Philadelphia, PA – Sustainability has grown as a hot topic, which means that many companies are looking for ways to catch up to the trend. But for some companies, including Hana Group North America, an eco-friendly approach has been driving their operations for years. With sushi bar locations in over 300 supermarkets, Hana Group demonstrates its commitment to the planet and customers through their continued development of the environmental systems that earned them recognition as the first North American sushi company to achieve ISO 14001:2015 certification.
For Josh Onishi, CEO of Hana Group North America, “my mission has always been to make Hana Group into the number one Japanese-inspired cuisine provider in the world with sustainable food and responsible service. Our team works tirelessly to foster these goals by addressing economic, environmental and social values in our society, which we see as critical to encouraging a more sustainable outlook in businesses across the board.”
Hana Group prioritizes its core values to identify, measure, and understand the direct and indirect environmental impacts of its operations and mitigate those impacts. Some examples of their Environmental Management System include:
· Achieving the target of sourcing 100% sustainable seafood, which was accomplished at the end of 2016.
· Purchasing only seafood that is ranked either green or yellow by Seafood Watch or certified with third party ecolabel.
· Reducing fleet emissions, waste diversion and water reduction targets.
· Completing a systematic greenhouse gas inventory to set science-based reduction targets.
· Selecting suppliers who improve Hana Group’s sustainable supply chain through traceability, safety and quality.
“Moving forward, we are always striving to do more and to do better,” explains Onishi. “We will continuously focus on improving our major environmental initiatives, as well as seeking to implement new ones that foster the well-being of the people and the planet. Sustainability is at the heart of what we do, and we’ve seen the difference it makes to the quality of our products.”
About Josh Onishi & Hana Group North America
Hana Group North America is the largest sustainable sushi retailer on the continent, energizing the world through high quality, Asian cuisine sold under its Genji and Mai brands at hundreds of retail locations across North America. Products ranging from sushi to ramen are made fresh daily, often onsite, by highly trained master chefs, using 100% sustainable seafood. The company is led by President and CEO Josh Onishi, a respected thought leader who has been asked to speak at various conferences, including the Seafood Sustainability Summit. In 2018, the Business Intelligence Group honored Onishi with its highest honor, naming him a Sustainability Hero.
