Climate Change Strategy

The Mizuno Group has established a structure in which the Sustainability Operations Council (Internal name: MIZUNO CREW21 Council), chaired by the Executive Officer in charge of Human Resources and General Affairs, meets in principle four times a year to discuss matters related to climate change. The contents of these discussions, along with the progress of sustainability activities, are reported to the Board of Directors, which supervises these efforts.
From FY2021 to FY2024, climate-related matters were reported five times to the Board of Directors, four times to the Executive Officersʼ Meeting (attended by directors and executive officers), and four times to the Management Council (attended by directors, executive officers, and division general managers). Within these meetings, decisions were made—seven times regarding management strategy—as well as on information sharing and disclosure, and these decisions have been reflected in the Groupʼs business operations.
In addition, the Sustainability Operations Council has established subcommittees such as the CREW21 Environment Committee and the Cross-departmental Products Committee. These committees independently address cross-functional issues identified as material sustainability challenges.
Specific measures to address climate change-related issues are discussed within the CREW21 Environment Committee.

* “CREW21” represents Mizunoʼs hope that, as members of the “crew of the spaceship earth,” all of us will play a role in conserving resources and the environment.

MIZUNO CREW21

Recognizing the importance of climate change issues facing the Mizuno Group, the Board of Directors decided in 2020 to accelerate its response to climate change. This decision was made alongside ongoing environmental conservation activities carried out as part of the Groupʼs corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. In the same year, the Board also formulated the Action Principles for the SDGs and the Value Creation Story to support these efforts.
The responsibilities of the executive officer in charge of climate-related matters, the Sustainability Operations Council, and the CREW21 Environment Committee are defined by the Board of Directors. The Board receives regular reports from both bodies—held in principle four times and six times a year, respectively—on the status of company-wide climate initiatives, environmental management (including greenhouse gas emissions), information disclosure, and investor engagement.
 

CREW21 Project

Recognizing that all corporate activities impact the environment, the Mizuno Group launched the “CREW21 Project” in September 1991 with the aim of contributing to global environmental conservation. Since then, we have been engaged in various environmental preservation initiatives.
In April 2021, marking the 30th anniversary of the project, we expanded its scope beyond environmental efforts to address sustainability as a broader management priority, including social and economic aspects. “MIZUNO CREW21” has since been established as the symbol of our Groupʼs overall sustainability initiatives.

CREW21 Environment Committee

The committee includes executive officers responsible for human resources and general affairs, product development, and key general managers from departments such as product planning, development, facility services, logistics, retail, quality assurance, legal affairs, manufacturing, and other core functions.
It discusses the formulation and revision of environmental policies, the establishment of short-, medium-, and long-term environmental targets, and the development of concrete measures to achieve them. Given the importance of reducing the environmental impact of our business activities—including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—as well as the development and delivery of environmentally friendly and climate-resilient products and services, the committee serves as a cross-functional platform for communication and planning in these areas.
In addition, to promote environmental conservation activities across the entire Group, Mizuno has established an Environmental Management System (EMS) led by the executive officer in charge of legal affairs.

Sustainability Operations Structure

With regard to short-, medium-, and long-term time horizons, the Mizuno Group identifies material issues across the entire scope of sustainability. Among these, climate-related challenges are addressed under the material topic of “Responsibility for the Global Environment throughout the Product Life Cycle.” In addition to our Environmental Management System (EMS), we are advancing our efforts through initiatives such as the Risk Management Committee—chaired by the President and Representative Director, with three vice chairs including a Senior Managing Executive Officer and Executive Officers, and five committee members comprising the heads of departments responsible for internal control—and through business continuity planning (BCP) led by the Global HR & General Affairs Department.

The Product and Development divisions regard the development and sale of environmentally friendly and climate-resilient products (i.e., products that help mitigate or adapt to climate change) as key opportunities, and are actively working on them.

Since FY2015, the potential impacts of identified climate-related issues on our business, strategy, and finances have been examined as part of our EMS framework under risk and opportunity assessment. These discussions have become more active since FY2021. Specific examples include:

• For business operations: logistics-related BCP
• For strategy: the development of environmentally friendly and climate-resilient products, as well as research into and development of new materials
• For finance: initiatives such as the introduction of renewable energy

Furthermore, the Risk Management Committee has discussed the potential impacts of climate-related risks identified through BCP analyses conducted by each product and corporate division, examining how these risks may affect business, strategy, and financial performance. Going forward, we aim to deepen such analyses—including the financial impact—and categorize climate-related risks and opportunities into physical, regulatory, and other types, with a view to enhancing our overall climate-related disclosures.

Regarding scenario analysis, we are planning to conduct assessments based on a 1.5°C scenario aligned with the Paris Agreement. We aim to integrate the insights from this scenario analysis—covering climate-related risks and opportunities and their impacts on our business model and value chain—into our organizational strategy. Our goal is to include disclosures based on the 1.5°C scenario in our 2024 sustainability report.

The Mizuno Group identifies and assesses environmental risks and opportunities, including those related to climate change, at least once a year through the EMS (Environmental Management System) Promotion Office, which is part of the Compliance Department and referred to as the Environmental Promotion Office. The results of these assessments are submitted to the CREW21 Environment Committee and approved by the chair, vice-chair, and committee members. In particular, risks related to heavy rainfall and typhoons are addressed through Business Continuity Planning (BCP) measures. Within the Product Division, efforts are underway to improve management efficiency while maintaining the diversification and geographical dispersion of production bases and suppliers. For products requiring advanced manufacturing technologies—mainly equipment—where appropriate diversification of suppliers is difficult, the division is working to establish BCPs at secondary and tertiary manufacturing sites, based on business priorities.

To accelerate efforts toward climate change mitigation, the Mizuno Group revised its long-term environmental goals in August 2020 and committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

To achieve these environmental targets, each relevant department is considering specific measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across their business operations and throughout the lifecycle of their products and services. These include the use of more environmentally friendly materials, improvements in design and manufacturing processes, and the research, development, and adoption of new production methods. Relevant information is reported and shared as needed through the CREW21 Environment Committee.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been calculated and disclosed based on the GHG Protocol since 2000, and Scope 3 emissions since 2015. For Scope 3 Categories 1 and 12, we revised our calculation methodology by shifting from an approach based on domestic purchasing and delivery data to a more accurate life cycle assessment (LCA)-based method. In FY2021, we also established a global calculation methodology to further expand our disclosure scope. Since FY2022, we have been disclosing total emissions for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3.
For detailed data on greenhouse gas emissions, please refer to the “Materiality: Climate Change” section.
Materiality: Climate Change