Contribution to a Sustainable Supply Chain

Supply chain management

Based on the ITO EN Group's established policies, including the Human Rights Policy, Fundamental Supplier Policy, Procurement Policy and Quality Policy, the Group aims to build a responsible supply system that is both socially and environmentally conscious in collaboration with manufacturing contractors and related parties.

We are committed to enhancing the entire supply chain. We regularly evaluate suppliers using a questionnaire survey and share best practice at meetings with suppliers to address a range of challenges, including the pursuit of quality, safety and peace of mind, legal compliance, fairness in procurement and consideration for human rights, labor and the environment. When we start doing business with new suppliers, we explain our policies and guidelines, carry out onsite audit where necessary and verify the status of suppliers' activities.

In our quality management, we are working to provide safe and reliable products, comply with applicable laws and ordinances, and ensure safety of products utilizing international standards. Our domestic beverage and leaf manufacturing factories have acquired the ISO 9001 international quality management and quality assurance certification and the FSSC 22000 international food safety certification. We have established quality control systems and operate them in accordance with relevant rules and guidelines.

Our products are only manufactured in factories that satisfy ITO EN's quality management standards, and we thoroughly ensure safety and security in the manufacture of our products by carrying out regular factory audits and holding regular quality assurance meetings with suppliers.

In the area of logistics, we are promoting white logistics to consistently deliver safe and secure products to our customers. We work with our outsourcing partner companies to build an efficient logistics system that addresses social and environmental issues. We conduct regular assessments and audits of our outsourcing partners using transportation and storage checklists prepared by ITO EN and hold meetings with them to share information. The ITO EN Group ensures safety and security throughout the entire process from crude tea procurement to manufacturing and logistics. The Group works with the outsourcing partners to establish sustainable supply chain management practices.

Communication with suppliers

We aim to strengthen partnerships with our suppliers and improve the sustainability of the entire supply chain through communication such as sharing information and exchanging opinions and confirming future policies with suppliers, including manufacturing contractors, raw ingredient suppliers, and material manufacturers.

We hold regular quality meetings with suppliers to improve quality and ensure the creation of safe and secure products. At the quality meeting, we disseminate the ITO EN Group's material issues and related policies, such as the ITO EN Group Human Rights Policy, the ITO EN Group Fundamental Supplier Policy, and the ITO EN Group Environmental Policy, explain environmental issues such as climate change and water resources, and social issues such as human rights and occupational safety and health, and share good practice of addressing issues. We also ask our suppliers to report environment-related data such as GHG emissions and water consumption related to the manufacture of our products, and we encourage them to manage their progress toward achieving the ITO EN Group Medium- to Long-term Environmental Goals and to work to reduce their environmental impact.

In addition, we are working in cooperation to solve social and environmental issues, such as conducting supplier surveys that incorporate environmental and human rights items and working to conserve water sources near outsourced manufacturing factories.

Water resources

Respect for human rights forms the foundation of the ITO EN Group's management principle, “Always Putting the Customer First,” and underlies all of its business activities. In accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the ITO EN Group has formulated policies such as the Human Rights Policy and Fundamental Supplier Policy to promote respect for human rights for all people in the value chain, including employees.