellowtail, amberjack, red sea bream, and flatfish—were given the MEL mark. With the further certification given to wakame seaweed and ginzake salmon, certified products of a total of 9 varieties of fish are now being sold at 123 Ito-Yokado stores nationwide as of the end of February 2023. Further, to convey the value of these certified products to customers, some stores have installed point-of-purchase ads in fish sections that explain the certifications.

Further, to convey the value of these certified products to customers, some stores have installed point-of-purchase ads in fish sections that explain the certifications.

Seven & i Group stores actively sell and convey to customers the quality of Alaska Seafood products, which are sourced through environmentally friendly fishing practices. Alaska Seafood is all-natural marine products, and strictly manages resources and fisheries in the region of product origin of Alaska, to ensure that no damage results to the ecosystems which conserve the natural marine resource.

In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, Ito-Yokado sold sablefish, sockeye salmon, and benisujiko (salted salmon roe) at food sections. Furthermore, starting in November 2022, we began using Alaskan seafood for the hand-wrapped rice balls sold at 7-Eleven stores, with the Alaska Seafood logo displayed on the packaging.

Seven & i Group is promoting the acquisition of GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) certification for safe farm and aptitude management to promote the procurement of sustainable agricultural products. We also procure certified ingredients, such as those produced with reduced use of pesticide and those made from organic and fair trade ingredients.

At Ito-Yokado’s Seven Farms, which are engaged in recycling-oriented agricultural operations, and under Ito-Yokado’s original Fresh Vegetables with Traceability and Fresh Fruits with Traceability products, Ito-Yokado aims to ensure safe agricultural produce, correct farm management, and so forth. Therefore, Ito-Yokado has recommended the acquisition of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification.

GAP is an agricultural production management method recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. It provides a set of standards to be followed in daily farm management to increase food safety and ensure environmental conservation. The minimum necessary levels of agricultural chemicals are used as GAP includes initiatives relating to food safety and environmental conservation.

Moreover, Ito-Yokado and York-Benimaru sell original products that use fewer agrichemicals than the values regulated by law. Examples include the original Fresh Vegetables with Traceability and Fresh Fruits with Traceability products sold at Ito-Yokado. They are grown with fewer agrichemicals and assure traceability of the growing region and growing history. Sales of all foods in the Traceability series including these products in the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023 at Ito-Yokado topped ¥24.8 billion.

Furthermore, the methods and frequency of use of agricultural chemicals vary by region and crop. The Fresh Vegetables with Traceability category and certain other products comprise foods grown with the goal of applying agrichemicals with half or lower of the usual frequency of each growing area (the average number of applications for each crop stipulated by local government organizations and other public bodies).

Under Seven & i Group's Seven Premium private brand, we sell organic JAS-certified products such as bamboo shoots and other agricultural products, as well as coffee and other processed foods. Ito-Yokado also sells organic JAS-certified products as original Fresh Vegetables with Traceability products.

Under Seven & i Group's Seven Premium private brand, we sell coffee beans, cacao and other products that have acquired International Fair Trade Certification, a system that supports the sustainability and diets of producers in developing countries.

Palm oil is widely used in various processed foods as well as in household goods such as detergents, but problems have been indicated, such as destruction of the environment in countries where it is produced and the use of child labor and forced labor on farms. Seven & i Group joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in January 2020. Palm oil that is guaranteed to be sustainable is being used for some of the Group's "Seven Premium" private brand products.

In response to growing interest in products that are safe and secure for our customers, and environmentally friendly, Seven & i Group has promoted the procurement of organic cotton for underwear and bedding as part of its sustainable procurement efforts. Starting February 2020, to convey the value of organic cotton to customers in an easy-to-understand manner, we started selling products with a common symbol displayed that satisfy certain conditions, such as being internationally certified through the American Organic Content Standard (OCS) or Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

Seven & i Group sells women’s 100% Organic Cotton Innerwear products that have cleared strict organic production standards under the Seven Premium private brand. These products are sold at 109 Ito-Yokado stores throughout Japan (as of the end of February 2023) and the Group's online shop. Only organic cotton that meets U.S. Organic Content Standards (OCS) is used as a raw material in these products. We also sell bedding, such as quilt covers and pillowcases, and towels made of organic cotton.

Seven & i Group is making efforts to develop and sell products using recycled materials to facilitate procurement which is sustainable and conscious of the global environment.

Ito-Yokado began to sell casual wear made with the recycled polyester “RENU®,” created by recovering and recycling previously discarded garments and clothing fabrics. Since the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, we have carried items, including women’s and men’s t-shirts, shirts, and lower body garments for purchase at approximately 100 stores. In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, Ito-Yokado sold approximately 580,000 units for 1,200 million yen and under a plan to further expand our range.

“Eco-friendly Revolving Umbrellas (Men’s),” a part of the Seven Premium range, the private brand of Seven & i Group, are sold at 98 Ito-Yokado store nationwide (in FY2022) as well as the Group's integrated portal website. This product is an eco-friendly umbrella with a water-repellent finish which does not use fluorine, made using recycled polyester in the umbrella fabric. It is designed to be wind-resistant to revolve and adjust to winds, giving it excellent durability.

Ito-Yokado's original product "Fresh Meat with Traceability" is designed to deliver safe and reliable products to customers. In cooperation with the producers, Ito-Yokado is committed to providing quality rearing environments, environmentally-friendly feeding, minimizing the use of antibiotics, hormones, and other pharmaceuticals; keeping all the administration record is mandatory.

For the product, our procurement officers/merchandisers check with producers at the production sites to ensure that they are applying appropriate feeding and rearing management. Before the products are sold, various tests are conducted, including agricultural chemical residue tests, as well as soil, feed, and water quality tests, and third-party certification is obtained.

Ito-Yokado also promotes the acquisition of JGAP (livestock) certification in the production area of "Fresh Meat with Traceability." JGAP (Livestock) audit standard consists of 113 items that are important for sustainable farm management, including food safety, considerations for the health of animals (animal hygiene) and a comfortable environment for raising the animals (animal welfare), measures for ensuring the safety of workers, and environmental protection.

*Animal welfare: Rearing of an animal in consideration of its comfort

（Source: Control Points and Compliance Criteria (for Farms) Livestock and Livestock Products 2017)

One of the criteria for JGAP certification is to take measures based on the "Guidelines for Animal Feeding Management Based on the Concept of Animal Welfare."

The "Guidelines for Animal Feeding Management Based on the Concept of Animal Welfare" states that it is important to conduct livestock feeding management with consideration for comfort, comprehensively taking into account the "five freedoms" (i.e. (1) freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition, (2) freedom from fear and distress, (3) freedom from physical and thermal discomfort, (4) freedom from pain, injury and disease, and (5) freedom to express normal behavioral patterns) mentioned in the introduction of the OIE (The World Organisation for Animal Health).

Seven & i Group is making efforts to use wood and paper products produced from properly managed forests.

Seven & i Holdings is promoting use of paper with FSC® certification and PEFC certification, which leads to forest preservation. In March 2017, we started using FSC®-certified paper for paper board boxes in our Seven Premium private brand. As of February 28, 2023, FSC®-certified paper is used for 365 items including ice cream containers, and PEFC-certified paper is used 26 items.

Furthermore, we use FSC®-certified paper for the cash envelopes available at Seven Bank ATMs, all manner of leaflets, the Bonolon, Warrior of the Forest magazine, and Denny's mottECO containers. At Seven & i Food Systems, as a food services company we have been promoting the mottECO initiative to both encourage customers to eat everything they have ordered and to also make them feel free to take home any leftovers. We use FSC®-certified paper containers at our Denny's locations specifically for taking home leftovers.