Japan
Sustainability Report 2023Efforts for biodiversity
Suzuki introduced the environmental brand SUZUKI GREEN to realize the philosophy of the Suzuki Global Environment Charter and announced the Suzuki Biodiversity Protection Guidelines as the environmental policy within the brand.
The Suzuki Biodiversity Protection Guidelines will be the guiding principle for us to recognize the possibility of business activities, etc. having unavoidable influences on biodiversity, which has provided our life with enormous natural blessings (ecosystem service) since the birth of humanity, as well as for us to try to reduce such influences, and make efforts to ensure sustainable usage.
Suzuki has conducted many actions to reduce influences on biodiversity in its business and social contribution activities and endorses the Keidanren Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation.
Through the release of the Guidelines, we aim to raise awareness about biodiversity throughout the entire Suzuki Group, and to develop a sustainable society that can coexist with nature, while keeping good relations with our business partners and the local communities.
Suzuki Biodiversity Guidelines
https://www.globalsuzuki.com/corporate/environmental/green_policy
[Basic concept]
Under the slogan of “Sho-Sho-Kei-Tan-Bi (Smaller, Fewer, Lighter, Shorter, Beauty),” the Suzuki Group thoroughly conducts wasteless, efficient business operations and promotes production of small cars by pursuing environmental technologies in order to reduce influences on biodiversity and contribute to sustainable usage of resources in the future.
Based on such activity philosophy, the Suzuki Group will strive to cooperate with various stakeholders as a member of society and to develop a society harmonized with our beautiful natural environment.
[Emphasized efforts for biodiversity]
• Reduction of environmental loads generated through business operations and products
- (1) Promote energy saving, resource saving, and 3Rs at business steps from product development to recycling.
- (2) Promote improvement in fuel efficiency and R&D of next-generation vehicles in order to reduce greenhouse gas.
- (3) Work on reducing the use of substances of concern through the supply chain.
• Expansion of environmental communication
- (1) Promote environmental beautification and environment conservation activities in cooperation with local communities.
- (2) Work on instilling appropriate understanding and behavior in relation to biodiversity among all employees.
- (3) Work on announcing environmental information and self-conservation activities widely to society.
[Specific actions]
| Reduction of environmental loads generated through business operations and products | Expansion of environmental communication | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) |
|
(1) |
|
| (2) |
|
(2) |
|
| (3) |
|
(3) |
|
Environment and ecosystem of the surrounding areas
In 2018 and 2020, we conducted research on waters as well as creatures and plants living in and around rivers of which more than 5% of their water comes from water released from our five domestic offices. As a result, we confirmed that there are 213 species of creatures and plants living in this habitat, of which 12 are endangered species.
■ Destination of waters released and waters impacted
| Base | Releasing river | Impacted waters*1 | Endangered species, etc. confirmed*2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head office | Horidome River | None | None (there are no impacted waters) |
| Kosai Plant | Kasago River | Kasago River ➞Confluence point with Lake Hamana |
Total of 10 species Ruddy crake (Aves), Sparrowhawk (Aves), Red-rumped swallow (Aves), Rustic bunting (Aves), Japanese brown frog (Amphibia), Japanese eel (Pisces), Lefua echigonia (Pisces), Japanese rice fish (Pisces), Japanese hard clam (Shellfish), Potamogeton panormitanus (Plantae) |
| Iwata Plant | Akuro River | Akuro River ➞Confluence point with Imanoura River |
Total of 3 species Sparrowhawk (Aves), Japanese eel (Pisces), Japanese rice fish (Pisces) |
| Osuka Plant | Nishi-Otani River | Nishi-Otani River ➞Confluence point with Benzaiten River |
Total of 2 species Peregrine falcon (Aves), Red-rumped swallow (Aves) |
| Sagara Plant | Hirugaya River | Hirugaya River ➞Confluence point of Hagima River and Shirai River |
Total of 5 species Ruddy crake (Aves), Grey-faced buzzard (Aves), Red-rumped swallow (Aves), Japanese eel (Pisces), Japanese rice fish (Pisces) |
| Hamamatsu Plant | Not released in rivers | None | None (not released in rivers) |
- *1 Waters of which more than 5% of annual average water comes from Suzuki’s drain waters.
- *2 Species that are listed as endangered in the red lists of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment, as well as red lists and regulations of prefectures and cities.
Ruddy crake
Red-rumped swallow
Japanese brown frog
Japanese eel
Japanese rice fish
Potamogeton panormitanus
Forest conservation activities
●Suzuki’s Forest (Hamamatsu)
Suzuki concluded a Volunteer Forest agreement with the Tenryu Forest Administration Department of the Forestry Agency and started forestry preservation activities in March 2006 at Suzuki’s Forest located in Inasa-cho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu. Our employees and their families conduct forestry activities every year, such as planting trees, clearing away the undergrowth, and fungus planting/harvesting operations.
This activity was conducted 32 times in total (15 planting sessions and 17 undergrowth clearing sessions) and attended by approximately 1,600 volunteers in total.
Suzuki’s Forest planting project
● Participation in tree planting project at storm surge barrier
On November 29, 2015, members of the Suzuki Green Club began participating in a storm surge barrier tree planting project in the coastal zone of Enshu held by Shizuoka Prefecture and the cities of Hamamatsu and Iwata. A total of 8 activities were held with 287 participants, and 930 nursery trees of pines and other types of trees were planted. The Suzuki Green Club will continue forest conservation and greening activities through its activities in Suzuki’s Forest and at the storm surge barrier.
● Forest of Suzuki Shimokawa Proving Grounds (Hokkaido)
Suzuki Shimokawa Proving Grounds are located in the town of Shimokawa (Kamikawa County) in northern Hokkaido, where the forest accounts for about 90% of the total land area. In 2003, Shimokawa acquired the international FSC® Forest Management Certificate (FSC®C015134; Shimokawa Forest Owners’ Cooperative, Shimokawa Town, and Northern Kamikawa Forest Management Office) as the first forestry cooperative in Hokkaido, and in 2011, it was designated as an Environmental Future City* featuring effective utilization of abundant natural resources. Now it aims to become a “future city with best harmonization between people and forests.”
Moreover, a forest of approximately 300 ha located in the proving grounds was also recognized as satisfying the strict forest stewardship standards of the FSC® certification program, so the area was additionally registered in the FSC® Forest Group Certificate for Shimokawa Town in 2006 (FSC®C015134). At the same time, Suzuki will continuously promote co-existence and co-prosperity with local communities, which take great care of nature, through participation in events and sales of agricultural products.
The “Environmental Future City” is a governmental project to create the world’s most ideal city where everybody wishes to live. Under this program, high potential regions are selected and financially supported for realizing such an ideal city.
Suzuki Shimokawa Proving Grounds (Hokkaido)
● Participation in Corporate Forest Preservation Program (Hokkaido)
As part of environmental preservation and social action programs, Suzuki has endorsed the purport of the Corporate Forest Preservation Program*, which utilizes national forests. We have been supporting forest development activities through a Profit-Sharing Afforestation agreement concluded with the Japanese government (Forestry Agency) for the period from 1996 to 2028. For an approximately 4.3-ha national forest (containing approximately 3,000 trees) in Shimokawa Town, Suzuki conducts profit-sharing afforestation by entrusting the work to the local forestry cooperative through the Hokkaido Regional Forest Office. Also, for many years, we have contributed to the preservation of national land through watershed conservation, sediment discharge prevention and CO2 absorption and fixation. The shared profits coming from the program will be used for further afforestation activities.
* Forestry Agency’s Corporate Forest Preservation Program and Profit-Sharing Afforestation
(Japanese language only)
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kokuyu_rinya/kokumin_mori/katuyo/kokumin_sanka/hojin_mori/index.html
Suzuki’s environmental contributions through these forests in FY2022 are evaluated as follows.
■ Suzuki’s environmental contribution through forest conservation (FY2022)
| Measurement item | FSC® Forest Group Certificate for Forests of Suzuki Shimokawa Proving Grounds (FSC®C015134) |
Corporate Forest Preservation Program, Regional Forest Office of Forestry Agency |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Contribution to water yield |
155,609 m3/year | 1,494 m3/year |
| (2) Contribution to prevention of sediment discharge |
5,557 m3/year | 51 m3/year |
| (3) Contribution to absorption/fixation of carbon dioxide |
1,986 t-CO2/year | 17.7 t-CO2/year |
Calculated using the project evaluation method employed by the Forestry Agency.
The data listed above for the Forests of Suzuki Shimokawa Proving Grounds and the Corporate Forest Preservation Program are equivalent to the figures below.
- (1) 78.51 million bottles of 2-L PET bottles
- (2) 1,020 truckloads of 10-ton dump trucks (5.5 m3/truck)
- (3) Annual CO2 emissions from 5,295 people based on per-person emissions (tons/year)
PakistanPak Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd.
● Tree planting activity at a public secondary school
Pak Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. conducted a tree planting activity at Pipli Girls’ Secondary School in December 2022.
The purpose of planting the trees was to create a beautiful and healthy school environment and to raise awareness among the students. A total of 100 saplings were planted during this activity.
Suzuki Clean Ocean Project
● Conducting the Suzuki Clean Ocean Project
The Suzuki Clean Ocean Project is an environmental initiative of Suzuki comprising: 1. CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN (waterside cleanup activities), which has continued since 2011; 2. Activity to reduce plastic packaging for outboard motors and service parts, which was started in 2020; and 3. Activity to collect marine microplastics using Suzuki’s Micro-Plastic Collecting Device for outboard motors. The Suzuki Clean Ocean Project is also a specific initiative of Suzuki to solve issues represented by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shows the commitment by Suzuki Marine business to pursue its brand slogan of “THE ULTIMATE OUTBOARD MOTOR” in terms of the environment as well. Under these three activities, we will team up with our partners around the world, including outboard motor users, dealers, boat builders, business partners, Suzuki Group companies, employees, and their families, to clean up the oceans worldwide.
Our activities are aligned with the purpose of the Plastics Smart program being advanced by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. For this reason, we have registered with this program since 2018, and Suzuki’s activities are presented on the website of the Ministry of the Environment.
Symbol mark of the Suzuki Clean Ocean Project
http://plastics-smart.env.go.jp/
(Japanese language only)
●CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN (waterside cleanup activities)
Suzuki waterside cleanup activities marked the 14th year in 2023. The activities originally started in Japan in 2010 and were subsequently launched in 2011 as a global initiative of the Suzuki Group under the name of CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN. Every year, the event draws many overseas marine distributors as participants. In 2022, the event was attended by a total of 2,312 participants from 53 organizations. The participants contributed to their local communities through waterside cleanup activities.
Additionally, the cumulative number of participants since the start of these activities is growing year by year and reached 13,000 in FY2022.
PakistanPak Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd.
Pursuing Suzuki Motor Corporation’s “CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN,” “Beach Cleaning Campaign” was carried out in December 2022 at Seaview Clifton. The purpose of this campaign was to create awareness about the importance of environment protection and marine life conservation among the public.
Through this activity, Pak Suzuki is also contributing towards the government’s vision of “Clean & Green Pakistan.” The campaign was successful.
Around 70 employees participated in this campaign. Around 80 bags of garbage were collected and disposed of properly via Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC).
IndonesiaPT Suzuki Indomobil Motor
To continue its efforts to reduce marine waste, Suzuki Indomobil Motor has participated in the CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN every year since 2014. The campaign educates local residents, especially the younger generation, about the importance of keeping our oceans clean from plastic waste. It brings together local residents, students, Suzuki dealers, and the local community to collect plastic waste at the beach and provides garbage cans for schools and beaches.
On May 26, 2022, Suzuki Indomobil Motor worked with 100 junior high school students and local residents in Biru Beach, Makassar, collecting a total of 665 kg of trash, which was 70% plastic, 10% fabric, 10% metal, and 10% other (Styrofoam, glass, and PET bottles). SMP Negeri 54 Makassar (a public junior high school), which also participated in the event, announced that it will conduct a cleanup activity at the school on the 26th of every month.
PhilippinesSuzuki Philippines Inc.
For its first time participating in the Suzuki Clean Ocean Project in FY2022, Suzuki Philippines collaborated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), a Philippine government agency, to conduct a beach cleanup and sea turtle hatching activity in San Juan, La Union, on February 3, 2023. This activity was the eighth CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN since Suzuki began its marine business in the Philippines in 2017. Two hundred volunteers from Suzuki Philippines, DENR, and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines participated and were able to fill 15 bags of trash. After picking up trash, they were able to observe newly hatched turtles being released into the ocean. Turtles must first crawl on the sand before entering the water to prove they are healthy and alive. Suzuki will continue to hold and participate in activities like this to protect the present and future environment and ensure clean coastlines and water.
HungaryMagyar Suzuki Corporation Ltd.
As a manufacturing company, Magyar Suzuki has a direct responsibility to protect and continuously improve the environment. Creating and continuously optimizing sustainable processes and activities is very important to the company.
On April 22, 2022, Magyar Suzuki’s Marine Division cleaned up the northeastern shore of Lake Palatinus near Esztergom with children from the Zoltán Meszlényi Catholic Primary School and collected a container full of trash. The company will continue to promote the Suzuki Clean Ocean Project to protect rivers, lakes, and oceans.
In addition to this, as part of its CSR activities, the company displayed a special photo installation titled “Our common treasure: the Danube” from May to September 2022 to showcase the irreplaceable natural beauty of the Danube River Basin and emphasize the importance of protecting natural water at Erzsébet Park in Esztergom.
FranceSuzuki France S.A.S.
On November 15, 2022, 35 employees of Suzuki France gathered at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines leisure park near the company headquarters to participate in the CLEAN-UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN marine litter collection activity. More than 10,000 employees around the world have participated in Suzuki’s initiative since it began in 2010.
French volunteers who participated in the event collected about 80 kg of trash in two hours, including plastic packaging, glass bottles, fishing line, corks, and chip trays.
Guillaume Vuillardot, Director of the Marine Division, used the event as an opportunity to introduce the global efforts of Suzuki's environmental program, which involves not only employees from all divisions of Suzuki France, but also customers, suppliers, sales distributors, and organizations.
PolandSuzuki Motor Poland sp. z.o.o.
● Beach cleanup event
Suzuki Motor Poland participated in the Suzuki Clean Ocean Project and held an event to clean up beaches in eastern Poland in October. Children and teachers from local elementary schools were also invited to help, providing a good educational opportunity to spread the message of environmental issues to young people.
AustraliaSuzuki Australia Pty. Ltd.
The Marine Division of Suzuki Australia (the company) held a cleanup event at four locations in Australia in conjunction with the 2022 global Clean Ocean Project Day.
A total of 103 people, including children, participated in the event and collected a total of 424 kg of trash from the beaches where the activities were held.
At each site, participants received Clean Ocean Project commemorative gifts (tote bags, T-shirts, caps, etc.), and a barbecue was held afterwards to show appreciation for the participants.
The company believes in the importance of keeping the marine environment beautiful and plans to continue the cleanup activities in 2023.
(Western Australia)
The company partnered with the NGO “Dolphin Discovery Centre” for cleanup activities. After the cleanup, the company’s volunteers also protected baby sea turtles and had a wonderful day of working together and interacting with participants from general public who support Suzuki’s environmental contribution activities.
(New South Wales)
The company and major distributor Northern Beaches Marine co-sponsored cleanup activities and collected 5 kg of glass and about 35 recyclable bottles (including 10 L bottles filled with engine oil). Volunteers and invited locals came together for this meaningful activity to preserve the beautiful coastline.
(Queensland)
The company cooperated with major distributor Surf Coast Marine to conduct cleanup activities. The 15 volunteers who participated on the day of the event collected 92 kg of trash, including recyclable items.
(Victoria)
This event was the main event for the company, with the largest number of participants and the largest amount of trash collected. The company’s staff, volunteers, the local mayor, and brand ambassadors participated in the cleanup, and a speech was given by the mayor.
●Activity to collect marine microplastics using Suzuki’s Micro-Plastic Collecting Device for outboard motors
In addition to conventional waterside cleanup activities, Suzuki launched an activity to collect marine microplastics drifting around the ocean. This collection activity uses a Micro-Plastic Collecting Device for outboard motors developed by Suzuki to collect microplastics floating on and near the water surface. This device has been installed as standard equipment on certain outboard motor models produced since July 2022 and is sold globally.
Countries where monitoring surveys were conducted in 2021
Cleanup activities
●Suzuki Manner Improvement Activities
Suzuki was registered in the “Hamamatsu City Road/River Foster-parent System”* in September 2004, and has been conducting cleanup activities under the banner of “Suzuki Manner Improvement Activities,” with the aim of improving the manners and environment/beautification awareness of employees. For those activities, in-house volunteers clean roads around the head office and the Takatsuka underpath every month. A total of over 15,700 participants have conducted the cleanup activities 219 times through March 2023, and they have collected 96 mini-truck loads of flammable and non-flammable garbage. In 2017, this activity was acknowledged by Shizuoka Prefecture, and the Company received the FY2017 Governor’s Award as a stewardship organization for rivers, coasts, and roads.
* Groups that hope to be “foster-parents” decide their cleanup areas and what kinds of activities they will carry out, report them to the Mayor, and conduct cleaning of roads and related activities.
Suzuki Manner Improvement Activities
VietnamVietnam Suzuki Corp.
●Suzuki’s Environment Beautification Day activities
-environmental conservation efforts
Vietnam Suzuki conducts monthly Environmental Beautification Day activities at its Ho Chi Minh City Office and Long Binh Plant in Dong Nai Province. Employees worked together to collect and sort trash inside and outside the plant and around the office.
Through this activity, Vietnam Suzuki aims to contribute to the local community by preserving a clean, green, and comfortable environment. Under the slogan “Small Action- Big Meaning,” the entire company is united in its efforts to maintain a better environment.
Vietnam Suzuki strives to maintain a clean environment, and through responsible waste disposal activities, it will raise employee awareness of environmental beautification and contribute to a clean and environmentally friendly future.