Promotion of environmentally friendly containers and Packaging
Efforts by the Kikkoman Group
In March 2008, the Kikkoman Group stipulated the “Kikkoman’s Guidelines for Containers and Packaging” to clarify the Group’s attitude toward enhancing convenience and safety for customers, and reducing impact on the environment by reducing container and package weight, and recycling.
Kikkoman’s Guidelines for Containers and Packaging
The Kikkoman Group will procure, develop, and merchandise containers and packaging with low environmental impact that are suitable for production, transportation, storage, and sales, and which are also safe and easy for consumers to use.
- 1Reduce weight of containers and packaging.
- 2Introduce and use returnable containers and packaging for our products.
- 3Consider applying shapes, designs, and materials to containers and packaging that facilitate sorted collection and reuse. Promote repackaging current products in new containers and packaging in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of each country.
- 4Make greater use of sustainable resources.
- 5Increase procurement from environmentally conscious suppliers and vendors.
- 6Use materials with chemical compositions and shapes that have been verified as safe for humans.
- 7Collect customer feedback and information regarding where and how they purchase and use our products and incorporate it into the development of new containers and packaging.
- 8Develop containers and packaging with universal designs to make them easy to use for a diverse range of customers.
History of Soy Sauce Container and Packaging
Soy sauce is a traditional Japanese seasoning that in the past would be contained in such ceramics as jars, pots and bottles, and wooden barrels. Later glass bottles were used starting in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and metal cans were used starting in the Taisho period (1912-1926). Currently polyethylene terephthalate (commonly abbreviated PET) bottles are mainly used for soy sauce.
(Owned by the Kikkoman Institute for International Food Culture)
(Owned by the Kikkoman Institute for International Food Culture)
PET bottles feature strong insulation against oxygen and resistance to shock (difficult to damage), as well as high transparency. Kikkoman began using PET bottles as soy sauce containers in February 1977, becoming the first to adopt PET containers in the domestic food industry.
Even after adopting the use of PET bottles, and in cooperation with a resin molding manufacturer, Kikkoman has endeavored to enhance their properties, such as thinner bottles (reduced amount of materials to be used and lighter weight), strength, quality-retention capacity, and recyclability.
Promoting environmentally friendly containers and packaging
The Kikkoman group is developing environmentally friendly containers that are easy to use and safe for customers and working to realize a sustainable society.
1）Development of Easy-to-Remove Cap (Eco-Cap®)
PET bottles discarded after use in homes are generally collected by local municipalities, sold to recycle dealers, and then processed into PET-resin pellets (or flakes) that are reused as raw materials for various products including containers (such as egg cartons), clothing, and stationery in Japan.
To facilitate such reuse, Kikkoman Group is also making efforts to make caps and product labels, which are not made of PET materials, easier to remove from PET bottles.
As part of these efforts, in FY1999 Kikkoman developed and introduced the Easy-to-Remove Cap (Eco-Cap®) (Trademark Registration No. 4319133), an improved cap with an easier-to-remove mouth plug, followed by its continuous pursuit of “easier-to-use” and “easier-to-remove” functionalities that brought about improvements in cap shape and specifications in FY2002 and FY2008. In FY2000, the product labels were improved by using glue to facilitate easier removal by hand.
2） Development of “Sealed Eco Bottle”
The double-layered container "Sealed Soft Bottle" developes in FY2011 is considered a next-generation container.
The bottle has the special function to keep the color, taste, scent of the soy sauce fresh at room temperature for 90 days after opening and to be able to pour soy sauce freely from one drop to necessary amounts. The weight of the bottle is 33g, which is much lighter than the conventional glass tabletop bottle (159g). In August 2011, the Kikkoman Group has released a raw soy sauce product named "Kikkoman Itsudemo Shinsen (Always fresh) freshly squeezed Nama Shoyu (fresh raw Soy Sauce)“ using this bottle in Japan.
In addition, the following improvements were added to the bottle in FY2017.
- 1The main material of the new bottle was changed from polyethylene to polyethylene terephthalate.
- 2A product label and a cap which can be removed easily were adopted for recycling purpose.
- 3The weight of the new bottle became 10% lighter.
With these improvements, the new bottle that was named “Sealed Eco Bottle” also has a high recycling function. From February 2018, the products using this improved bottle were introduced into the Japanese market.
“Sealed Eco Bottle” was awarded "The Japan Marketing Association Director’s Award” in Japan Packaging Contest 2018 held by the Japan Packaging Institute, in August 2018.
Also, in the FY2020, Kikkoman adopted an environmentally friendly approach by including recycled PET resin in the bottle materials.
3）Lightweight Containers and Packaging
The Kikkoman Group is working to reduce the weight of containers and packaging. In FY2022, Kikkoman reduced the weight of the glass bottles used in “the Steak Soy Sauce” series by approximately 14.7%.
4）Use of FSC®-Certified Paper Used for Containers
Kikkoman uses paper packaging for many of its products and is making sure to minimize the paper usage and improve its quality. As part of such efforts, Kikkoman Soyfoods Company uses FSC-certified paper for its paper containers of soymilk products.
- *FSC-certified paper: Paper certified under a global standard that verifies materials provided from properly managed forests in terms of environmental and social sustainability have been delivered to consumers through appropriate processing and distribution.
5）Use of Biomass Ink for Product Labels
Beginning in FY2019, Kikkoman Food Products Company started using biomass ink for product labels. Biomass ink is made partially with materials derived from cotton, pulp, rice bran, and other plant-originated resources (biomass), making it more environmentally friendly than the conventional ink, which is primarily made from petroleum-derived materials.
6）Release of Unlabeled Tomato Juice Bottles
In May 2022, Nippon Del Monte Corporation began selling Unsalted Tomato Juice without any labels attached to the bottles. (They are available only for online sales.) The product information is listed on each case containing 12 bottles, and there is no need to display product information on each bottle. This packaging can reduce the amount of plastic used for individual labels and also makes it easier for consumers to recycle the bottles.
7）Introduction of Compact Packaging Design
Nippon Del Monte Corporation introduced the compact packaging design for juice gift boxes. The cans are compactly packed in an upright orientation, which provides ease of storage, handling, and disposal. For the manufacturers, they can save paper resources (30% reduction compared to the older design in the same price range), and demonstrate their commitment to eco-friendly practice, and give the products a luxurious look. It will also help the retailers to expand their current market.
8）Use of Plant-Based Plastics
From March 2023, Kikkoman Soyfoods began switching to plant-based (made with sugar cane) biomass plastic for the caps of 1000mL “Kikkoman Soymilk” cartons and the straws of 200mL cartons.
*Biomass plastic is a carbon neutral plastic made with renewable organic resources such as plants.The use of these straws and caps is expected to reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics by around 400t annually.
*The switchover to straws is planned during FY2024.
Partnership and Cooperation with External Organizations
1）Participation in the “Challenge for the Declaration of Saving Resources”
Kikkoman Corporation is participating in the "Challenge for the Declaration of Saving Resources" promoted by nine prefectures and cities*.
*Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City, Kawasaki City, Chiba City, Saitama City, and Sagamihara City.
To facilitate such reuse, Kikkoman Group is also making efforts to make caps and product labels, which are not made of PET materials, easier to remove from PET bottles.
The objective is to promote the reduction and recycling of one-way plastic products, containers and packaging, and food waste in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the rest of Japan.
Kikkoman's Challenge for the Declaration of Saving Resources (FY2024)
- 1Strive to use sustainable raw materials. Also, examine the product design and materials to sort and recycle easily, and strive for their practical application.
- 2Develop products that reduce CO2 emissions, plastics, and other environmental impacts throughout the value chain, from development and raw material procurement to end-user use.
In FY2024, we expanded the use of biomass resin for product packaging, changed carton specifications and improved the ease of peeling off lightweight shrink labels, etc.
We will continue our efforts in line with this initiative.
2）Participation in “Declaration of Action on Plastic Recycling”
Kikkoman Corporation takes part in the “Declaration of Action on Plastic Recycling” launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from November 2018. Under this declaration, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries collects examples (activities related to reduction, reuse and recycling) of policies and initiatives for plastic waste taken by industry organizations and companies using plastic products, containers and packaging in the food production, food logistics, food retailers, restaurant and other sectors. These are then showcased as a way of highlighting the various issues caused by plastic waste and the importance of methods to address those issues, with the aim of promoting initiatives extensively throughout society and amongst citizens.