Environmental Management System

Mizuno started the unique environmental conservation activities "Crew21 Project" ahead of the rest of the industry in 1991 when global environmental issues began to attract attention. This project was named with the idea of "taking on the role of a crew member of the [Spaceship Earth] and carrying out activities to conserve resources and preserve the environment." Since the project’s inception, Mizuno has been continuing efforts for over 30 years to make effective use of resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adopt environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes in their product planning.

In recent years, as the impact of climate change is increasingly felt, the company’s group set a goal in 2021 to achieve carbon neutrality in corporate activities by 2050, making greenhouse gas emissions virtually zero. Towards the realization of carbon neutrality, they will further strengthen efforts such as innovations in manufacturing processes and the use of renewable energy. Alongside this, they will continue to promote recycling and the reduction of waste, and the efficient use of water, in line with their ongoing commitment to environmental considerations.

To promote environmental protection activities across the Group, Mizuno has established an environment management system, led by its executive officer.

Mizuno has formed a Crew21 Environment Committee to promote environmental management activities, which is comprised of supervisors of relevant departments. The committee is led by the Executive Officer in charge of Human Resources and General Affairs, serving as the chairman, and the Executive Officer in charge of Product Development, acting as the vice-chairman.
The Committee discusses matters such as: 1) formulating an environmental policy and revising it, 2) setting short-term, medium-term, and long-term environmental goals, and 3) instituting measures for achieving environmental goals. The Crew21 Environment Committee meets regularly, fostering communication across the entire company as it advances environmental protection activities.

For information on the roles served by each organization, please refer to Management and Sustainability.

Mizuno recognizes that all business activities have the potential of adversely affecting the environment. Accordingly, to help protect the global environment, in September 1991, Mizuno established a global environment protection activity project titled "Crew21," and ever since then, it has been putting effort into conducting environmental protection activities. In celebration of the 30th anniversary since initiating the Crew21 project, in April 2021, Mizuno created the logo "MIZUNO CREW21," which symbolizes all of Mizuno’s sustainability activities, including not only its environmental protection activities but also social and economic activities. Mizuno will continue putting effort into helping create a sustainable world as a crew member of the Spaceship Earth.

History of Mizuno’s activities for the conservation of the global environment (timeline)

The Mizuno Yoro Factory (now Mizuno Technics Corporation), which is Mizuno’s main factory in Japan, obtained ISO 14001 certification in 1997 before other companies in the sports industry, following which other offices in Japan also obtained certification. Subsequently, Shanghai Mizuno, which is Mizuno’s largest manufacturing base overseas, obtained certification in 2004, followed by Taiwan Mizuno in 2008. In addition, Senoh Corporation and Senotech Corporation, which are part of the Mizuno Group, obtained certification in 2015.

The Mizuno Group conducts an internal audit and has the ISO 14001 certification body examine itself annually. According to the examination conducted by the certification body in FY 2022, Mizuno had no major issues. In addition, Mizuno has already completed resolving all minor issues.

By "Opportunities to resolve issues," Mizuno means the number of times it received advice on how it could resolve its issues, and every time it had such opportunities, Mizuno carefully examined the advice it received and applied it to resolving issues as necessary.

To comply with environmental laws and regulations, Mizuno maximizes its environment management system and identifies environmental risks that could be underlying its business. Whenever a risk is identified, to prevent accidents and minimize danger, Mizuno regularly performs maintenance and inspection of equipment and facilities and also conducts emergency response drills.

In FY 2022, Mizuno was not found as violating any environmental laws and regulations, did not experience any major accidents, and was not charged any penalties.

Mizuno strives to prevent environmental impact and reduce the environmental burden at every stage of the process, from planning and development to manufacturing.

In FY 2018, Mizuno conducted an analysis using a life-cycle assessment (LCA) for WAVE RIDER 21, a representative model of running shoes in its footwear business, identifying the processes and environmental aspects that have significant impacts within the product’s lifecycle. In FY 2021, Mizuno carried out LCA analyses on representative products by category, estimated their respective greenhouse gas emissions, and is utilizing these findings in future measures.

The Mizuno Group provides its entire staff with environmental education to help each and every one of them improve their environmental attitude. The Mizuno Group’s environmental education being provided at each of its departments deals with a large number of topics every year and aims to help employees familiarize themselves with Mizuno’s philosophy and goals relating to its environmental protection activities.

In addition, the site of each department provides waste managers and organic solvent users with information on specialized education helpful in improving the skills and knowledge needed at work.

Mizuno discloses environmental information on its website. The sustainability report, which includes environmental information, is available in both Japanese and English. The information disclosed on the website can be downloaded as a PDF.

Mizuno conducts factory tours at production bases such as the Yoro Factory and Senotech, where visitors can observe the know-how of manufacturing and the in-factory 3S (Sort, Set in order, Shine) conditions. In addition, in response to World Environment Day on June 5th, Mizuno has designated June as Mizuno Environment Month and has been carrying out cleanup activities around its domestic and overseas business sites since 1997. In FY 2022, as measures against the Covid-19 have gradually eased, activities such as factory tours have resumed. In September 2022, Mizuno's Yoro Factory was visited as part of the Overseas Market Workshops (OMWs) Japan Tour sponsored by the Singapore Enterprise Agency, with participation from approximately 30 members from the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industries. On the day of the visit, in addition to the factory tour, the company explained its corporate activities and sustainability efforts based on the Mizuno Corporate philosophy.

Mizuno Technics is engaged in risk communication through regular dialogue with stakeholders. This effort involves inviting local government officials and residents to actually tour the factory and explaining how the factory operates using various equipment, what products and waste are created, and what environmental conservation activities are being conducted. It’s a proactive initiative where information is openly shared with community representatives, and their opinions and requests are actively solicited and incorporated into ongoing activities.

Mizuno conducts environmental workshops with the aim of nurturing children’s environmental awareness through its manufacturing and environmental conservation activities. In the workshops, the history of sports equipment and Mizuno’s initiatives at the factory are introduced, and participants engage in crafting original keyholders using wooden bat offcuts and leftover leather from baseball gloves.

Moreover, starting from FY 2020, the workshop has been expanded as part of the experiential program "Kotopro," as an event program.

Solar panels installed at Mizuno Technics Yoro Factory

The Mizuno Technics Yoro Factory manufactures baseball and golf products, which are Mizuno’s core products and other sporting goods. We installed solar panels on the roof of the factory’s largest building, the golf manufacturing building, in January 2023. This will generate approximately 400,000 kw of electricity per year, which will be used in the manufacturing processes of golf and other products.
We also installed emergency power supply equipment along with the solar panels to ensure a stable power supply even in the event of a natural disaster. This emergency equipment not only serves the factory, but is also aimed at benefiting the local community by supplying power to neighboring areas in the event of an emergency.