Sustainability has become a hot topic in corporate circles in recent years, but few companies have made a concerted effort to embed this concept into their core operations. For Japanese food and beverage (F&B) giant Asahi Group Holdings, sustainability is an increasingly urgent imperative, one embodied in a philosophy launched in January 2019.
This philosophy adapts the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into guideposts for business decisions, taking into account factors such as climate impact and sustainable sourcing of raw materials.
As one of Japan’s top F&B conglomerates by revenue, and 20th in the world, Asahi aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in everything it does by 2050. More immediately, by 2030, the company plans to reduce emissions by 70% for Scope 1 and 2 and by 30% for Scope 3.
Since the F&B sector is responsible for one-third of those emissions, according to Ceres, Asahi’s move could play a big role in the fight against climate change and other environmental challenges.
Asahi’s 2050 goal is more aligned with international climate targets, specifically a global benchmark for meeting net zero in the wider economy set by the International Energy Agency. Many of Asahi’s F&B partners—including Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, and Danone—are also targeting the mid-century milestone, according to Just Food.
Sustainability starts with employees
When the 30,000-employee enterprise Asahi set out in 2019 to become a sustainability leader, it introduced a new way of thinking about work and technology that treats employees as customers.
This requires giving staff ample opportunity to provide feedback as part of a continuous cycle of improvement and iteration in the worker experience. It also emphasizes a personalized approach that fits the needs of each individual rather than all employees as a group.
“When I moved to Asahi from the auto industry, I felt strongly that Asahi is a company that values its employees very much,” said Hiroshi Shimizu, a manager in the system management department at Asahi Group Holdings.
While the pandemic reinforced Asahi’s long-standing principle of workplace flexibility, it hindered communication and the overall ease and flow of operations. To overcome these challenges, the company adopted a new approach to digital technology.
In the past, different departments operated in silos with their own applications and approval processes. The information employees need to do their jobs is hard to find. New initiatives launched in the IT department over the past few years have tried to make this information easier to find.
“In Japan as a whole, digital transformation equals business transformation,” explained Tomokazu Yamakawa, executive officer of the digital transformation department of Asahi Group Holdings. “That’s why we have a policy of promoting innovation in processes, organizations, and business models.”
Increasing efficiency
ServiceNow IT Service Management has helped the company streamline workflows and reduce steps to complete tasks. Asahi realized that it needed to go beyond simply digitizing the paper-based processes of the past to eliminate wasteful and inefficient methods as much as possible.
While the IT department is more in sync with ServiceNow solutions, other verticals still work. Asahi intends to upgrade an additional 3,000 processes soon. “We are working on the change in close collaboration with every department,” Yamakawa said.
In May 2022, the company adopted ServiceNow App Engine, a platform that enables low-code/no-code development of business-grade applications. The product can connect workflows inside and outside IT.
Going forward, ServiceNow HR Service Delivery will be an integral part of Asahi’s ongoing transformation. The platform empowers employees to log in from anywhere and access the information they need to do their jobs efficiently and easily.
“Simplicity is an important keyword,” says Yamakawa. “I want to remove the impact of new technology installations and remove the ‘black box’ as much as possible. Visualization, for example, makes it easier to estimate the time and cost required for the change. I felt that ServiceNow is the best technology partner for us to achieve this goal.”
Simplifying the employee experience, meeting goals
With a high return on investment expected within three years, Asahi’s strategy of treating employees as customers is paying off. “Previously, an employee needed to seek approval from their line manager to create a new folder to share information internally,” says Shimizu.
“The IT department would set it up manually only after receiving approval from the manager, in a process that could take up to a week. Now, the process is fully automated. Once the approval is received, it is immediately sent to the file sharing service, and the folder can be created in minutes.”
“We want to make full use of ServiceNow to reduce the things that consume employees’ time,” added Yamakawa. In turn, this shift motivates workers to be good social and environmental stewards, advancing Asahi’s sustainability.
Learn more about how ServiceNow helps companies meet their sustainability goals.
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