ACTION PLAN FOR YAKULT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

NATIONAL PACKAGING COVENANT ACTION PLAN FOR:- YAKULT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ABN 97 055 486 443 AUGUST, 2005 – DECEMBER, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 THE COMPANY 4 COMPANY BACKGROUND 5 NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION 6 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY 7 PACKAGING AT YAKULT 8 PACKAGING STEWARDSHIP 9 ACTION PLAN 2004/2006 REVIEW 10 TABLE (A) ACTION PLAN (RESULTS) 2004/2006 10 11 TABLE (B) ACTION PLAN – 2005/2008 21 12 ACTION SUMMARY TABLE (C) 31 13 NOMINATED RESPONSIBLE PERSON 32 Yakult Australia Pty Ltd Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Yakult Australia Pty Ltd manufactures, markets and distributes fermented milk drinks throughout Australia and New Zealand Yakult and Yakult Light are the only products produced by the Company This document will report on the results of our Action Plan for the 2004/2005 as well as present our Action Plan for 2005/2008 Yakult Australia Pty Ltd as a signatory to the National Packaging Covenant views our commitment to this Action Plan, as a means of confirming and displaying our undertaking to the management and control of our product and associated packaging, particularly its impact on the environment Yakult Australia Pty Ltd supports the Environment Code of Practice for packaging and undertakes to work in a co-operative manner with our customers and suppliers, encouraging them to play their part in the product and packaging stewardship for the product we produce The person nominated as the contact for dealing with this plan is:Mr Greg W Jerram Director – Human Resources Phone : (03) 9238 4712 2.1 SCOPE OF ACTION PLAN 2.1(a) TIME FRAME August, 2005 to December, 2008 We propose that the annual review of the Yakult Action Plan be brought into line with our operating year which concludes in December This will coincide with our international reporting requirement to our Parent Company Yakult Honsha in Tokyo, Japan This change in reporting date will also facilitate ease of supplying and updating our base line data on a more accurate and reliable basis 2.1(b) PLACE IN PACKAGING SUPPLY CHAIN Brand Owner 2.1(c) BRAND NAMES OWNED & MANUFACTURING LOCATION Yakult Light seven (7) pack – 65ml Yakult Original five(5) pack, ten (10) pack, – 65 ml Manufacturing Site:- 10 Monterey Road Dandenong Vic 3175 Yakult Australia Pty Ltd Page 1.2 RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL Table (A) indicates key personnel based at Yakult Australia’s Head Office involved with Yakult’s commitment to the National Packaging Covenant TABLE A Managing Director QA / Laboratory Manager Production Manager Sales & Marketing Director Manufacturing Director Overall approval of the company’s plan and appointment of relevant company representatives Responsible for product quality and liaison with parent company research and development activities Management of production materials and finished product Also overseas collection of waste material and raw material and finished product inventory Overall of distribution arrangements and approval of new packing design Selection and review of packaging finished and raw materials associated with product THE COMPANY Yakult Australia Pty Ltd has been manufacturing, marketing and distributing Yakult from the Companies Head Office and manufacturing plant at Dandenong, Victoria since 1994 Yakult fermented milk drink is a probiotic product, meaning it contains live beneficial bacteria, which may help to restore a positive balance between the beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria in the digestive system The bacteria found in Yakult is known as the Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, and this particular strain is unique to Yakult In addition to the company’s Head Office in Victoria, Branch Sales Offices are located in NSW, Qld, SA & WA The company has a permanent member of the sales staff located in Launceston, Tasmania, however no branch office exists Each of the Branch Sales Offices has a warehouse with cold storage facilities and they are able to store a limited number of pallets to service the route market, which would account for approximately 20% of the company’s sales The other 80% is achieved through corporate sales through the major chain stores Yakult Australia Pty Ltd Page The company also has a Branch Office located in Auckland, New Zealand The product from Australia is forwarded to New Zealand by airfreight The company’s activities in New Zealand are focussed on Auckland and surrounding areas as well as Wellington and Christchurch The Company is ISO 9001-2000 accredited and this certification has necessitated regular audit reviews by Company Management across all areas of the business The latest of these reviews and our renewed accreditation occurred on 2nd March, 2007 for a further three (3) year period COMPANY BACKGROUND Yakult Australia Pty Ltd commenced operation in Australia in January, 1994 The company is a fully owned subsidiary of Yakult Honsha, the parent company, which is based in Tokyo, Japan On an international scale Yakult has operations in some 27 countries around the world and approximately 25 million bottles of Yakult are consumed on a daily basis Yakult’s corporate philosophy is:“To contribute to the health and happiness of people around the world through the pursuit of excellence in life sciences in general and our expertise in microbiological research in particular” Dr Minoru Shirota (1899 – 1982) a medical practitioner and microbiologist founded Yakult in the 1930’s Dr Shirota’s objective was to identify a beneficial bacterium found in the human digestive system which would help patients affected by malnutrition as well as digestive and gastro disorders The Lactobacillus Casei Shirota strain was named in his honour After successful clinical trials during the 1930’s and further enhancement and development of the strain, Dr Shirota eventually formed the company Yakult Honsha in 1955 This was followed by the Yakult Research Institute in 1967 Both premises are located in Tokyo, Japan The Australian Company was launched in January, 1994 and in the years that followed branch sales offices were opened in all states of Australia Today the Australian operation employs around 140 people and bottle sales in excess of 150,000 bottles per day Yakult Australia Pty Ltd Page NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION a) Yakult The ingredients used in production of Yakult are water, sugar, skim milk powder, glucose, flavouring and live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain The product is available in a five (5) pack and a ten (10) pack This product is fat and cholesterol free, low in sodium and has no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or additives The Glycaemic index for Yakult is 46 (low) meaning the product is suitable for consumption by people with diabetes Below is the nutrition information panel for Yakult Energy Protein Fat – Total Fat – Saturated Carbohydrate – Total Carbohydrate – Sugars Sodium Cholesterol Servings per package = 10 Servings per bottle = (65ml) Per 65ml 218kJ 0.9g