ROHTO Group conducts its business activities by utilizing the precious gifts of nature made possible by biodiversity.
We recognize it as our vital responsibility to operate our business in a manner that fosters and protects environments where diverse living organisms can coexist.
The Group has clarified its policy on biodiversity conservation, and, working together with all stakeholders across the Group, we are committed to fulfilling our social responsibilities related to biodiversity.
Through these initiatives, we contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
Biodiversity Conservation Policy
Recognizing that all our business activities both benefit from and impact
the natural environment, we are committed to achieving harmony with nature
and conserving biodiversity to realize a sustainable society.
- We will strive to understand how our business activities relate to and impact biodiversity, and work to avoid or minimize the impact.
- We will strive to conduct our business activities in a manner that takes into consideration the ecosystems of the regions in which we operate.
- We will strive to preserve the environment by promoting the development of products and technologies that take biodiversity into consideration.
- We will strive to raise employee awareness of biodiversity and support and promote environmental preservation activities through cooperation and partnerships with a variety of related stakeholders.
- We will comply with national and international agreements and laws regarding biodiversity.
Response Based on the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures（TNFD）Recommendations
We support "Nature Positive," the global goal for 2030 set forth in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in December 2022.
In April 2025, we expressed our support for the final recommendations (v1.0) of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and were officially registered as a TNFD Adopter.
Disclosure of Information on Natural Capital and Biodiversity
Based on the recommendations of the TNFD, our Group has begun initiatives aimed at disclosure to stakeholders from four perspectives: "Governance," "Strategy," "Risk and Impact Management," and "Metrics and Targets." In pursuit of harmony with the natural environment and the realization of a sustainable society, we will continue to promote biodiversity conservation across the entire Group.
In addition, in September 2021, we established a Sustainability Committee to discuss and determine policies regarding risks and opportunities related to climate change and natural capital, and have built a framework to implement these policies throughout the Group. The Board of Directors receives reports on the committee's deliberations and discussions, and has established a system for overseeing disclosures and engagement with stakeholders concerning our Group's response to climate change and natural capital, as well as for considering capital expenditure plans from a long-term perspective and supervising the implementation phase.
Paper resources
We have established a policy of using environmentally friendly paper such as papers with forest certification and recycled paper as well as reducing the amount of paper resources used. Product packaging, sales promotional materials, company brochures and other leaflets, and paper used in the office are switched to paper with forest conservation credentials.
Palm oil
Palm oil, a vegetable oil extracted from oil palms, is also used as a cosmetic ingredient (fatty acids and glycerin). In recent years, however, various problems have arisen, including the destruction of tropical rainforests to make way for oil palm plantations as well as issues related to the human rights of plantation workers. Setting targets for the selection and procurement of sustainable raw materials, we have joined the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and are pursuing initiatives.
Dealing with microplastic beads
Microplastic beads are an ingredient used in products for cleansing and rinsing, but recently concerns have been raised both in Japan and overseas regarding their environmental impact, such as marine pollution. We stopped adding microplastic beads to our new cleansing products in 2010, and in 2016 we completed the switch to microplastic bead-free formulas for our existing cleansing products.
Consideration for marine pollution and coral conservation
In recent years, there has been growing concern over the death of coral
and the impact on marine life caused by certain ingredients found in sunscreen
products. We have developed sunscreens that do not contain ingredients
suspected of contributing to marine pollution and coral decline. In 2022,
we launched such products and carried out awareness-raising activities,
mainly in the Okinawa region.
We recognize that the absence of a global standard for evaluating the effects
of cosmetic formulations on corals is an important issue. Through joint
research with Innoqua Inc., we newly established a method to assess the
impact of cosmetic formulations on the growth of coral species, including
Montipora and Acropora. Going forward, this evaluation method is expected
to be applied not only to sunscreens but also to other cosmetic formulations,
and to contribute to the development of products with even greater consideration
for the environment.