Environment

‘Shiseido’ comes from a phrase in the classical Chinese text, I Ching：“Praise the virtues of the Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth significant value.” This praise for the Earth, which continuously gives birth to new things, is consistent with Shiseido's goal of sustainability, which aims to create and circulate new value in society. Since Shiseido was founded in 1872, we have developed a business model that combines business success with respect for people, society, and the planet.
In everything we do, we cooperate with our stakeholders across our entire value chain – from procurement of materials and product development through to production, use, and disposal – to create value through our products and services and enable the coexistence of people and the environment. This is how we create new sustainable value for the world.

The activities of all living things, including people’s life and economy, rely on the bounties of nature. Since the foundation of Shiseido, we have positioned respect and gratitude for the blessings of the earth at the core of our business. In recent years, the impact of economic activities on the environment, such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity and plastic pollution, has been felt around the world and has become too big to ignore. To become the world’s most trusted beauty company and remain vital for the next 100 years and beyond, the simultaneous pursuit of environmental sustainability and the growth of business must be a priority. Consequently, we identified issues from a value chain perspective and set long-term targets for reducing our environmental footprint. Initiatives have been introduced throughout the business.
We are taking steps to reduce CO2 emissions not only at our sites but also across our entire value chain (indirect emissions) to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We are also working to minimize climate change-related risks to our business while at the same time maximizing opportunities for business. In terms of water resources, we have reduced water consumption at our sites to ensure that water is used sustainably by working with stakeholders in the basins within which our sites are located. Waste is sorted based on the principles of the circular economy to ensure that resources are used in the most efficient way.

Shiseido is committed to sustainable manufacturing across the entire value chain. To ensure that our consumers can choose our products with confidence and peace of mind, we believe that sustainable and responsible procurement is crucial in the supply chain of cosmetic raw materials, which face environmental and social challenges. Among the raw materials, we are particularly focused on transitioning to certified and highly sustainable materials for those that have been assessed as having a significant impact on biodiversity.
We are taking a top-down approach to ensure transparency　and clearer raw material traceability. We combine this with a bottom-up approach involving the implementation of the Supplier Assessment Program, which applies the PDCA cycle to identify and resolve environmental and social issues such as human rights, to create a sustainable supply chain built on responsible procurement.