Suntory Group has announced that it will launch its unique next-generation environmental program, Mizuiku – Education Program for Nature and Water, in UK to teach families the importance and value of water.
After the success of its pilot partnership last year, the new Mizuiku program in UK will be launching in collaboration with Severn Rivers Trust, the only charitable trust to cover the whole of the UK’s longest river. The sessions will be run by Severn Rivers Trust and will highlight the critical link between the River Severn and the nature surrounding it through the outdoor part of the Mizuiku programme – ‘The Outdoor School of Forest and Water’ – designed to provide participants with interactive, hands-on experiences that help them appreciate the importance of natural water sources.
The program will teach students the importance of water such as by deepening their understanding on the natural water cycle and how it relates to their daily lives, how to use water responsibly, and the relationship between water and biodiversity, as well as provide training and ideas on how to preserve and improve the quality and quantity of water in the future.
“We are proud to see our signature Mizuiku program continuously expanding globally. We believe that by training families in Mizuiku in the UK, they will become ambassadors to disseminate the importance of water to their communities, and as a result, will be able to take sustainable action on the River Severn,” said Masaaki Fujiwara, Chief Sustainability Officer of Suntory Holdings.
With “Mizu To Ikiru” (literally meaning “Living with Water”) as its promise to its stakeholders, the Suntory Group has promoted various water-related initiatives globally, including activities to preserve and restore nature, based on the group-wide Sustainable Water Philosophy. The company started Mizuiku in Japan in 2004 and has expanded the program to Vietnam in 2015, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, France, China and Spain. With tailored programs for each country, Mizuiku has been well-received by children and teachers that participated in the program as well as by the local governments. As of 2022, a total of approximately 458,700 children and teachers have participated in the Mizuiku program globally.
Mizuiku also launched an on-line learning program called “homework activity” in Japan in 2021 and in Vietnam and Indonesia in March 2022. This virtual learning experience includes quizzes and research exercises intended to deepen the understanding of water and the natural water cycle through practical lessons learnt in their everyday lives.