Deepens the Group’s Commitment to furthering local and global water stewardship
Suntory Group today announced the launch of a new water replenishment initiative in the Brisbane River catchment, Queensland, Australia, to restore local waterways and support future generations’ access to water. Building on the 2025 launch of Suntory Mizuiku — education programme for nature and water in Australia, the Group is deepening its long-term commitment to water stewardship and sustainability in the region. In addition, the Group has partnered with locally-based Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute (ARI) to support research on the impact of climate change on water quantity and quality.
“Suntory Group recognises that water is a local resource, and we are committed to being a positive force in promoting healthy water cycles in the regions in which we operate,” stated Jun Asaki, Chief Sustainability Officer of Suntory Holdings. “By working closely with local partners and communities, we will develop tailored, science-based approaches that address the specific water challenges of this region and promote water stewardship and sustainability for generations to come.”
Why Brisbane: Local Water Challenges
With growing demographic and environmental pressures, global water scarcity is expected to intensify, and it is predicted that approximately 5 billion people worldwide will face severe water shortages by 2050.*2 The Brisbane region in Australia is no exception. It has been facing multiple water-related challenges, including drought and water scarcity, which has promoted the city government to implement its Total Water Cycle Management Plan to transform Brisbane into a water smart city. Suntory Oceania’s Swanbank Beverage Facility is located in close proximity to this key regional water source, making the Group’s commitment to the long-term health and resilience of the local watershed both a responsibility and a strategic priority.
On‑the‑Ground Water Replenishment Initiatives with Local Communities
Starting from May 2026, Suntory Group will launch water replenishment initiatives in the Brisbane River Catchment with the goal of replenishing more water than the Swanbank Beverage Facility uses annually. It aims to help reduce water consumption and support healthier local water systems through practical, on-the-ground projects with local communities, including restoring waterways, riparian planting, optimising irrigation and crop rotations.
This initiative builds on more than two decades of water stewardship efforts by Suntory Group, which launched its Natural Water Sanctuary Initiative in Japan in 2003 and has achieved water positivity there since 2019 — replenishing more than twice the groundwater withdrawn through science-based activities developed with the Institute for Water Science, alongside experts and local communities. Water source initiatives have since expanded to seven other countries, with Australia being the eighth. The Group will apply its existing expertise in the Brisbane River Catchment, with the aim of reinforcing its long-term commitment to giving back the water used at the Swanbank Beverage Facility.
Research Partnership to Bridge Field Data and Research
In addition to the on-the-ground water replenishment initiative, Suntory Group has entered into a three-year research partnership with Griffith University’s ARI to support research into the impact of climate change on water quantity and quality. ARI is a multi-disciplinary research institute housed within Griffith University that leads significant national and international research programmes across land and water. This partnership will bridge global ecohydrological science with local validation based on evidence such as data collected from Suntory’s new water replenishment project, and apply the findings to model quality and quantity of water flows. The collaboration aims to support effective water stewardship and long-term water sustainability, both locally and more broadly, by generating insights and expertise relevant to water management and restoration efforts.
Dai Minato, CEO Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania, said, “For more than 125 years, Suntory has been growing for good. Our partnership with the Australian Rivers Institute continues that commitment. By working together, we can safeguard water for communities and for future generations.”
Professor David Hamilton, Director of ARI, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Suntory to conduct research with application to rivers, lakes and reservoirs locally and globally. These systems are sentinels of what is happening in their catchments. They are the ‘canary in the coal mine’, ringing the alarm bell for where human activities and climate change are causing the greatest stress on our ecosystems”.
As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, and with a purpose to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature, Suntory Group has been committed to achieving a sustainable society since its founding. As stated in the company’s Environmental Vision toward 2050, Suntory Group aims to reduce the water intensity of production at its owned plants*2 by 50%*3 globally, and replenish more than 100 per cent of water used at all of its owned plants globally through conservation of the surrounding ecosystem. To achieve this, the Group has set four main pillars of action (reduction of water used in direct operation, water replenishment, sustainable water use in raw ingredients, water education and access to safe water) in the Environmental Targets toward 2030, advancing various initiatives globally.
