Kirin Holdings Recognized By The PRIDE Index As An LGBTQ-friendly Workplace, Receiving Gold Status For The Fifth Year In A Row

TOKYO, Thursday November 12, 2021 – Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings), along with subsidiaries Kirin Brewery Company, Limited, Kirin Beverage Company, Limited, and Mercian Corporation jointly received a gold rating - the highest ranking - in the PRIDE Index*1 for its LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies.
*1: A rating index for LGBTQ efforts at companies and other organizations, developed in 2016 by Work with Pride, a voluntary organization that supports the promotion and establishment of LGBTQ diversity management.

PRIDE Index indicators are Policy (declaration of action), Representation (community of people), Inspiration (Awareness Activities), Development (Human Resource Systems, Programs), and Engagement/Empowerment (Social Contribution/Liaison Activities). The awards recognize LGBTQ-friendly policies in five categories and are awarded on three levels: gold, silver and bronze overall. Kirin Holdings received high marks in all five categories.

The Kirin Group has taken steps to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues through messages from management to all employees, human rights training, efforts to promote understanding among hiring interviewers, and the establishment of an external consultation service.

LGBTQ-friendly Workplace Initiatives

In July 2017, Kirin Holdings revised its compliance guidelines, which specifically set out a code of conduct for employees to clarify that Kirin Holdings will not discriminate against LGBTQ sexual orientation and gender identity or harm individual dignity, along with gender, age and nationality. In line with these revisions, Kirin Holdings has revised various company benefits such as congratulatory and condolence leave, allowances, and company housing systems　－ which had been limited to legal spouses and relatives　－ so that same-sex marriages and common-law marriages can be handled in the same way as legal marriages.

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*2,’ creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.’ Kirin Holdings prides itself in embracing diversity and harnessing it for innovation.
*2: Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

Moving forward, Kirin Holdings will continue to respect human rights and make the most of its diverse human resources to further improve its organization. For more on Kirin Holdings and its Human Rights Policy, please see https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/impact/human_rights/.

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.

* Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.