COEDO Brewery becomes first Japanese drinks firm to earn B Corp status

Kyodo Shoji Co., Ltd., the operator of COEDO Brewery, has become the first company in the Japanese alcoholic beverage industry to obtain B Corp certification. This international accreditation recognises businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Kyodo Shoji established a circular business model at its brewery by transforming waste into resources. The facility currently converts 100 per cent of its spent malt into feed for local livestock farmers. It also operates a methane fermentation plant that extracts biogas from brewery wastewater to generate clean energy. Starting this year, the company will begin a new project supported by Saitama Prefecture to compost sludge generated during the brewing process and returning all by-products to the soil.

The company has also integrated B Corp standards into its mid-term management plan, formalising a stakeholder-driven approach that prioritises the environment and local community alongside financial profit.

Shigeharu Asagiri, CEO of Kyodo Shoji, stated that the company considers healthy soil and resource circulation as the core of its business. He expressed a commitment to leading regenerative agriculture in Japan to protect the nation’s ecosystems and demonstrate a global model for environmental improvement through beer production.