Yakult created an organization for protecting the environment in 1991, and formulated Yakult's Basic Policy on the Environment for the entire Yakult Group in 1997. We have also set forth our environmental philosophy, which reads, "Yakult understands that protecting the earth's environment is one of the most important aspects of coexistence with society and it is committed to considering the need to protect the environment in all of its corporate activities."
Every year, we report on the status of our environmental management initiatives in the Yakult Social & Environmental Report.

Yakult is working to promote a water treatment system that uses 65 ml Yakult containers with the bottoms removed as tools for culturing microorganisms that break down contaminants. Compared to traditional activated sludge treatment methods, this system produces significantly better treatment results, and, with both the national and local governments adopting it, Yakult is helping to improve water quality.

Yakult Honsha, as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is participating in the Team Minus 6% movement to help prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. In the future, our participation in Team Minus 6% will extend beyond Yakult Honsha to include the entire Yakult Group.

Yakult Bioscience Research Foundation was established in 1992 to actively promote and support research on the relationships between intestinal flora and human health. Its activities consist mainly of intestinal flora research, support for international research exchanges, and sponsorship of an annual symposium on intestinal flora. Intestinal flora research is pursued not only in the field of microbiology but also in areas like nutrition science, immunology, and genetics.
Yakult Honsha has created and operates the Association for Research on Lactic Acid Bacteria, an organization that supports research on lactobacilli and intestinal bacteria, and assists member universities and research institutes from throughout Japan with their research endeavors.

Yakult provides health information through various channels including its Healthist and Probiotics information magazines, both of which began publication in 1976, educational videos, and other publications.

Since 1972, Yakult Ladies have been visiting single elderly people, as they make their deliveries, to confirm that they are safe and spend some time chatting them. This activity began when a single Yakult Lady in the Japanese city of Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture took it upon herself to provide Yakult products to single elderly people, at her own expense, after hearing the sad news of one such person whose death went unnoticed. Her initiative resonated with both the local Yakult marketing company and social workers, and moved local governments throughout Japan to take action. Presently, approximately 3,700 Yakult Ladies are paying regular visits to over 48,000 elderly citizens, in response to requests from more than 160 local governments in Japan. In addition, Yakult Ladies, who have a chance to observe every corner of their sales areas during daily deliveries, contribute to community safety and security through crime watch and other such activities undertaken in coordination with local police.

The Yakult Group, through its professional baseball team, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and other means, actively pursues social and cultural activities that convey the enjoyment found in sports and cultural events, and the preciousness of good health. In the area of sports, the Swallows entertain fans during the season and, since 1976, have been holding baseball clinics for children's (primary and junior high school aged children) baseball teams during the off-season. In fiscal 2008, clinics were held in 24 locations, with participation by approximately 3,500 kids. On other fronts, we are working to promote lifelong sports participation through our support for bound tennis, and, since 2005, have sponsored the FINA World Swimming Championships and the FINA World Short Course Championships as an official FINA partner. In the area of cultural activities, we support the arts through our operation of Yakult Hall.