Partner Insight: Why corporate values are so important to company culture and success
At a time when nearly half (49.6 per cent) of UK employees say they will leave their job if their employer fails to meet their corporate purpose, it has never been more important for companies to demonstrate authenticity in its company commitments. That, combined with the 52.3 per cent of employees who feel that purpose statements made by their company either conflict or are only partially aligned with their day-to-day experience, shows that it's key to have genuine company values that employees can live and breathe every day.
At Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain and Ireland (SBF GB&I), our company is rooted in the philosophy of our parent company's founder, Shinjiro Torii, who continues to inspire us today. Thanks to his vision, we are part of an international beverage company that cares about the wellbeing of people and giving back to society.
Suntory Group's purpose is to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. This encapsulates what we value and embrace most as a business. We are not just a manufacturer of products. We are a company that creates rich experiences, joy and inspiration, in our consumers.
To realise our company purpose we also embrace three company values – 'Growing for Good', 'Yatte Minahare' and 'Giving Back to Society', which we work hard to ensure are values that drive action and inspire our people.
Growing for Good
Expectations for businesses to drive positive change have never been higher, and that's a good thing. We are held to account by our consumers, customers, society, stakeholders and, of course, by our employees.
‘Growing for Good' reflects our commitment to positive change, both inside and outside our company. It sets out our focus on sustainable growth, born from the belief that both good and growth are equally important and intimately connected. Growing for Good also serves as the framework for our sustainability strategy, bringing together the most important social and environmental impacts of our business.
We know that the brilliance of life cannot be achieved without the brilliance of the earth. That's why we work hard to minimise the negative impacts of our business by reducing carbon emissions and water use and committing to sustainable packaging.
Last year we made good progress. Across Europe, we reached a 19.4 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, alongside a 14 per cent reduction in Scope 3, against our 2019 baseline.
Actions identified to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions include improving energy efficiency at our factories, sourcing renewable energy for our factories and owned offices, producing our own renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet.
Yatte Minahare
Shinjiro Torii goes down in history not only as a visionary entrepreneur but also as the promoter of a whole philosophy of constant work and effort; the spirit of craftsmanship and the motivation to overcome challenges without fear.
'Yatte Minahare' is a rallying call from Shinjiro Torii to embrace the unknown, question the status quo, take on new challenges, and never give up. We believe that courage is the key to great success and that the future belongs to those who dream big.
Our sugar reduction journey is a prime example of this. Despite the numerous challenges we faced, we persevered to turn our bold ambition to deliver reduced sugar drink options for our consumers into a reality - and one that was industry leading. We took a risk on significant reduction ahead of regulation and weathered the media storm that followed, but it paid off.
We carved a path for others to follow, leading to the removal of over 25,500 tonnes of sugar and 98.1bn calories – amounting to a 57 per cent reduction in added sugar across our entire portfolio. It also led to the introduction of zero or no added sugar alternatives for our drinks, including the successful launch of zero sugar variants for both Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Alert last year. We love the fact that our drinkers are embracing healthier choices, and we are motivated to give them more of what they want.
Yatte Minahare empowers our teams to push boundaries and continuously evolve our drinks and practices to meet the changing needs of our consumers and the planet. This approach fosters a unified, bold culture that sees ‘failure' not as a setback, but as a stepping stone to growth.
Giving Back to Society
Supporting and nurturing the communities we are part of is another ethos inspired by Shinjiro Torii and one that has been deep rooted in Suntory's global purpose ever since it was founded.
Over the years, we've seen extraordinary acts of selflessness and coming together to impact communities for the better. We've donated drinks to vulnerable communities, we've seen employees' take on tough cycling challenges to raise money for charity, and give their time to volunteer in community gardens and kitchens, not to mention the many bags of litter we've collected in the frequent clean ups at locations near our offices and factories. In 2023 alone, our employees dedicated 2,314 hours to volunteering, supporting 34 different causes.
Supporting our community helps us to positively impact those closest to us and gives our employees a chance to support causes that are important to them. Each of our sites, from factories to offices, plays an important role in its local community, and at a wider level our business and brands have an impact on the communities in which we operate. We want to ensure the impact we have is positive, meaningful, and speaks to the values we have as a business.
Harmony with Nature
Our purpose to remain in harmony with nature can clearly be seen through our water sustainability commitments. Water is part of everything we do as a business and we couldn't create our drinks without it. To protect this precious resource for future generations, we are constantly innovating to reduce water consumption in our operations and investing in the ecosystems surrounding our water sources.
Suntory's water education programme, Mizuiku, is a key example of how we are furthering our efforts to achieve harmony and connect with local communities.
The programme is unique to Suntory and was launched in 2004 so that younger generations would have the opportunity to learn where their water comes from and understand the significance of the forests that nurture this natural resource. Started in Japan, the programme is run in collaboration with local NGOs and other organisations in seven other countries and has engaged over 580,000 people globally since it began.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the programme has expanded to Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, France, China, Spain and the UK, with tailored initiatives for each country. The UK programme is now in its second year and focusses on the outdoor part of the Mizuiku programme – ‘The Outdoor School of Forest and Water' – designed to provide participants with interactive, hands-on experiences that help them appreciate the importance of natural water sources. The sessions are run in collaboration with Severn Rivers Trust – the only charitable trust to cover the whole of the UK's longest river – and highlight the critical link between the River Severn and the nature surrounding it. The events take place in five different locations along the River Severn, including in Lydney Harbour, close to SBF GB&I's factory in Coleford and so far, 1,415 people have attended.
Values at the Core of Success
At SBF GB&I, we know that our core values need to be at the heart of our company culture in order to achieve success. In a world where authenticity is paramount, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our company purpose, determined to never lose sight of what makes us truly unique.
By maintaining a strong connection to our Japanese heritage and philosophy we know it's possible to grow without compromising what we stand for. As we look ahead, we continue to embrace the spirit of ‘Yatte Minahare', dreaming big, taking on challenges, and never giving up in our mission to make a positive impact on the world.
For more information on SBF GB&I visit here
This article is sponsored by Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain and Ireland.
