"Mirai Kakehashi Project Opening Ceremony" (held on April 2, 2022)

The "Mirai Kakehashi Project" is a new initiative by Ito-Yokado, which aims to address current social issues such as global warming, resource and food shortages, with the theme of "Making shopping an opportunity to 'change the future.'" The opening ceremony was held with the cooperation of supporting companies such as Kirin Beverage, Ezaki Glico, Kewpie, Koiwai Dairy, Toyo Suisan, Nippon Paper Crecia, House Foods, Maruha Nichiro, Mizkan, and Mercian, as well as government agencies.

The ceremony introduced environmentally friendly products born from the ongoing "Clothing Collection Campaign" and products developed in collaboration with children who represent the future. Additionally, based on the concept of "Working together with customers on the SDGs," Ito-Yokado introduced its history as a regional hub for the SDGs, as well as its new "Mirai Kakehashi Project," which it will be working on periodically with supporting companies.

Afterwards, a "Bellmark Agreement Signing Ceremony" was held, where the Bellmark Educational Support Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, presented a letter of appreciation to Ito-Yokado, which has donated a total of 1500 million items over the past 10 years. The letter of appreciation was handed over to President Tetsuya Yamamoto. In addition, a "Children's Future Support Fund Donation Presentation Ceremony" was also held, which is one of the public-private partnership projects aimed at combating child poverty.

■ Aiming for a sustainable society

In his speech at the ceremony, President Yamamoto said, "Through the Mirai Kakehashi Project, we would like to propose actions that will change the future of everyday shopping."

Ito-Yokado aims to realize a sustainable society through eight actions, such as reducing plastic, reusing clothing, and combating food waste. Of these eight actions, with regard to clothing recycling and reducing plastic, Mr. Kato of Ito-Yokado's Clothing and Accessories Department said, "When we thought about what is needed in today's world, we arrived at clothing recycling and reducing plastic."

This initiative has resulted in a significant reduction in plastic use by replacing accessories such as those on the collars of business shirts with fiber paper instead of plastic. The company also continues, "By collecting and recycling clothing that would previously have been discarded and reviving it as recycled yarn, we have been able to reduce resource waste."

■To solve the food problem

Additionally, one of the eight actions that Ito-Yokado is implementing is the handling of "food with a traceable face," which leads to customer safety and security. "Food with a traceable face" aims to deliver safe ingredients by taking into consideration each stage of production, distribution, and sales, based on the idea of ​​"reliably delivering delicious and safe food and gaining the understanding of customers."

In addition, the company has established "Five Promises" as essential elements for providing safe and secure food for each category, such as agricultural crops, livestock products, and marine products. Furthermore, the company works with Japanese producers who are mindful of the environment and safety, and sells products with the names and commitment of the producers visible.

After the ceremony, Ito-Yokado's CSR and SDGs Promotion Department General Manager, Koyama Yuko, spoke about her thoughts and vision for the Mirai Kakehashi Project.

■To make local customers happy

We want to preserve our current environment and resources so that the younger generation can live happy and healthy lives. When we thought about this, we felt that we too should take a step forward.

However, there is a limit to what Ito-Yokado can do alone to create the future. As a retailer, we are deeply rooted in the community's infrastructure, so we launched this project with the belief that by working with manufacturers and collaborating with the government, we can take a greater step toward contributing to the local community.

Currently, the number of environmentally friendly products among our company's products is gradually increasing, so we would like to spread awareness of this project more widely so that customers will become aware of these products and choose them. We also believe it is important to listen carefully to what our customers have to say and repeatedly verify our findings based on their opinions. We would like to contribute to creating a brighter future not only by being involved in the lives of our customers who visit Ito-Yokado, but also by supporting the "communities" in which they live.

■A word to college students!

Ito-Yokado still has some areas where it has not fully incorporated the opinions of young people. By furthering dialogue with university students, we hope to advance our efforts to address environmental issues that are directly linked to the future.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on April 2, 2022 by Sakai Yaku, 4th year, Meiji University and Yamamoto Masato, 4th year, Meiji University