Social
Responsibilities to Customers
Policies and Basic Approach
Mitsui & Co. has identified "Secure sustainable supply of essential products" as one aspect of our materialities. We handle a wide range of products such as resources, materials, foods, pharmaceuticals, and products that are vital for the development of society. We have established our Consumer Product Handling Policy and Consumer Product Handling Regulations. Not only do we seek the manufacture, importation and sale of high-performance and/or low-cost products; we also carefully consider the consumer's position, prioritizing the handling of safe products that consumers can use with peace of mind.
We recognize that some of the foods, pharmaceuticals, and other products that we handle carry the risk of harming our customers' lives. For this reason, we have established our own management standards. We make sure that the safety standards set by each country for foods, pharmaceuticals, and other products we handle are maintained, as ensuring customer safety is essential.
Policy on Responsible Advertising and Marketing
We are committed to carry out fair and responsible marketing and advertising, in full awareness of our social responsibilities, and in accordance with our Mission, Vision, Values, the Mitsui & Co. Group Conduct Guidelines –With Integrity, and the Business Conduct Guidelines for Employees and Officers. In addition, we always strive to listen to our stakeholders, to accept their views with humility, and to reflect them in an appropriate way in our business activities.
Advertising
As for advertising and promotions, in consideration of the views of our various stakeholders, we make our best efforts to ensure accuracy and modesty without causing misunderstanding or discomfort, not to mention observing laws and regulations on relevant matters such as the Copyright Act and Trademark Act. When carrying out advertising and promotions, we implement proper risk management under our ringi (circular executive approval) deliberation system on advertising and marketing, which covers compliance risks, internal control risks, and reputation risks.
Marketing
In marketing, we comply with the relevant laws and in-house regulations and in-house training, and we carry out responsible marketing activities using content and expressions that do not infringe on the trust or sense of honor of others and do not cause misunderstandings or discomfort.
In utilizing social media as a marketing tool, we have established Rules on Corporate Use of Social Media. These rules prohibit the posting of content that violates copyrights, portrait rights, and other laws and regulations such as those regarding the disclosure of financial information, slanderous comments based on race, religion, gender, social status, religion, nationality, age, or physical or mental disability, and content that is deemed misleading to consumers under the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums or Misleading Representations. We have also established an account operation manual that recommends multiple mutual employee checks on accounts, and regular checks by a third party to ensure that the content of our communications does not lack consideration for the fact that many people are viewing it, and that it does not constitute inappropriate behavior. We also work to ensure employee awareness of how to handle issues such as account hijacking or identity theft.
Food and Food Product Business Issues, Response Measures and Basic Approach
By securing and supplying food and food products stably, we contribute to the realization of livelihoods that guarantee diversity, convenience, nutritional support, economy, and affluence. In the distribution business, we are expanding not only in the supply and distribution of raw materials for processed foods but also in the retail and merchandising sectors in Japan and overseas. We are working to make our quality assurance system more visible and set up a quality assurance governance system for the group include our consolidated subsidiaries, to serve as a basis for various initiatives. In the Nutrition & Agriculture business, we aim to help people lead richer and more fulfilling lives by enhancing health and well-being through food.
| Key issues | Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Ensuring food safety | Ensuring the safety of processed and imported foods |
| Ensuring consumer confidence | Providing accurate information about food safety, nutritional components, and food allergies, to protect consumer health Providing information on preventing underage and pregnant women from drinking alcohol |
Access to Highly Nutritious Foods
By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 10 billion. Ensuring that people get the nutrition needed to live a healthy life and ensuring the quality of their food are major challenges facing the world. At Mitsui & Co. we are contributing to the sustainable supply of food by building an optimal supply chain from upstream to downstream that includes procurement, production, and logistics. We are promoting the creation of societies in which people can live comfortably by improving nutrition through the reliable supply of food and providing products and services with high added nutritional value.
Aiming to Provide Higher Value Healthcare Services
We recognize that it is important to create a better tomorrow where people live happy, healthy, enriched lives. Medical expenditure is increasing globally, while emerging countries see population growth, developed countries experience aging populations, and changes in disease patterns—such as an increase in chronic disease patients—accompany economic development. With the increase in the number of people in middle-income-level groups and the advent of COVID-19, health awareness is increasing. There are growing calls for burgeoning medical expenditure to be brought under control and for digital technology to be used to a greater extent. With improvements in access to and the quality and efficiency of healthcare in countries across the world, we expect the introduction more telemedicine services, healthcare changing through the use of digital technology such as healthcare data and AI, and a greater focus on outcomes for optimizing medical expenditure and the expansion of services in the wellness field including non-illness and prevention. In accordance with such global trends, we will lead and accelerate the paradigm shift in healthcare from a treatment-based and hospital-centered approach to a prevention-based and individual-centered approach, and expand high-quality and efficient "Value Based Healthcare*".
*In value-based healthcare, each stakeholder aims to achieve the best outcomes and optimize costs to provide high-value medical care to patients
Goals and Targets
- Improve access to nutrition through the stable supply of food.
- Increase the ratio of certified materials we acquire and carrying out employee training programs to ensure the sustainable supply of safe and secure products.
Sustainability Governance and Oversight
Sustainability Committee
Please refer to the links below for more information on Mitsui's Sustainability Management Framework and the activities of the Sustainability Committee.
Sustainability Risk Management
For projects in which we invest that are considered to be highly relevant to our responsibility to our customers (food, pharmaceuticals, etc.), we carry out sustainability risk assessments, formulate improvement plans when necessary, and conduct risk management.
Promotion System for Responsible Advertising and Marketing
Quality Control Management Systems to Ensure Food Safety and Security
Our modern eating habits include cooking at home and the use of processed and prepared foods from around the world. Moreover, the routes and circumstances by which food reaches us have become more international and diverse. This requires us to ensure the safety and security of food both in Japan and overseas.
In our Food Business Unit, we have set up a centralized contact point for information sharing and crisis management in the event of an emergency. In 2002, the Business Unit set up the Food Safety Management Committee with the objectives of (1) studying food safety-related laws and regulations and how related industries have responded; and (2) formulating codes of conduct. The Committee is chaired by the General Manager of our Food Business Unit's Human Resources & General Affairs Department and has one Food Safety Management Committee member in each department of the Food Business Unit. In principle, Committee meetings are held monthly. Committee members share information about amendments to laws and any violations that have occurred. The Committee analyzes the causes of violations and considers measures to prevent them from recurring. External experts are invited to attend Committee meetings and give advice relating to food safety. The Food Business Unit has also set up a food safety database to enhance levels of self-management, and all imported foods are managed. The database is reviewed annually. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, there were 11 cases of pesticide residue violations during monitoring inspections, to which we are working with related parties to respond appropriately. There were no cases of serious violations of the Food Sanitation Act.
In our Retail Business Unit, to further enhance our system to ensure food safety and security by preserving the quality of goods and services sold or provided on a group basis, we have had each division appoint a quality assurance manager and set up a quality assurance governance system on a consolidated basis, seeking to strengthen cooperation within the Mitsui Group.
Group Companies that possess Product Safety Management Standards
| HACCP | Feed One, Kaset Phol Sugar |
|---|---|
| ISO22000 | Feed One, Kaset Phol Sugar, GOYO Foods Industry Co., Ltd. |
| FSSC22000 | Mitsui Norin, GOYO Foods Industry Co., Ltd., PRI Foods, Feed One, KADOYA SESAME MILLS, ADEKA FOODS, The Kaset Phol Sugar, TOKYO DAIRY, Bussan Food Materials Co., Ltd. |
Education and Training Programs to Ensure Food Safety and Security
Mitsui conducts risk management for food safety and security, promoting compliance with laws and regulations and encouraging proper labeling through its monthly Food Safety Seminar for employees of Mitsui and our affiliated companies. The seminar was launched in October 2002 and has been held a total of 254 times as of March 2025. The table below summarizes the content of the seminars that were held during the fiscal year ended March 2025, and the number of attendees to each. A cumulative total of 573 employees from our company and our affiliated companies attended the seminars over this period.
Food Safety Seminar (FY Mar/2025)
Please scroll horizontally to look at table below.
| Month held | Theme | Number of Attendees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | April | "Supervisory and guidance plan for food sanitation and food labeling in FY2024" | 31 |
| May | "Examining the issue of discontinuing the use of products containing Benikoji (red yeast rice)" | 62 | |
| June | "Examining the causes of persistent food poisoning incidents 2024" (Main causes and countermeasures of food poisoning cases in FY2023, with a focus on Campylobacter-related outbreaks) | 45 | |
| July | "Examining the causes of persistent food poisoning incidents 2024" (Campylobacter food poisoning cases and countermeasures) | 32 | |
| September | "Examining the causes of persistent food poisoning incidents 2024" (Background of food poisoning caused by Listeria monocytogenes and chicken) | 32 | |
| October | "Examining the causes of persistent food poisoning incidents 2024 – 2" | 40 | |
| November | "Examining the issue of serious health damage caused by oral intake of so-called health foods" | 188 | |
| December | "Responding to questions regarding foodborne illness caused by water, and insights on the Benikoji (red yeast rice) issue" | 20 | |
| 2025 | January | "Analysis of government efforts to thoroughly inform food business operators about food safety - 1" | 48 |
| February | "Analysis of government efforts to thoroughly inform food business operators about food safety - 2" | 43 | |
| March | "Analysis of government efforts to thoroughly inform food business operators about food safety - 3" | 32 | |
Quality Control Systems to Ensure the Safety and Security of Pharmaceutical Products
We are an exporter, importer (including on behalf of others) and domestic distributor of pharmaceutical products. As such, we have prepared procedure manuals for pharmaceutical product handling—from receipt of order to delivery to the customer—safely, reliably, and promptly. In addition, we have established business guidelines and business procedure manuals within licensed businesses, to ensure the proper management of pharmaceutical products. We carry out regular self-inspections and monitoring evaluations to ensure that business operations are carried out according to the procedure manuals, and we comply thoroughly with a range of commercial laws at our company-owned facilities and elsewhere.
Education and Training Programs to Ensure the Safety and Security of Pharmaceutical Products
At Mitsui, we have appointed a person to lead education and training. We regularly give in-house training on important topics to staff involved in work relating to pharmaceutical products. These include the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law (Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices) and related laws, the operation of Good Supplying Practice (GSP), information about pharmaceutical products handled, business guidelines and business procedures established by the Company, emergency situations that can arise in accidents and other necessary matters.
Collaborating with Stakeholders
Participation in Initiatives
We are promoting and expanding our efforts to address our responsibilities to customers through participation in initiatives. Participation in each initiative is decided after confirming that it is consistent with our basic policy and initiatives for our responsibilities to customers.
Initiatives
Certifications
Acquisition of Environment-Related Certification in Company-Owned Forests "Mitsui's Forests", Forest Resources Business, etc.
Handling Certified Materials (FSC®, PEFC, SGECF Certification, etc.)
Please scroll horizontally to look at table below.
| Acquired Certifications | Coverage (Country/Region) | Certificate Holder/Outline & Scale (Handling Volume) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSC® FSC® certification is based on international standards established by the Forest Stewardship Council®, a non-profit committee-type organization that administers an international forest certification system. |
Forest Management (FM) certification, and Chain of Custody (CoC) certification | Company- Owned Forests "Mitsui's Forests" (Japan) | Mitsui & Co. (License Code FSC®-C057355)/75 locations of Mitsui's Forests (approximately 45,000 hectares) throughout Japan |
| CoC certification | Mitsui Bussan Forest (Subsidiary, License Code FSC®-C031328)/approximately 40,000 m3/year (sells timber and other products produced mostly from Mitsui's Forests) | ||
| Forest Resources Business (Australia, etc.) | Forest Resources Marketing Dept., Living & Environmental Business Div., Performance Materials Business Unit, Mitsui & Co. (License Code FSC®-C104107)/acquired for woodchips | ||
| Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania Pty. (Subsidiary, License Code FSC®-C107463)/acquired for woodchips | |||
| Procurement and sales of pulp, paper, paperboard, and paper products (globally) | Mitsui Bussan Packaging Co. (Subsidiary, License Code FSC®-C009939)/certification obtained for pulp, paper, paperboard, paper packaging materials | ||
| Biomass Fuel | Fuel Solution (Biomass) Dept., Energy Trading & Marketing Div., Energy Business Unit I, Mitsui & Co. (License Code FSC®-C140620/acquired for wood pellets(accredited materials) | ||
| PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes |
CoC certification | Forest Resources Business (Australia) | Forest Resources Marketing Dept., Living & Environmental Business Div., Performance Materials Business Unit/acquired for woodchips |
| Biomass Fuel Trading | Fuel Solution (Biomass) Dept., Energy Trading & Marketing Div., Energy Business Unit I, Mitsui & Co./acquired for wood pellets trading (accredited materials) | ||
| SGEC SGEC certification system was introduced by the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council, a general incorporated foundation, by adapting the global sustainable forest management philosophy (known as the "Montreal Process") to the situation in Japan. SGEC and PEFC have agreed to the mutual recognition of respective forest accreditation systems since 2016. |
Forest Management (FM) certification | Company- Owned Forests "Mitsui's Forests" (Japan) | Mitsui & Co. (License Code SGSJP-031)/75 locations of Mitsui's Forests (approximately 45,000 hectares) throughout Japan |
| CoC certification | Mitsui Bussan Forest (Mitsui subsidiary, License Code SGSJP-W088)/approximately 40,000 m3/year (sells timber and other products produce from mostly Mitsui's Forests) | ||
Acquisition of Environment-Related Certifications in Food Business
Please scroll horizontally to look at table below.
| Acquired Certifications | Coverage (Country) | Certificate Holder/Outline & Scale (Handling Volume) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Japanese Agricultural Standard (Organic JAS) | A system for accrediting agricultural produce grown with the lowest possible impact on the environment, in accordance with the Japanese Agricultural Standards | Japan | Feed One Co. (affiliated company)/manufactures and sells organic JAS-certified feed materials |
| Japan | Mitsui Norin Co./sells organic JAS-certified products | ||
| ASC | An accreditation system by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council for "responsibly produced aquaculture products" meaning that consideration for local communities is taken and the environment is not significantly harmed | Japan | Mitsui & Co. Seafoods (consolidated subsidiary)/imports and sells products in accordance with buyers' requests
|
| Chile | Chilean salmon farming, processing and sales company, Multi X (Mitsui investee company)/has acquired certification at three aquaculture sites. Preparations are underway to acquire additional accreditations (as of the end of Dec. 2021) | ||
| Ecuador | Shrimp farming, processing, and sales company Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila (equity-method affiliate) | ||
| Vietnam | Shrimp farming, processing, and sales company Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (equity-method affiliate) | ||
| MSC | An accreditation system by the Marine Stewardship Council for marine products harvested through sustainable fishing, with appropriate processing and distribution | Japan | Mitsui & Co. Seafoods (consolidated subsidiary)/imports and sells products in accordance with buyers' requests |
| USA | Mitsui Foods (consolidated subsidiary, MFI)/Imports and sells canned tuna. MFI has also obtained MSC Chain of Custody certification for its thorough management at the distribution stage | ||
| BAP | An accreditation system by American NGO, Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), to certify sustainable aquaculture businesses based on five key aspects: environmental conservation, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety, and traceability | Japan | Mitsui & Co. Seafoods (consolidated subsidiary; as an Endorser)/imports and sells products in accordance with buyers' requests |
| Ecuador | Shrimp farming, processing, and sales company Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila (equity-method affiliate) | ||
| Vietnam | Shrimp farming, processing, and sales company Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (equity-method affiliate) | ||
| Chile | Chilean salmon farming, processing and sales company, Multi X (equity-method affiliate) | ||
| RSPO
Please check the status of our progress at: |
The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) is an accreditation that stipulates the legal, economic, environmental, and social conditions required for sustainable palm oil production (8 principles and 43 criteria) | Malaysia | Mitsui and Wangsa Mujur Sdn (overseas non-consolidated affiliated company)/Both Mitsui and Wangsa Mujur operate in accordance with its policy, and we aim to increase the ratio of sustainable certified palm oil (including RSPO-certified) that we procure to 100% by 2030. Specifically, we will promote procurement based on the NDPE (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation) principle. In FY Mar/2025, RSPO-certified palm oil accounted for 21.8% of palm oil handled. |
| Rainforest Alliance Certified
Find out more at ra.org. |
Certificate is awarded to farms that follow more sustainable farming practices that protect forests and biodiversity, improve farm workers' livelihoods, and promote their human rights | Brazil | Mitsui & Co. Coffee Trading (Brazil) (consolidated subsidiary in Brazil)/supplies coffee beans to customers |
| Japan | Coffee Dept., Food & Beverage Materials Div., Food Business Unit/supplies raw coffee beans to customers Confectionery & Dairy Products Dept., Food & Beverage Materials Div., Mitsui & Co./supplies accredited ingredients to confectioners Mitsui Norin (consolidated subsidiary)/sells tea and beverage products |
||
| SQF-TSA | A system that supplements the accreditation standards for food safety and quality control in the food chain as a whole (SQF accreditation) with the food safety and hygiene standard (TSA) established by the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games | Japan | Prifoods Co. (consolidated subsidiary)/supplies major supermarkets with products made at 24 of its farms, the Hosoya process center, package plant and Mihara plant |
Initiatives as Part of Business Activities
Striving for Better Nutrition — Initiative to Promote the Slow Calorie Projects to Slowly Digest Food
In Japan, lifestyle diseases and unbalanced eating habits are becoming a problem, even though the number of calories and amount of carbohydrates that people consume is decreasing. This could be due to an increase in processed, highly refined foods that are soft and easy to chew, which speeds up digestion and absorption. At Mitsui Sugar, a Mitsui affiliated company, the focus is placed on carbohydrates (sugars) which are quickly absorbed by the body and are one of the most commonly consumed energy-producing nutrients. Mitsui Sugar termed the process of slowing down the digestion and absorption of food (especially carbohydrates) "slow calorie", and are conducting awareness-raising activities for this. They are also pursuing development, support, and promotion activities for products utilizing "slow calorie" in order to realize the company's slogan to "create a healthy and robust body".
Striving for Better Access to Healthcare through IHH Healthcare's acquisition of Island Hospital
As the largest shareholder, our company participates in IHH Healthcare Berhad ("IHH"), which owns over 140 healthcare facilities, including more than 80 hospitals across 10 countries worldwide. In September 2024, IHH acquired Island Hospital on Penang Island, Malaysia. The hospital maintains a strong presence in Malaysia's medical tourism sector and is expected to provide enhanced medical services to both domestic and international patients. IHH has also established an Operations Command Centre (OCC) in Malaysia to visualize hospital operations in real time and drive optimized management. Going forward, through business expansion and the use of digital technologies, IHH aims to further improve healthcare access and enhance patient satisfaction.
Striving for Better Access to Healthcare—Filling in the Supply-Demand Gaps through Drug Manufacturing, Sales and Distribution
We have been engaging in the manufacturing, sales, and distribution of high-quality pharmaceuticals needed by consumers in countries across the world, through investee companies such as R-Pharm, Shenzhen Main Luck Pharmaceuticals and Wellesta. Through such business, we are seeking to improve access to healthcare and fill in the gaps between supply and demand in the medical field in countries/regions where medical systems are underdeveloped.
Our Approach to Responsible Marketing
Responding to Consumer Needs with Video-Based Marketing by Tastemade
Customer preferences and consumption patterns are diversifying. Responding to these changing times, Mitsui uses U.S. company Tastemade and its Japanese arm Tastemade Japan, which is our affiliate company, to disseminate information via new means desired by its customers, rather than simply distributing the same information to the masses in a uniform manner.
Tastemade is a lifestyle media company. It streams video content about topics including food, travel, and homes to a monthly global audience of over 150 million people. It has built support among younger people, who are said to be turned off by advertisements, by creating videos with storylines and entertainment that make people want to try new things, while incorporating sponsors' products seamlessly into the content.
By leveraging the strengths of Tastemade's system which collects and analyzes its huge volume of viewership data, we are able to identify potential consumer needs that have not been apparent until now, based on viewers' interests and reactions. By working with Tastemade, we hope to make consumers' lifestyles richer and more enjoyable, creating products and services that truly match their needs.
Provision of Cutting-Edge Data Marketing Functions For Better Product Selection
Our subsidiary MBK Digital helps companies to build and install Data Management Platforms (DMP) that can manage large volumes of data accumulated in day-to-day business operations and provides support for how to analyze and utilize this data. MBK Digital has a brilliant track record as a leader in providing data marketing consulting and support services for many clients, including top B2C brands by planning and executing DMP strategy in online media buying and other execution channels.
Mitsui has been providing cutting-edge data marketing solutions with partners in the United States to Japanese companies. In recent years we have been focusing on marketing services that contribute to the sophisticated data usage in the cloud environment. Through our investment in MBK Digital, we aim to build a structure capable of providing the best solutions to meet client demands and deliver more advanced and comprehensive marketing support services.
Amidst the growing global trend of stricter regulation of the use of consumer data, Legoliss is currently working on advanced solutions in the United States (Zefr, which improves performance of video advertising without the use of personal data; cross-device business Tapad,; and US-Quartile, provider of an Amazon advertisement auto-optimization tool). In addition, Legoliss also handles services for Socialdatabase, a Dutch social media (Twitter) data-related company. We have also started to offer a Consent Management Platform in response to the strengthening of personal information protection laws. We will continue to strive for sophistication in our data marketing support capabilities and answer diversifying consumer needs while considering global trends.
