Suntory Group has announced that it will advance its commitment to water stewardship by expanding water education programmes and initiatives to provide access to safe water to more than five million people globally by 2030, increasing its target fivefold from its original one million.
In 2023, Suntory Group has achieved its initial one million target, with water education programmes reaching 710,000 people and access to safe water provided to 360,000 people since 2004. The Group will further accelerate its activities on a global scale, including Suntory “Mizuiku” – education programme for nature and water, a next-generation environmental education programme, and efforts to provide access to safe water in countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.
Mizuiku Programme
In particular, marking its 20th anniversary, the Mizuiku programme has progressively expanded its reach, with the total number of participants exceeding 580,000 as of December 2023. Mizuiku is a programme unique to Suntory that helps children experience the wonder of nature, become aware of the importance of water and the environment nurturing it, and consider what they can do to pass on water to future generations. Since its first launch in Japan in 2004, it has expanded globally to Vietnam, Thailand, France, China, Spain, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
Water being a local issue, Mizuiku programmes are tailored to the needs and situation of each country:
Japan (since 2004) – Mizuiku education in Japan focusses on two programmes, the Outdoor School of Forest and Water which offers shared hands-on nature experiences for parents and children at Hakushu (Yamanashi prefecture), Kita Alps (Nagano prefecture), Okudaisen (Tottori prefecture), and Aso (Kumamoto prefecture) where Suntory Tennensui Water Plants are located, and the Teaching Programme at Schools, a programme for elementary schools. Both programmes also offer online classes, enabling more students to participate from home. In 2023, Mizuiku received the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Jury Award for Excellence for Companies Promoting Youth Experiential Activities.
Vietnam (since 2015) – Being the first country outside of Japan to launch the Mizuiku programme, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam has implemented “Mizuiku – I love clean water” for almost 10 years. In 2023, the programme transformed to scale up nationwide through a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training, evolving into a comprehensive and scalable model including in-school education, out-of-school forest expedition and enhanced access to clean water through renovating facilities. Through this partnership, Mizuiku programme materials have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Training to become the mandatory curriculum in all elementary schools across Vietnam.
Thailand (since 2019) – Suntory PepsiCo Beverage Thailand has been conducting the Mizuiku programme with students from elementary schools in Rayong, Saraburi and other provinces. Building on this foundation, Suntory Beverage & Food Thailand also introduced the Mizuiku programme in 2021, focussing on providing experiential learning about water conservation to youth nationwide through the “Nature Classroom”. In 2024, the two companies united to launch the “One Suntory Mizuiku Programme 2024”. The programme comprises the “Mizuiku Water Hero Camp” and the “Mizuiku Water Model School Contest”, aimed at inspiring and educating future generations about the importance of water conservation. More than 450 students and teachers from 30 selected primary schools participated in the programme. The collaboration represents a significant milestone in advancing water resource conservation in Thailand.
France (since 2020) – As part of its long-term (20-year) partnership with the Grand Parc Miribel Jonage, Suntory Beverage & Food France is supporting water education workshops for local primary school children. The programme includes content on the role of forests in water cycle and experiments to show how rainwater becomes groundwater. Since August 2024, Suntory Beverage & Food France has been collaborating with a local NGO to provide Mizuiku programme in website so that elementary school teachers can have access to it and implement Mizuiku programmes to classes.
China (since 2021) – With the cooperation of the Shanghai Public Service Foundation for Volunteers and the Beijing Association on Education for Sustainable Development, local public welfare groups, Suntory China Holdings has been conducting the Mizuiku programme for elementary school students in Shanghai and Beijing. The programme teaches students the basic knowledge about water and the habit of saving water, through experiments and videos about how nature works with contents tailored to the local situation.
Spain (since 2022) – With support from local environmental experts, Suntory Beverage & Food Spain offers an educational programme in nature sites and in schools for elementary school students in the province of Toledo, where the main factory of the company is based and source their water from. The programme teaches children the importance of water and provides training and ideas on how to preserve and improve the quality and quantity of water in the future.
The United Kingdom (since 2023) – Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, in collaboration with environmental charity, Severn Rivers Trust, offers a water education programme for families in local communities along the River Severn, in regions closely located to its Coleford factory. The sessions are designed to highlight why the lifecycle of water is so important and encourage participants to reflect and act to preserve and protect water, rivers and wildlife.
New Zealand (since 2023) – Through a partnership with local environmental NGO, Keep New Zealand Beautiful, Suntory Oceania supports on-site classes for elementary school students to educate the next generation on the importance of clean water conservation and ocean pollution prevention.
As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, and with a purpose to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature, Suntory Group has been committed to achieving a sustainable society since its founding. As stated in the company’s Environmental Vision toward 2050, Suntory Group aims to reduce the water intensity of production at its owned plants by 50%globally, and replenish more than 100% of water used at all of its owned plants globally through conservation of the surrounding ecosystem. To achieve this, the Group has set four main pillars of action (reduction of water used in direct operation, water replenishment, sustainable water uses in raw ingredients, water education and access to safe water) in the Environmental Targets toward 2030, advancing various initiatives globally.
Masaaki Fujiwara, Chief Sustainability Officer of Suntory Holdings said, “At Suntory Group, we position water sustainability as top priority because we recognise that water is not only essential to our business, but also a precious shared resource. That’s why we are committed to continuously expanding our science-based initiatives and educational programmes for children, to ensure the availability of quality water for generations to come.”