Material Issue 6Create an ethical society through dialogue and collaboration with customers

Sustainable Environment Conservation Activities

Seven & i Holdings collaborates with NPOs and other organizations to undertake measures that help prevent global warming and preserve biodiversity.

  • SDGs12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
  • SDGs15 LIFE ON LAND

Seven & i Holdings has endorsed the principles of the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as a means to enhance and promote Seven & i Group's natural capital-related and biodiversity conservation and restoration initiatives. In 2023, we joined the TNFD Forum in January, the SBTN Corporate Engagement Program in February, and the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity in September; and we are furthering our preparations for TNFD-based analyses and disclosure.

Working with Local Regions to Leave a Rich Natural Landscape to the Next Generation

Seven & i Holdings participates in Seven Forest creation activities run by Seven-Eleven Foundation at 16 locations across Japan to help prevent global warming and contribute to the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity. Seven Forest creation activities are carried out by employee volunteers from 7-Eleven franchised stores and locals under collaboration agreements with governments nationwide, NPOs, and others throughout Japan.

In addition, encouraging greater use of wood materials collected by forest thinning initiatives can lead to solving issues with Japan’s forests. Based on this, wood material collected from Seven Forest is used within the Group for store materials and office supplies, as well as in commercialization to promote use of national resources.

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Seven Forest Creation

Overview of Seven Forest Creation

Seven-Eleven Foundation

Seven-Eleven Foundation was established in 1993 for 7-Eleven stores and Seven-Eleven Japan to work together as one on environmentally-themed social contribution activities. Using money collected from in-store donation boxes and donations by Seven-Eleven Japan, the foundation engages in projects related to environmental citizenship activity support, nature conservation, public engagement, and disaster reconstruction assistance. In the fiscal year 2022, in-store donations totaled \429,428,907 and \155,361,354 were used to award grants to 285 environmental citizenship projects (including ongoing projects), which supports environmental activities led by local citizens.

Seven-Eleven Foundation, in cooperation with various organizations, and based on the theme of restoring a rich natural environment, has continued its Seven Forest Creation activities to protect the natural cycle of forests, riparian forests, and ocean, as well as to increase CO2 absorption and oxygen production. For our Mountain Forest Creation initiative, we carry out nurturing activities from tree planting to weeding and thinning, which leads to the conservation and restoration of abundant forests. Furthermore, as for Seven Forest Creation in the Sea project, the foundation is working to increase the amount of eelgrass, which purifies seawater quality and helps preserve biodiversity by absorbing CO2 in the sea and accumulating carbon. Seven-Eleven Foundation has concluded agreements with local governments/municipalities and NPO corporations, and is working with 7-Eleven franchised stores and citizens towards the goal of creating our natural environment where rich biodiversity can co-exist with the local people. In March 2021, Seven-Eleven Foundation concluded the "Cooperation Agreement on Environmental Conservation and Collaborative Efforts" with the Ministry of the Environment, and the Environmental Partnership Council (EPC), which is an organization entrusted with the Global Environmental Outreach Centre (GEOC). In April 2023, we signed the “Cooperation Agreement on Environmental Conservation and Collaborative Efforts in National Parks,” with the aim of joint action and cooperation on environmental conservation activities in national parks alongside the Ministry of the Environment's Nature Conservation Bureau and organizations engaged in local community activities.

The foundation also operates the Kuju Furusato Nature School and Takao Forest Nature School under the foundation’s basic philosophy of "learning from nature on the coexistence and co-prosperity of people and nature, the natural environment and local communities.” Both schools collaborate with government agencies, companies, and educational institutions through activities to protect and preserve the natural environment. The schools also contribute to human resource development by providing learning experiences such as those on the importance of biodiversity, local nature, history, the culture of the region, and pass them on to future generations. Not only educational activities but the schools also engage with research activities. The Kuju Furusato Nature School has been registered as a monitoring site to the "Monitoring Site 1000" project operated by the Biodiversity Center of the Ministry of the Environment and has been monitoring flora and fauna since 2007. The Takao Forest Nature School has also been registered since 2018. Kuju Furusato Nature School's "Decade of Rice Paddy Biodiversity Enhancement Project" is registered as an authorized collaborative project of the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity Japan Committee (UNDB-J).

Operation of learning facilities for the protection and preservation of the natural environment

Name Web Link (Japanese)
Takao Forest Nature School LINK
Kuju Furusato Nature School LINK

Examples of partnerships to protect and preserve the natural environment

Name Details
The Ministry of Environment “Monitoring Site 1000”


Participation in continuous activities to collect and accumulate natural environment data since 2007

Link (Japanese)

The Ministry of Environment

Link

"Cooperation Agreement on Environmental Conservation and Collaborative Efforts"Link)(Japanese)

Environmental Partnership Council (EPC), which is entrusted with the Global Environment Outreach Centre (GEOC)

Link

Seven Forest Creation

Promoting healthy forest development through forest nurturing activities ranging from tree planting to clearing and thinning

Link (Japanese)

Seven Forest Creation in the Sea

In addition to beach cleanups, the project promotes restoring water quality, planting CO2-absorving plant - eelgrass to enhance the healthy ocean environment.

Link (Japanese)

Mt. Fuji Conservation Activities

Since 1994, with the cooperation of the Mt. Fuji Club (NPO), cleanup and removal of invasive species have been conducted on both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka sides of the mountain.

Link (Japanese)

Kiritappu Wetland National Trust

In order to pass on the rich ecosystem of Kiritappu wetland to the next generation, the foundation promotes the National Trust Movement together with the Kiritappu Werland National Trust (NPO)

Link

The United Nations Decade of Biodiversity Japan Committee (UNDB-J)

"Decade of Rice Paddy Biodiversity Enhancement Project" is registered as an authorized collaborative project with UNDB-J

Link (Japanese)

Sponsorship of the national tournament “Spogomi Koshien 2022”

Seven-Eleven Japan sponsored the national tournament “Spogomi Koshien 2022” out of a shared sympathy with the desire among senior high school students to tackle the issue of marine waste. This competition is an eco-friendly sports event involving teams of three senior high school students previously triumphant in qualifying events taking place in 35 prefectures throughout Japan gathering in Sumida-ku, Tokyo. In the event, which is hosted by the Social Sports Foundation as part of the Nippon Foundation’s Umi-to-Nippon (Ocean and Japan) Project, teams compete in terms of the quantity collected and quality of their efforts to pick up litter. The opening ceremony for the tournament was held on December 26, 2022, at Sumida City Office, with high school students competing as one to pick up litter around Sumida-ku.

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Sale of Rice Cultivated while Protecting the Environment and Biodiversity

Ito-Yokado sells a rice series that is cultivated with measures designed to protect the environment and biodiversity in place. It not only uses fewer agrichemicals and chemical fertilizers, but also encourages agroecology, in which rice fields also serve as wildlife habitats. A portion of sales are donated for the purpose of making environmental improvements. In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, sales of Koshihikari Rice Nurturing White Storks provided approximately \35,000 for nurturing oriental white storks, while sales of Sado, Niigata Prefecture- Produced Koshihikari Rice Certified by the Creating Villages Coexisting with Crested Ibis Program provided approximately \72,000 to the Fund for the Improved Habitat for the Japanese Crested Ibis.

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Rice cultivated while protecting the environment and biodiversity

Participating in the Green Down Project

Ito-Yokado has been participating in the Green Down Project, the objective of which is appropriate disposal and recycling of down products. As of March 2020, Ito-Yokado stores have perfected their systems for collecting down jackets, now enabling drop-off of down futons and down jackets at all times. Also, as of November 2020, approximately 70 store locations had begun selling products made of down collected and recycled through this project.

From March 2020 to February 2023, a total of 5,354 down items were collected from customers through this project. The revenues garnered from selling these items, approximately \1,290,000 (excluding tax), were donated to the Kiritappu Wetland National Trust, an organization that works for the conservation of key habitats for waterfowl.

Donation of Revenues from Paid Plastic Bags

The three companies of Ito-Yokado, York-Benimaru, and York, are working on reducing plastic bag use, intending to resolve such global environmental issues as ocean plastics pollution and CO2 emission reduction. To further curb the negative impact on environment, the companies have been selling only environmentally-friendly plastic bags to customers since July 1, 2020. In the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, York donated its revenues from plastic bags*1, approximately 10.52 million yen*2, to funds in four prefectures and other organizations.

*1 Amount after subtracting raw material costs from sales revenues

*2 Total for the period of January 1, 2022–December 31, 2022

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Presentation ceremony for a letter of appreciation for donations to the Saitama Prefecture “Sainokuni Green Fund”

Initiatives for Material Issue 6