Kyowa Hakko Bio, a member of the Kirin Group and the parent company of Kyowa Hakko USA, has published its first report detailing its impact on global health and sustainability.
A creating shared value (CSV) company, Kyowa Hakko Bio is dedicated to leveraging its advanced biochemical technologies to contribute to the achievement of better health and wellbeing, as well as the conservation of the global environment and the realization of a sustainable society.
“Corporations have the unique opportunity to make significant impacts on environmental and social issues,” said Gerard Adams, President and CEO, Kyowa Hakko USA, Inc. “Kyowa Hakko Bio is consistently advancing CSV initiatives to address environmental impacts and human rights through every stage of the value chain, and this report allows us to make these efforts accessible to the industries and consumers we serve.”
The 2023 CSV Progress Report details the company’s vision, environmental and activity policies, management, target goals, and progress to-date regarding sustainability initiates, which are directly tied to many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Kyowa Hakko Bio is continuously working to balance business growth with reducing the company’s negative impact on the environment. CSV initiatives include Kyowa Hakko Bio’s commitment to overcome climate change, reduce water use and contamination, and conserve biological resources.
- In order to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Kyowa Hakko Bio is shifting to energy-saving equipment, including the introduction of high-efficiency boilers at the company’s U.S. site in 2020 (reducing annual natural gas consumption by approximately 8%).
- Kyowa Hakko Bio also aims to shift to 100% renewable energy across all operations by 2040, introducing “Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC)” at its overseas facilities and leasing unused land to large-scale solar power generation companies, contributing to the spread of clean energy.
- Kyowa Hakko Bio actively reduces water consumption through a number of conservation activities, including installing water-saving equipment and implementing a cooling system for recycling and reusing water.
- Dedicated to keeping natural waterways clean, Kyowa Hakko Bio has set voluntary wastewater standards that are stricter than those required by regional regulations and uses excess sludge for composting and other purposes at overseas facilities, contributing to the reduction of waste.
- Kyowa Hakko Bio values the use of sustainable biological resources and has set the target of achieving 100% use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or recycled paper for packaging materials by 2030. Four of five sites have already accomplished the goal.
Kyowa Hakko Bio has established a CVS Promotion Team to integrate its CSV initiatives into corporate strategies, as well as monitor and report on the progress of its CSV commitments.
“Consumers are spending their money on brands that align with their personal values, and we’re proud to give sustainability-minded shoppers more confidence to purchase products made with Cognizin, IMMUSE, and other branded ingredients from Kyowa Hakko Bio,” said Karen Todd, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing, Kyowa Hakko USA.
Within its more than 2,000 employee workforce, Kyowa Hakko Bio is focusing on continued growth by harnessing the strengths of its diverse workforce, which fosters innovation and new value. Among the notable community engagements of the Kyowa Hakko USA team is Todd’s appointment as the first Chairperson at Women In Nutraceuticals.
