At the ANA Group, we have been holding the ANA Future Promise Forum since 2023, inviting individuals who are active in various fields and representatives from companies with strong environmental visions as guest speakers. The aim is to encourage each and every employee to view ESG as a personal matter and translate it into action.
In February 2025, we held the fourth forum, with approximately 200 ANA Group employees participating both in person and online.

For this session, we welcomed Ms. Anan, General Manager of the Corporate Planning Division and Head of the ESG Management Promotion Section at Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., the company behind the MUJI brand.
Ms. Anan has extensive experience in public relations across various industries and joined Ryohin Keikaku in 2021. Since then, she has been a leading figure in establishing the company’s ESG promotion framework.

The globally popular "MUJI" was launched in 1980 as a private brand of Seiyu Stores, born as a counterstatement to the mass production and mass consumption society. Nine years later, it became independent as Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., and today operates over 1,300 stores worldwide.

Since its founding, Ryohin Keikaku has upheld three core principles of product development: “Careful selection of materials,” “Thorough inspection of processes,” and “Simplification of packaging.” Guided by the philosophy of “This will do” rather than “This is best,” the company has consistently operated with these values at its core.
Over the years, Ryohin Keikaku has actively implemented environmentally conscious initiatives in collaboration with customers. These include the ReMUJI program (which recycles used clothing collected from customers into new products) which started back in 2015, switching packaging materials to paper, and installing water dispensers in stores. These efforts have earned MUJI a strong reputation as a sustainable brand.

Although the company has been committed to ESG principles since its early days, the “Second Founding Declaration” in 2021 marked a renewed focus on ESG management. Since then, Ryohin Keikaku has worked to enhance the visibility of environmental data, set ESG goals within each department, established monthly meetings to review progress, and created an internal ESG community. The company is working organization-wide toward becoming a true “top ESG leader” by 2030.
At the heart of these ESG efforts is people. Since every initiative is carried out by individuals, the mindset and feelings of employees and staff are of utmost importance. One of the defining characteristics of Ryohin Keikaku is its clear prioritization: People first, then business, then performance.
Ms. Anan shared,
"Compared to 45 years ago at the time of our founding, the values and direction we aim for as a company and as employees have not changed. What has evolved with the times are things like the number of stores, product lineup, and how we engage with local communities."

Following the lecture, a networking session was held with members of Ryohin Keikaku’s ESG Management Promotion Section. Environmentally conscious MUJI products were exhibited at the venue and divided into two sections: an Apparel Booth and a Household Goods & Food Booth.

Representatives explained:

Since all the products showcased were iconic MUJI items, participants felt a strong sense of familiarity and curiosity. By seeing, touching, smelling, and even tasting the products firsthand, participants were able to deepen their understanding of the thought and care that go into MUJI’s product development.

The session also sparked ideas about what could be incorporated into daily life or potentially applied within the ANA Group.

Employees who took part in the lecture and networking session shared the following impressions:

The ANA Group will continue to collaborate with other companies and advance its ANA Future Promise initiatives, striving toward the realization of a more sustainable society.