At their 31st Annual General Meeting held on June 22, Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union (Head Office: Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo; hereafter “Seikatsu Club”), whose slogan is “Sustainable People – Seikatsu Club”, approved the “First Seikatsu Club 2030 Action Declaration”, which includes efforts aimed at the attainment of the SDGs.

For over 50 years since its founding in 1965, Seikatsu Club has continued to the greatest extent possible to pursue “safety, health and the environment” through food. From April 2015, under the slogan “Sustainable People – Seikatsu Club”, we began activities toward the realization of an FEC Self-sufficiency Network* that considers future generations to have the same importance as this current generation and to build recycling systems and self-sufficiency for limited resources. These ideals and action goals are very well aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the UN summit in September of the same year.

The “First Seikatsu Club 2030 Action Declaration” approved at this year’s AGM advances seven goals that are in line with the ideals of the SDGs and one unique Seikatsu Club goal that goes beyond the SDGs for a total of eight priority goals. The contents of the goals include the pursuit of domestic production of food and fair procurement; environmental conservation of the sea and land, and measures against climate change, to maintain the Earth’s ecosystem; and the creation of a society in which people support each other while not overlooking poverty and isolation. We also set goals for areas such as food, the environment and care (welfare and mutual aid) that are necessary to enable people to live a rich and abundant life. We also set key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing the degree of realization of the Declaration and will evaluate these each fiscal year to estimate progress. Moreover, by publishing these on our official website and producing a guidebook we will encourage understanding by as many people as possible, and together with all groups and individuals connected with Seikatsu Club, including Seikatsu Club members, producers of consumer materials and related companies, and others, will endeavor to create a sustainable society in which we can foster hope as we move toward the 2030 goals.

From now on, we will consider “high-priority goals that Seikatsu Club is not yet making efforts for but for which, from the perspective of the SDGs, we should take action as we move toward 2030”, and plan to put forward a “Second Action Declaration” in 2022 together with willing Seikatsu Club organizations in each of the regions and in concert with consultations on activities in the various regions.

* An initiative, advocated by the critic Katsuto Uchihashi, to aim for a society in which we ourselves create the mechanisms for sustainable Food, Energy and Care.

1. Based on the concept of food sovereignty*, we will pursue domestic production and fair procurement.


In the primary industries, the industries of life, we will pursue domestic self-sufficiency that will also include the protection of domestic species, and will move forward towards the disclosure of information on production. We will also, both at home and abroad, have consideration for the human rights of people engaged in production and carry out procurement based on agreements with them.

The case of self-sufficiency in domestic species
We are not only making efforts to select as far as possible domestically-produced raw materials and feed in an attempt to raise domestic self-sufficiency, but are also working towards self-sufficiency in species. 

In general, 98% of egg-laying hens are imported into Japan as chicks, but Seikatsu Club’s egg-laying hens are the domestic species “Momoji” and “Sakura”. We are dedicated to the maintenance of species that are appropriate for Japan’s climate and environmental conditions to enable consumers to continue to eat domestically-produced eggs with a sense of assurance.

* Food sovereignty: The right of all countries and peoples to determine their own food and agriculture policies.


 

2. We place importance on the original flavors of the raw food materials and the wisdom and culture associated with the food ingredients and will work toward a realization of healthy and abundant food consumption. 


We will reduce to the smallest levels possible the use of additives and pharmaceutical agents that are thought to be harmful to the human body, and will take positive action to share information on how to use, consume, etc. food ingredients that contribute to the maintenance of health.

The case of Earth-made Vegetables*
All Seikatsu Club vegetables are “Earth-made Vegetables”, whose production methods are devised by the members and producers together starting from the preparation of the soil. The use of synthetic chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers is avoided as far as possible, and the cultivation history of “when, who and where the crop was produced” is always clearly recorded. Aiming for pesticide residues less than 1/10 of the government standard, and with a strict standard for radioactivity of less than 1/4 of the government standard, we are endeavoring to produce “vegetables that are sustainably produced and consumed”.

* Earth-made Vegetables: This term is not used for original products of member co-operatives.

3. We will take action for the environmental conservation of the sea and land, and measures against climate change, to maintain the Earth’s ecosystem.


While basing what we do on a refusal to handle genetically manipulated foods, we oppose the production of such foods, which we believe threaten biodiversity. As well as having consideration for the environment at each of the stages of production, distribution, consumption and disposal, we will also prioritize efforts toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The case of the GREEN System
We have unified bottle containers for seasonings, milk and so on into a small number of shapes and sizes, and are retrieving and reusing these bottles repeatedly. The environmental load of reuse is less than that of recycling and reduces packaging and wrapping waste.

The GREEN System, an activity we have continually practiced since 1994, takes its name from the initial letters of “Garbage Reduction for Ecology and Earth’s Necessity”


 

4. Aiming for a nuclear-free society, we will take action to expand the production of renewable energy.


We will generate electricity from renewable energy, increase the numbers of people and organizations who choose this electricity through solidarity and collective purchase, and create a society where nuclear power is unnecessary.

The case of Seikatsu Club Electricity
“To use electricity whose production method is also clearly known” we are engaging in the collective purchase of electricity by forming partnerships with renewable energy generating stations nationwide.

This is an activity to bequeath to our children a nuclear-free society, to contribute to climate change mitigation measures, and to build self-sufficiency in energy. We aspire to a future that runs on 100% renewable energy and that eliminates reliance on nuclear power and fossil fuels. 

5. We will create communities and a society where everyone can feel secure and live the way they want to.


We will work toward the improvement of environments and the creation of resources for welfare businesses and citizens’ activities that are necessary for the community so that all may live in security from the cradle to the grave.

The case of creating places for people to be
Relations between people are the foundation of welfare and mutual help. Living while enjoying pleasant relations and places provides the support for lives that can be lived with a sense of security. “I can live here just as I want to,” “I feel that I am useful here…” We aim to expand these kinds of relationships and places within the community.


 

6. We will create diverse places for people to be and to work where poverty and isolation are not overlooked and where there is sympathy and mutual support for people to move toward independence. 


We will turn our eyes to the poverty brought about by contemporary society and construct robust safety nets with the aim of reforming the structure of society which widens disparities and isolates the socially disadvantaged. We aim for a society where everyone can engage in mutual support, where the solidarity of the community is enhanced, and where everyone has a role to play.

The case of Food Banks
Seikatsu Club Food Banks were set up in 2019 to make use of food that for various reasons is disposed of despite still being edible. This food is being provided to organizations such as children’s cafeterias.

We plan to move forward with this activity while calling on our members, cooperating with our partner producers and local society, and coordinating with other food banks as we move toward responsible consumption and the resolution of social problems.

7. We will aim for a peaceful and fair society, taking a firm stance on the renunciation of war* and peaceful coexistence.


The case of people’s trade in coffee
Through such activities as visits to production areas by members and inviting producers to Japan, we are also building “face-to-face partnerships” with overseas producers.

In the partnership with producers of the Papua New Guinea “Elimbari Coffee”, we purchase from the famers the coffee beans, which have cleared strict standards, at a rate higher than the general market price and make use of a part of the proceeds for the construction of schools, etc.

We aim to achieve mutual abundance through fair trade.

* Renunciation of war: Denial of the threat of war or force and the exercise of force, and the resolution of problems through ways and means other than war.


 

8. With the basic stance of information disclosure and autonomous management, we will implement our ideal of deciding and acting on our own initiative . 


We will make proactive efforts for the attainment of the SDGs by strengthening women’s empowerment with a focus on organizational management based on member sovereignty. We will implement action policies that exceed the SDGs by setting autonomous goals.

The case of Consumer Materials Step-Up Inspections
Autonomous standards are set for the production of consumer materials through talks between the members and producers, and producers themselves check to see that each item in the standards is adhered to. 

To enhance the quality of the products, members make group visits to production sites to confirm through the eyes of many people that the manufacturing environment and process have attained the level of the autonomous standards. 

By repeated inspections involving direct dialogue with the producers, understanding between the two sides deepens, which leads on to further improvements in quality.