Kirin Holdings
and
Kirin Beverage
partnered with the
Rainforest Alliance
to develop 'The Regenerative Tea Scorecard' for tea plantations in
Sri Lanka
. The project aims to support farmers in transitioning to regenerative farming, with a focus on sustainability and supporting small farms.
Kirin Group
has been actively involved in promoting
Rainforest Alliance
certification and aims to improve the sustainability of raw material production areas.
Key Highlights:
* The Regenerative Tea Scorecard will be piloted in Kirins supply chain
* About 50% of black tea leaves imported into
Japan
come from
Sri Lanka
, with 24% used in
Kirin Gogo
-no-Kocha
*
Kirin Group
supported 94 tea farms in
Sri Lanka
to receive
Rainforest Alliance
certification by the end of 2022
Original Press Release:
TOKYO
,
April 9
--
Kirin Holdings Co Ltd
issued the following news release:
in
October 2023
,
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
(
Kirin Holdings
) and
Kirin Beverage Company, Limited
(
Kirin Beverage
) have entered a partnership with the
Rainforest Alliance
on a project to develop and pilot a regenerative agriculture[*1] tea framework, “The Regenerative Tea Scorecard.” The project will begin in some tea plantations in
Sri Lanka
, the main producer of the tea leaves used in
Kirin Gogo
-no-Kocha, and a pilot test is scheduled for 2024.
“The Regenerative Tea Scorecard” is intended to be a tool that farmers and companies can use voluntarily and easily. It is a tool to support tea farms in their transition to regenerative farming. It will be piloted in Kirin's supply chain. Tea farmers can use the “The Regenerative Tea Scorecard” to assess their current farm practices and identify areas of improvement to transition to regenerative agriculture. “The Regenerative Tea Scorecard” is based on the Rainforest Alliance’s definition of regenerative agriculture, which takes a conservation and restoration approach to farming by combining environmentally friendly farming practices with integrated systems management strategies to ensure soil health, on-farm biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and farmer livelihoods.
About 50%[*2] of the black tea leaves imported into
Japan
come from
Sri Lanka
, of which 24%[*3] are used in
Kirin Gogo
-no-Kocha. The
Kirin Group
has been supporting producers to take part in the Rainforest Alliance’s Certification[*4] training since 2013, to build better partnerships with important tea-producing regions and the people who work there, and to continue producing tasty and reliable tea beverages. The
Kirin Group
supported 94 tea farms, equivalent to approximately 30% of all large estates in
Sri Lanka
, to receive
Rainforest Alliance
certification by the end of 2022. In 2021, we launched
Kirin Gogo
-no-Kocha Straight Tea 250ml LL Slim, which is made from 100% Sri Lankan tea leaves, of which more than 90% are
Rainforest Alliance
certified.
Tea farmers in
Sri Lanka
face a variety of challenges, including the climate change impacts of drought and heavy rainfall and land use change impacts from urbanization. In
July 2022
Kirin Holdings
disclosed information related to natural capital[*5] on a trial basis, based on the TNFD[*6] LEAP Approach (see the Kirin Group Environmental Report 2022PDF：203KB). The Kirin Group Environmental Report 2023, published in
July 2023
, also covered tea plantations in
Sri Lanka
, including a detailed analysis of “Locate” (discovering the nature interface) and “Evaluate” (diagnosing dependencies and impacts). It reported that training for the
Rainforest Alliance
certification was an effective way to address issues. However, certification has not been attained by all farmers, and the
Kirin Group
is therefore looking to support mainly small farms in their sustainability journey by joining with the
Rainforest Alliance
to introduce “The Regenerative Tea Scorecard.” Through this activity, the
Kirin Group
aims to support the practice of regenerative agriculture among tea farmers and improve the sustainability of raw material production areas.
The
Kirin Group
will continue to address complex and interrelated environmental issues (biological resources, water resources, containers and packaging, and climate change) in a holistic approach, and to work with all those involved in the value chain to connect our desire to enjoy and pass on the bounty of the earth’s bounty to future generations. We will proactively promote various initiatives that will have a “positive impact” on nature and people.
About
Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in
Japan
and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings
can trace its roots to
Japan Brewery
which was established in 1885.
Japan Brewery
became
Kirin Brewery
in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007,
Kirin Holdings
was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the
Kirin Group
aims to become “A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the
Kirin Group
will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
Footnotes:
[*] Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large
[*1] Promotes soil health, on-farm biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and adequate crop productivity for improved livelihoods.
[*2] Based on research from the
Food Marketing Institute, Inc.
, 2020 results
[*3] Based on 2018 black tea statistics from the
Japan Tea Association
[*4] An international certification program. Farms and businesses that participate in the program are audited against rigorous sustainability standards based on the triple bottom line: environmental, social, and economic. They are assessed by independent, third-party certification bodies to follow rigorous standard for sustainable agriculture and responsible business practices.
[*5] Natural capital is the stock of natural assets that provide society with flows of renewable and non-renewable resources and ecosystem services.
[*6]
The Nature-related Financial Disclosure Task Force
, a risk management disclosure framework for companies to report and act on risks related to natural capital.
[Category: Life Sciences, Paper/Forest Products, Partnerships and Alliances]
Source:
Kirin Holdings Co Ltd
