Yasuhito Yasue

Manager, Customer Service Department, General Affairs Division, THE DAIEI, INC
(2-4-1, Shibakouen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan)

Abstract

What kind of role should we play as a retailer in order to realize the earth-friendly living which will adequately utilize resources and reduce wastes?

We present DAIEI's approach to environmental issues as a concrete example of JAPAN CHAIN STORE ASSOCIATION's consciousness of the problems and its policy to tackle them. THE DAIEI is a company which, with its corporate motto "FOR THE CUSTOMERS" , is actively pursuing countermeasures on global environmental issues toward the realization of "recycle society" , while constantly grasping the needs of society. As a marketer, DAIEI's countermeasures on the problems include development and broader assortment of green products, merchandising of recycled materials such as recycled paper, recycled aluminum. It is also promoting campaigns for recycling milk packs, aluminum cans, food tray and mercury cells, while trying to reduce shopping bags and simplify packaging. As a producer of wastes, DAIEI is making efforts to reduce and recycle the waste by re-using corrugated cardboard and perishable garbage as recycled resources. The retailing industry is playing an important role at local level in properly disposing of and reducing the wastes which are closely related to everyday life in local community. Particularly, the effects and influence of the approaches taken by the leading chain stores are great, since these chains can carry out the recycling and reducing programs on a nation-wide scale.

Key words: Chain-store industry and environmental issues, DAIEI's approach to waste problems,(1) Concrete counter measure as a marketer, (2) Concrete counter measure as a producer, Widen a ring of cooperation with our customers and citizen's group, to realize "recycle society"