Aspiring to Accelerate CO₂ Emission Reductions Across the Alfresa Group
Deploying 45 EVs Across Five Locations of Alfresa Corporation and A·L Plus Co., Ltd
Suguru Morishita, from the Business Administration Department of the Corporate Division at Alfresa Corporation, oversees the unit primarily responsible for the company’s CSR initiatives, which focuses on reducing Alfresa’s environmental impact. He is currently tackling the challenge of reducing the Alfresa’s overall CO₂ emissions by introducing electric vehicles (EVs) and an energy management system—the initiatives supported by the Yamato Group as announced on December 14, 2024. Atsuyuki Ubukata, from the Corporate Planning Group, the Corporate Planning Department of the Corporate Division, has been actively supporting these initiatives. In particular, he plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth progress of the EV and energy management system rollout projects, drawing on his practical expertise. We had the opportunity to speak with Morishita and Ubukata to learn more about how they approached and tackled these endeavors.
Partnership with the Yamato Group Established in 2019
The collaborative efforts between the Yamato Group and Alfresa date back to January 2019. Initially, the focus was not on environmental issues but on addressing societal challenges, such as adapting to future medical care delivery systems and addressing labor shortages. To this end, Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. and Alfresa jointly established the Pharmaceuticals Distribution Research Group. Since then, the two companies have continued their collaboration, exploring ways to build a sustainable pharmaceuticals distribution network.
Since then, the Research Group made significant achievements including the last-mile delivery of pharmaceuticals and related products to patients’ homes, the implementation of a system leveraging big data and AI to forecast delivery work volumes and optimize vehicle dispatching for the development of a shared delivery scheme for healthcare products, and the rollout of a subscription-based service that improves the efficiency of thickening in nursing care facilities. Ubukata played a key role in the TRORINPA project, handling practical tasks such as coordinating and building a scheme in collaboration with Clinico, a manufacturer of thickening agents and related products, OHTORI, a manufacturer of thickening servers, and Yamato Transport, known for its extensive logistics network and order management systems, contributing to the successful launch of the service.
The Path to Introducing 45 EVs and Piloting Energy Management
At the briefing for the 22–24 Mid-term Management Plan: Leap into the Future “An Evolving Healthcare Consortium” in May 2022, Ryuji Arakawa, President of Alfresa Holdings, declared the company’s commitment to contributing to a sustainable society alongside continuous business growth. He stated: “We will promote initiatives for carbon neutrality, initiatives for recycling activities, prevention of environmental pollution and coexistence with living organisms, thereby contributing to society as a whole. We aim to achieve virtually zero CO₂ emissions by fiscal 2050.” As a corporate group engaged in businesses that impact people’s health, we recognize global environmental issues affecting health and daily life as critical challenges.
Suguru Morishita, General Manager of Business Administration Department, Corporate Division, Alfresa Corporation
In response to this Group-wide commitment, Morishita resolved to pursue concrete efforts aimed at reducing the company’s environmental impact, including promoting energy conservation and the introduction of renewable energy. These efforts led to an increased company-wide focus on utilizing electricity generated from renewable sources, reinforcing eco-driving practices, reducing the number of sales vehicles, and adopting environmentally friendly vehicles such as EVs. It was in this context that Ubukata took on a role in facilitating the introduction of EVs.
Morishita and Ubukata reflected on their experiences at the time.
Morishita: “As we explored the adoption of EVs, I was deeply impressed by the Yamato Group’s ‘EV Life Cycle Service’ concept. Their approach, which leverages the expertise they’ve cultivated through their EV operations and supports adoption from a user-focused perspective, aligns perfectly with the direction Alfresa is aiming for. Given the strong trust we’ve built with the Yamato Group over the years, I have high hopes that this initiative will contribute to reducing our CO₂ emissions.”
Ubukata: “Our collaborative projects with the Yamato Group have always been rooted in addressing social issues. This time was no different, and I was confident that, as partners who share the same values, we could see the project through to a successful conclusion.”
From left in the photo: Suguru Morishita, General Manager of Business Administration Department,
Corporate Division, Alfresa Corporation
Atsuyuki Ubukata, Corporate Planning Group, Corporate Planning Department, Corporate Division, Alfresa Corporation
Alfresa, having collaborated with the Yamato Group across various areas, had received proposals for both “quantitative measures” aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and “qualitative measures” designed to address future challenges. These proposals sought to establish a foundation that balanced GHG emissions reduction with cost savings. Alfresa ultimately decided to adopt the Yamato Group’s “EV Life Cycle Service,” a fully comprehensive decarbonization support service offered by Yamato Autoworks Co., Ltd. This service provides extensive support, including drafting GHG reduction strategies, procuring EVs, installing chargers, optimizing EV operations (e.g., through EMS and renewable energy supply), and managing the replacement and disposal of EVs.
Issues in Rolling Out EVs Across Multiple Locations with Varying Characteristics
To implement the EV Life Cycle Service, detailed discussions began in August 2024. At the outset, there were numerous challenges to resolve, such as determining whether EVs could comply with the GDP guidelines* for quality and safety, the necessity of conducting extensive testing across multiple locations with varying regional characteristics, and the need to account for construction costs.
To ensure an efficient EV rollout, Ubukata recognized the importance of understanding the current conditions at each location and began collecting data. With support from A·L Plus, a subsidiary of Alfresa, on-site investigations were conducted to evaluate electrical capacity, the availability of space for charger installation, vehicle load efficiency, and operational convenience at each location.
“Given the tight schedule to complete the implementation by the end of January, managing adjustments and responses within the limited timeframe was extremely challenging,” Ubukata recalls.
*GDP guidelines: Basic guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in December 2018 to promote quality assurance in the distribution of pharmaceuticals
Ubukata looks back on the period in question
Toward Future Group-wide Expansion
The phased rollout began on December 18, 2024, with plans for completion by the end of January 2025. It aims to deploy a total of 17 vehicles across Alfresa’s facilities—4 at the Fuchu Office, 10 at the Gunma Distribution Center, and 3 at the Kyoto Pharmaceutical Center—and 28 vehicles at A·L Plus facilities—12 at the Fuchu Office and 16 at the Kyoto Office—for a combined total of 45 vehicles.
-
EVs deployed at Alfresa Fuchu Office
Regarding the CO₂ reduction impact of these EVs, Ubukata comments: “While factors such as driving distance and seasonal conditions may have an influence, we anticipate a reduction of some 30 to 50% in CO₂ emissions compared to 100% internal combustion engine vehicles. As we work toward the Group’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, we aim to steadily reduce GHG emissions through EVs while exploring opportunities to integrate them with renewable energy in the future.” Currently, the Group is actively strategizing for the broader adoption of EVs across all its facilities.
Looking ahead, Morishita confidently states: “In addition to rolling out EVs to our facilities nationwide, we also plan to explore the introduction of renewable energy and aim to expand this initiative to other companies across our Group in an agile and flexible way.”
-
Notice: This document is a translation of the original Japanese document and is for reference purposes only. In the event of any discrepancy between this translated document and the original Japanese document, the latter shall prevail.