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- Reduction of Wastes and Water Usage
Reduction of Wastes and Water Usage
The Group’s United Efforts to Reduce Waste
The Group with retail at its core has strived to reduce waste in its all companies, and particularly, we think it is important to focus on the reduction of plastic waste and food waste.
To Reduce Plastic Waste
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores is working to reduce the amount of plastic used and
recycle it to reduce the environmental load throughout its lifecycle.
In 2021, we held the first "Cosme de ECOFF" campaign to collect and recycle plastic containers for
cosmetics, and collected 1.6 tons of plastic containers.
In addition, the Daimaru Tokyo and Matsuzakaya Ueno stores have been participating in the "POOL PROJECT
TOKYO*" since December 2021 to collect and recycle plastic covers that accompany clothing
deliveries.
In this initiative, Recotech Inc. collects plastic covers generated by participating
commercial facilities in Tokyo and conducts advanced material recycling. The recycled plastic
is sold to manufacturers as PCR material* “POOL resin.” The PCR material is traceable from
its origin to all processes including transportation, volume reduction, and processing.
Going forward, new productization and commercialization will be considered, and the
Group will actively promote resource recycling by participating in such efforts.
* Post-consumer recycled materials, which are recycled materials collected after consumers have used the product.
Daimaru Matsuzakaya is working to reduce the amount
of disposable plastic emissions in response to Law for
Promotion of Recycling of Plastic Resources, which came into
force in April 2022. For products that use specified plastics*,
we are promoting the reduction of the amount used while
gaining the understanding of customers by implementing one
of the following measures in cooperation with our suppliers: (1) charging for cutlery, (2) providing
cutlery only to customers who need it, or (3) changing the materials used for cutlery.
* Plastic products provided free of charge to consumers in connection with the sale of goods or the
provision of services.
In November 2022, Daimaru Hakata signed a “Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement on SDGs Promotion” with Tsushima City in Nagasaki Prefecture. To raise awareness about the problem of marine plastic waste in Tsushima, which is caused by various factors such as topography and ocean currents, Daimaru Hakata used marine plastic litter that had washed ashore to make Christmas tree ornaments. The tree was displayed in the plaza in front of the store. At the foot of the tree, we set up a panel display showing the current state of Tsushima City’s beaches, and emphasized the need for each person to change their behavior to reduce plastic waste.
To Reduce Food Waste
Food loss in Japan is said to exceed five million tons annually and about half of this is
business food loss generated in the distribution process, such as out-of-spec products and unsold items.
In an effort to reduce food waste, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores and Parco are working with their
suppliers to conduct online sales of products nearing their expiration dates, limited-time sales of
out-of-spec products, and food sharing events to reduce food loss. In addition, even if food products are
ultimately discharged as food waste, we are working to improve our food recycling rate by outsourcing to
external processors to convert food waste into compost, feedstuffs, etc.
Participation in the Fry to Fly Project, which aims to produce
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from waste food in Japan
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store is participating in the “Fry to Fly
Project,” an initiative for recycling waste cooking oil into sustainable aviation
fuel (SAF). The aim is to establish the first large-scale production of SAF in Japan. This project
promotes the creation of an environment in which waste cooking oil from households and stores
is collected as a resource through the mutual cooperation of participating companies, local
governments, and organizations that agree with the goal of the project.
In September 2023, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store signed a basic agreement with
JGC Holdings Corporation, Rainbow International Corporation, and SAFFAIRE SKY ENERGY,
LLC to cooperate in the supply of waste cooking oil for domestic SAF production, a first in the
department store industry. Daimaru Shinsaibashi and Daimaru Ashiya, which account for 15%
of the total emissions of all stores, have begun supplying waste cooking oil as raw material for
SAF. We will work to expand the number of participating stores in the future.
In addition, through events and other means to raise awareness and promote the
use of domestically produced SAF, we will continue communicating to customers the
importance of resource recycling, which contributes to decarbonization.
* Revo International will collect waste cooking oil from our stores and deliver it to SAFFAIRE SKY ENERGY for SAF manufacturing planned at Japan's first large-scale domestic SAF production plant under constructio
Reduction of Water Usage
The Group, with retail as its core business, is committed to the sustainable use of resources in the JFR conduct policy, and will reduce water usage by reusing water resources and properly managing wastewater.
Activities to reduce water usage
The Group is actively engaged in activities to reduce water usage at the stores of Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores and Parco, which are its main businesses.
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores
Some stores of Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores use rainwater for gray water use, water-saving toilets, and employee toilets. We are also working to reduce water usage by installing water-saving devices on faucets in some food kitchens.
Parco
Parco has installed water-saving toilets in all of its stores. In addition, Parco is working to reduce water usage by using gray water (toilet drainage) and other water for miscellaneous purposes (cooling tower supply water) in some stores.
