In today’s society, we are expected not only to ensure that all human beings live happily, but also to promote animal welfare, that is, to care for the lives of all living creatures, not just human beings, and to allow them to live happily.

　In Europe in particular, Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the legal treaty document that underpins the European Union (EU) and was established by the Lisbon Treaty that came into force in 2009, states The article states that “animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals” and that “animals are sentient beings. This means that animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals. Companies exporting or expanding into Europe must of course comply with this, but it is also expected that in Japan and other regions, legal restrictions will increase, investors will focus more on ESG, and ethical purchasing behavior will become more widespread.

　The SSI Core Project, of which I am the leader, has been working with the “Corporate Ethical Report Card” survey, in which several to ten companies are evaluated annually for ESG by citizen groups including the Animal Rights Center of Japan (ARCJ), a certified non-profit organization. This time, ARCJ has launched “FARMWISE Impact 2026,” a corporate assessment in the field of animal welfare, with more target companies and survey items, while following the same model as the global food company rating by BBFAW (Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare). The “FARMWISE Impact 2026” was launched in the field of animal welfare.

　The “Corporate Ethical Report Card” survey, which preceded the current survey, has been conducted nine times over a 10-year period starting in FY2016 (conducted every year except for FY2020), and in the animal welfare field, of which the ARCJ has been in charge, there were almost no policies or initiatives in the early stages of the survey, including FY2016, except for some apparel and cosmetic companies. In the animal welfare field, which ARCJ has been in charge of, there were almost no policies or initiatives in the early stages of the survey such as FY2016, including food manufacturers, except for some apparel and cosmetics companies. However, in the FY2022 survey of 10 food manufacturers, the level of most companies has improved. Nevertheless, the level of Japanese companies is still relatively low in BBFAW’s survey of 150 companies worldwide and several retail and food manufacturers in Japan.

　The “FARMWISE Impact 2026” launched by the ARCJ is an initiative to comprehensively evaluate corporate disclosures of Japanese manufacturers and retailers based on the BBFAW standards customized for Japan, which have an established reputation for evaluating animal welfare in modern corporate activities, so that each company and the general public can understand where they stand objectively. This is an effort to make it possible for each company and the general public to grasp the objective position of Japanese manufacturers and retailers.

　Evaluation information based on corporate disclosure, such as the results of this survey, provides a relative indication of whether a company is meeting the expectations of its stakeholders and society, and provides clues as to whether a company is taking the lead in the movement to care for life, as exemplified by animal welfare, and whether the company is disclosing its actions in a way that people around it can learn about them. It provides a clue to whether a company is leading the way in animal welfare and whether it is disclosing its actions in a way that others can learn about them.

　We can use the results of this survey not only to criticize companies, but also to support their steady improvement by choosing better companies to purchase, invest, and work for. By selecting the best companies in the field of animal welfare, we will increase the number of such companies, thereby improving the level of animal welfare in the industry and in society. It is my great hope that information from initiatives such as this one will encourage buyers, investors, and workers to support the actions of companies and industries, thereby creating a virtuous cycle that will lead to a sustainable social economy.