[Trivia] You should know! "Sake x SDGs" - Protecting delicious sake for the next 100 years
The SDGs are the 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" established by the United Nations. They are by no means unrelated to the future of sake. Sake sommelier Eriko Fujita explains the relationship between sake and the SDGs that you should know.

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What are the SDGs?
SDGs is an abbreviation for "Sustainable Development Goals" and is a set of international goals adopted at the United Nations Summit in 2015. It consists of 2030 goals aiming for a sustainable and better world by 17. The goals include eliminating social and economic inequality and protecting the environment, and Japan is actively working towards them.
In the sake industry, awareness is growing, with the Japanese Sakeology Study Group (an academic research group made up of researchers from various universities) holding a panel discussion at its 2021 conference titled "Considering sake breweries as guardians of local resources: efforts toward the SDGs," and sake breweries across the country have begun their own initiatives tailored to their region.
For sustainable agriculture: Goal 2 "Zero Hunger"
Rice is an important ingredient in sake. Currently, the decline in rice farmers due to a lack of successors is becoming an issue, and an increasing number of sake breweries are starting to grow rice themselves. Most are grown naturally, using no or reduced amounts of pesticides, and some even use recycled organic farming methods that create fermented compost from rice bran and sake lees, making an effort to reduce the burden on the environment.
Furthermore, improvements in brewing technology have led to an increase in delicious pure rice sake, with rice polishing ratios of only 80%, which means that very little rice is polished, making this sake a must-try from the perspective of reducing food waste.
Protecting clean water sources: Goal 6 "Clean water and sanitation for all"
Even in our country, blessed with abundant water resources, we cannot ignore the changes in water quality that come with environmental pollution. Sake brewing requires a large amount of water, and since water has a major impact on the taste of the sake, sake breweries have long been built in places where famous springs of water spring up. Even today, many breweries still use natural underground water or well water, and many breweries are committed to preserving the forests that are the source of clean water.
For example, in Nada, one of Japan's three major sake-producing areas, in order to protect the precious Miyamizu water, the sake brewers' association has set up a Water Resources Committee and Miyamizu Preservation Research Committee, and some of the breweries also participate in forest caretaker activities on Mount Rokko, the water source, to help conserve the natural environment.
Reusable 12L bottles: Goal XNUMX "Responsible Consumption and Production"
The 1.8L bottles used for sake are ideal for recycling. Glass bottles that are collected are crushed and reborn as glass products, while 1.8L bottles and beer bottles are washed and reused as returnable bottles. Originally, they were returned to the liquor store that sold them and collected, but recently, households have started to send them to local governments for separate collection, and unfortunately the amount of bottles collected has decreased (although many local governments now separate returnable bottles after collection). Some large liquor stores and local governments have set up collection centers, so it is best to use them as much as possible.
There are many other initiatives
We have mainly focused on environmental aspects, but sake breweries also contribute to the development of local communities by creating jobs in areas facing depopulation and an aging population (Goal 8: "Decent work and economic growth") and interacting with locals to revitalize towns and cities (Goal 11: "Sustainable cities and towns").
Let's protect our beautiful natural and social environment so that we can enjoy delicious sake for the next 100 years to come.
Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. My favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.