Climate Change Strategy

The Mizuno Group has a system whereby the Sustainability Operations Council (internal name: MIZUNO CREW21* Council), chaired by the executive officer in charge of human resources and general affairs, meets four times a year in principle to discuss matters related to climate change. The discussion details are reported together with the current progress of sustainability activities to the Board of Directors, which thus oversees climate change-related matters.
In FY2021-2023, matters related to climate change were reported four times to the Board of Directors, four times to the Executive Board, whose meetings were attended by directors and executive officers, four times to the Management Council, whose meetings were attended by directors, executive officers, and division general managers. These deliberative bodies make decisions on management strategy (seven times), information sharing, and information disclosure, and their decisions are incorporated into the Group’s business activities. In addition, the Sustainability Operations Council has as its subcommittees the CREW21 Environment Committee, the CREW21 Product Committee, and the Cross-departmental Products Committee, each of which independently deals with cross-departmental issues among the identified priority issues (materiality) related to social responsibility and sustainability.
Specific measures to address issues related to climate change are devised by the CREW21 Environment Committee.

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

CREW:　https://corp.mizuno.com/jp/sustainability/
https://corp.mizuno.com/en/sustainability/sustainability-report/management/system/

In recognition of the importance of the climate change issue faced by the Mizuno Group, in 2020, the Board of Directors formulated the " the Action Principles for the SDGs" and the "Integrated Value Creation Stories" and decided to accelerate the Group’s efforts to address climate change. This decision was made in addition to enhancing the environmental conservation activities that the Group has been actively engaged in as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The scopes of responsibility for the executive officer in charge of climate-related issues, the Sustainability Operations Council and the CREW21 Environment Committee are defined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors receives reports from the Sustainability Operations Council, which meets four times a year in principle, and the CREW21 Environment Committee, which meets six times a year in principle, on the status of the Group-wide promotion of efforts to address climate-related issues, environmental management (including the management of GHG emissions), information disclosure, and investor relations.
 

Sustainability Operations Council (internal name: MIZUNO CREW21* Council

The Sustainability Operations Council (internal name: MIZUNO CREW21 main committee) is chaired by the executive officer in charge of human resources and general affairs, and is composed of a diverse range of members, including the executive officers responsible for product development, comprehensive planning, and finance & legal affairs, as well as heads of closely related departments such as the legal and quality assurance offices.
The Sustainability Operations Council leads discussions on Mizuno's sustainability strategy, formulates specific action plans, and sets goals. Important issues identified by the council are presented to the Board of Directors, and upon their resolution, are implemented across all departments and locations within the Group.
 

CREW21 Environment Committee

This committee consists of the executive officers responsible for human resources and general affairs, product development, as well as general managers from key departments such as product planning, development, facility services, logistics, retail, quality assurance, legal affairs, manufacturing, and others. The committee discusses the formulation and revision of environmental policies, the establishment of short-, medium-, and long-term environmental goals, and the development of specific measures to achieve these targets. From the perspective of reducing environmental impacts, such as decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and providing environmentally considerate products and services, it has been positioned as a forum to facilitate cross-company communication on the orientation and planning of environmentally friendly products and climate-change-related items.
Moreover, to promote environmental conservation activities throughout the Group, the Mizuno Group has established an environmental management system (EMS), headed by an executive officer in charge of legal affairs.

* With keen awareness of the environmental impacts of all corporate activities, in September 1991, the Mizuno Group launched the Crew21 Project to contribute to conserving the global environment. Since then, the Group has been actively engaged in environmental conservation activities. Since April 2021, the 30th anniversary of the launch of the project, the Group has placed an increased focus on the management issue of sustainability in general, which encompass not only environmental conservation activities but also the Group’s contribution to society and the economy. The “MIZUNO CREW21” logo symbolizes the Group’s overall sustainability initiatives.

With regard to climate-related risks and opportunities over the short, medium, and long term, the Mizuno Group has identified issues of materiality in its overall sustainability initiatives. One of the materiality issues is defined as “Responsibility for global environmental issues throughout the product lifecycle,” where the Group’s efforts to solve climate-related issues are included. In addition to the EMS, the Group has appointed the Risk Management Committee (chaired by the representative director and president, composed of two senior executive officers and six general managers of divisions responsible for promoting internal control) and the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Working Group, which is under the supervision of the Global Human Resources & General Affairs Department, to discuss related matters. The product and development divisions treat the need to develop and market environmentally friendly products and climate-change-conscious products (products that help mitigate the impact of climate change or help adapt to climate change) as an area of opportunity to be explored.

Since FY2015, the Group has examined the impact of identified climate-related risks and opportunities on its businesses, strategy, and financial planning as part of EMS risks and opportunities, with more active discussions since FY2021. Specific impacts include the need for a logistics BCP for the businesses; the research and development of environmentally friendly products, climate-change-conscious products, and new materials for strategy; and the introduction of renewable energy for financial planning. The Risk Management Committee has discussed the impact of climate-related issues on various product and corporate divisions, analyzed under BCP, on businesses, strategy, and finance. Moving forward, the Group will continue these considerations across departments and disclose information, classifying the risks and opportunities related to climate change into physical, regulatory, and other categories.

The Mizuno Group will conduct scenario analysis based on the 1.5°C scenario in line with the Paris Agreement. The Group aims to analyze the risks and opportunities related to climate change, their impact on the business model and value chain, and incorporate these into the organizational strategy, aiming to disclose information based on the adopted 1.5°C scenario in the 2024 activity report.

The Mizuno Group, in accordance with the international environmental management standard ISO14001, conducts the identification and assessment of environmental risks and opportunities, including climate change, at least once a year through the EMS (Environmental Management System) Promotion Office, which belongs to the Compliance Department (hereinafter referred to as the Environmental Promotion Office). The analysis results of risks and opportunities are submitted by the Environmental Promotion Office to the CREW21 Environment Committee and are approved by the chairman, vice-chairman, and committee members. In particular, risks related to heavy rain and typhoons are addressed as part of the Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
In the Product Division, efforts are being made to streamline management efficiency while maintaining the diversification and dispersion of production sites and procurement sources. For products requiring high manufacturing technology (mainly equipment), where appropriate diversification of procurement sources is challenging, the division is working on building BCPs for secondary and tertiary manufacturing factories, considering business priorities.

To accelerate efforts to mitigate climate change, we revised our long-term environmental goals in August 2020, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Additionally, in April 2024, we obtained certification from the international initiative “SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative).” Our targets include a 50.4% reduction in Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned sources) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity) greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 (base year). Furthermore, for Scope 3 (indirect emissions from other sources), we aim to achieve a 58.1% reduction per 1 billion yen of added value in Category 1 (purchased goods and services) and Category 12 (waste generated in operations) by 2030 compared to 2018, with these targets being recognized as scientifically grounded.

Moving forward, we will accelerate activities such as energy conservation, the use of renewable energy, innovation in product manufacturing processes, waste reduction, and the promotion of recycling to achieve these targets.

To achieve these environmental targets, each relevant department is considering specific measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their business activities and across the lifecycle of their products and services (such as using more environmentally friendly materials, improving design and manufacturing processes, and researching and adopting new manufacturing methods). These details are reported and shared as needed with 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 have been calculated and disclosed since 2015. For Scope 3 Category 1 and Category 12, we reviewed the calculation method based on the LCA to shift from a method based on domestic purchasing amounts and delivery data to a more realistic calculation method. In 2021, we established a global calculation method to further expand the disclosure scope. From FY2022, we have been disclosing total emissions for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3.
For detailed information on greenhouse gas emissions performance, please refer to the following: