Five Kirin Group Companies Certified Again as “White 500” Companies

TOKYO, Monday March 11, 2024 – Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) has been recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Health Council for the eighth consecutive year as a "White 500" corporation for its excellent health management practices in cooperation with insurers. This year, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited, Kirin Beverage Company, Limited, Mercian Corporation, and Kyowa Kirin Company, Limited were certified again on March 11.

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,”*1 and human rights initiatives are the foundation of this vision. Based on the belief that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” as stated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Kirin Holdings positions this policy as the top priority for all related documents and standards in its business activities. The company will also seek understanding of this policy from all employees of domestic and overseas group companies and various business partners involved in the value chain and make appropriate approaches to them.
*1 Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

Since issuing the Kirin Health DeclarationPDF：20KB in 2017, the Kirin Group, as a company that delivers health to consumers, has been promoting systems and measures that enable flexible work styles, addressing employee mental health and lifestyle-related disease prevention, and educating people on how to deal with alcohol. Kirin Holdings will continue to work toward the achievement of "health management" in the future.

As a company that delivers health to our customers, Kirin Holdings will continue to create an environment and opportunities for each and every one of its employees to work in a healthy and safe manner, while actively promoting health as a company that delivers health to consumers. Kirin Holdings will also continue to create opportunities for employees to improve their mental health and lifestyle habits. In addition, Kirin Holdings will continue to work on mental health and lifestyle disease prevention, and as an alcoholic beverage manufacturer, the company will promote initiatives to improve health literacy and set a good example for society by ensuring that our employees drink appropriately.

Kirin Health Declaration

https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/impact/well-being/1_7/

Health Management Promotion Structure

Establishment of the Kirin Group Health and Safety Meeting in 2022; four indicators are defined and PDCA is promoted across the Group.
(i) Presenteeism*2 survey score
(ii) Percentage of people maintaining an appropriate weight (BMI between 18.5 and 25)
(iii) Percentage of employees with an AUDIT (https://auditscreen.org/) *3 score below 38
(iv) LTIR*4

*2 A state of being at work while having health problems.
*3 A screening (classification) test for problem drinking, developed as a result of a WHO (World Health Organisation) research study. It consists of 10 questions in total, and the total score for each item (maximum 40 points) is used to evaluate the extent of the drinking problem. 0-7 points is considered "no problem drinking", 8-14 points "problem drinking but not addiction", and 15 points or more "suspected addiction".
*4 Number of occupational accidents resulting in one or more days' absence from work per million actual working hours per year (approximately 500 employees in terms of number of employees).

2022-2024 CSV Commitments

https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/impact/csv_management/commitment/

Kirin Group ESG Data Book

https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/investors/files/pdf/esgdatabook2023.pdfPDF：2.4MB

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.

GALLERY