Environmental
Aiming toward coexistence with the environment through our daily business activities
Our business is built on the culinary blessings provided by nature’s abundance. That is why it is our utmost responsibility to minimize the environmental impact of our daily business activities as much as possible and to strive for harmony with nature through our everyday actions.
We are taking steps toward a sustainable future, one step at a time, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, establishing recycling systems to prevent waste, conserving biodiversity, and properly managing water resources in our daily business operations. We will continue to move forward toward a sustainable future, never forgetting our gratitude toward the natural world around us.
Basic Environmental Policy
In order to contribute to a sustainable, circular society and reduce our impact on the global environment,
we aim for every employee to protect, nurture and restore the environment through their everyday actions,
thereby embodying a culture of coexistence with the environment.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
We believe that minimizing greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2, resulting from our day-to-day business operations, however small, is an important responsibility we have as a company in the food industry. We are accurately identifying our current emissions and implementing concrete measures that we can take right now at our locations and factories.
Visualization of Greenhouse Gases and Reduction Plans
To achieve our medium- to long-term reduction targets, we are first working to quantify the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by our own operations and then implementing specific reduction plans based on those findings.
ALEPH aims to reduce its environmental impact through a multifaceted approach, including optimizing energy use by obtaining certification under the international energy management standard ISO 50001 and thoroughly implementing measures to prevent fluorocarbon leaks in equipment at its locations and factories.
Use of Renewable Energy
With the goal of improving energy efficiency and reducing our environmental impact at our locations and factories, we are promoting the adoption of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
As part of this effort, we are working to establish a “recycling loop” in which food waste from our locations and factories undergoes methanation fermentation to produce gas, which is then burned to generate electricity that is reused at our own offices. Furthermore, we are gradually switching to environmentally friendly electricity plans and taking other steps to promote energy transition, starting from the very foundation of our business operations.
Participating in Earth Hour
We participate in EARTH HOUR, one of the world’s largest environmental initiatives, and continue to conduct lights-out activities across our facilities and promote environmental awareness.
ALEPH has locations nationwide, and we are committed to fulfilling our social responsibilities by sharing the same values as the members of each local community and working together toward a sustainable future.
Waste Reduction and Resource Recycling
In order to contribute to a sustainable, circular society that minimizes waste, we are promoting waste reduction and resource recycling throughout every step of our operations, from sourcing raw materials to serving food to our customers.
Reducing Food Waste Together with Our Customers
We place great importance on initiatives to reduce food waste that we undertake together with our customers. These include “Moguchare!!” which encourages children to experience the joy of finishing their meals, and “mottECO,” which promotes taking home leftovers that simply can’t be finished. These efforts are designed for the whole family, from adults to children, to participate in. By embracing the idea that the customer doesn’t want to waste food, we’re working together to foster a culture throughout society that values food.
Recycling Food Waste
We strive to keep food waste and kitchen scraps generated at our locations and factories to a minimum, while also working to recycle the food waste that inevitably results.
One specific initiative involves the introduction of food waste processors at some locations, establishing a system to reduce and compost the food waste generated. The food scraps collected are then recycled into compost, animal feed, energy and other products with the help of local partners, allowing resource circulation to progress steadily, one step at a time.
Changing Plastic Materials and Reusing Restaurant Supplies
We are working to switch to plant-based plastics and recycled materials for our takeout packaging and supplies.
We’ve also incorporated thoughtful touches throughout our restaurant interior and tablewares, including the reuse of wooden plates meant to be cherished and used for years, pendant lights beautifully crafted from recycled fluorescent lights and water glasses made from a new material that’s resistant to breakage and built to last. While adapting to changing needs, we strive to select materials that help reduce the environmental impact of the supplies we use every day, even if only slightly.
Conservation of Biodiversity
The foundation of the food we provide is built upon the natural cycles sustained by thriving ecosystems and the daily efforts of our producers. With gratitude for the local environment and the life it supports, and to ensure that sustainable primary industries are passed on to future generations, we are committed to honest and diligent practices starting right at the source of our procurement.
Rice Procurement Based on Our Own Original Standards and Collaboration with Producing Regions
Based on our company’s own original procurement standards, we are actively sourcing rice while verifying the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. To contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, we continuously review the content of these standards and our verification methods in collaboration with producers.
Survey of rice field Biodiversity and Addressing the Issue of Invasive Species
To protect the rich ecosystems of the rice field where rice is grown, we conduct regular living creatures surveys in collaboration with farmers to identify the species living there. Furthermore, we actively carry out activities such as the removal of invasive species to protect native living creatures, aiming to foster a harmonious and sustainable relationship between food production and a vibrant natural environment.
Water Resource Conservation
Safe and abundant water resources are a shared asset that is essential not only for our operations and products, but also for the production of food ingredients. We recognize the conservation of water resources as one of our key management priorities. We have begun taking steady steps toward this goal by ensuring efficient water use and proper wastewater management in our day-to-day business activities, and we aim to build a more appropriate management system while addressing each on-site challenge one by one.
Reducing Water Consumption and Improving Operations
To conserve our limited water resources, we are working to reduce water consumption at our locations and factories by adopting efficient cleaning methods and managing our equipment. Through ongoing reviews of our daily operations, we aim to further improve water usage efficiency.
Optimizing Wastewater Management Through Proper Maintenance
To ensure proper wastewater management from our locations and factories, we conduct regular cleaning and maintenance of equipment, including grease traps, and strive to optimize wastewater management.