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International Olympic Committee news

The Games’ organisers are making the best use of the world-class venues already woven into the landscape, across Northern Italy’s cities, valleys and Alpine towns. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Villages follow the same mode, redefining the concept of Olympic living: from Milan’s city centre through to Cortina’s Dolomite valleys and Livigno’s high-altitude borderlands, the decentralised Games won’t have a single campus. Instead, six Olympic Villages will seamlessly adapt to their surroundings: some developed through new constructions, renovations or temporary structures; others hosted within existing hotels, transforming them into fully integrated Village environments. Together, the Villages form a network rooted in the character and unique needs of each host community.

Key facts:

• Milano Cortina 2026 will have six Olympic Villages across Northern Italy – in Milan, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo, Anterselva and Cortina – combining new, temporary and existing facilities tailored to local contexts.
• Each location is designed to make the most of existing or temporary structures, minimising new construction and adapting to local needs, while ensuring all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience.
• The newly built Milano Olympic Village, located in the Porta Romana district, will become a permanent student neighbourhood, while other sites will return to tourism or open space, reflecting a focus on reuse and lasting local value.

The geography of Northern Italy makes this approach both logical and necessary. Venues are spread between Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Alpine valleys of Lombardy, Trentino and South Tyrol, linked by a carefully planned network. With Olympic Villages in Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo and Anterselva, no athlete is too far from their competition site.

At the same time, efforts have been made to ensure all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience. Milan Cortina 2026 will be the first edition of the Winter Games with a multi-centred model. The Opening Ceremony will also reflect the Games’ multi-centred model: thanks to an innovative and inclusive project, all athletes will be able to participate in a shared experience between Milan, Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. As a result of this approach, more athletes than ever before will have the possibility to take part in the Opening Ceremony and be part of the parade of their delegation.

Olympic Villages have always reflected their time – from wooden huts in 1924 to lasting community neighbourhoods today. Each edition tells a story about the context and ambitions of its hosts. Milano Cortina 2026 continues this evolution, showing that housing athletes is about more than logistics – it’s about creating lasting value for local people.

Marie Sallois IOC Director for Sustainability

Milan – Porta Romana’s urban reinvention

In the southeast of the city, the abandoned Porta Romana railway yard is being reborn as the Milan Olympic and Paralympic Village. Once a tangle of sidings and warehouses, the site is now home to six new residential blocks with pale façades and clean, geometric lines, set around tree-lined courtyards, alongside two restored brick depots that preserve the site’s industrial character.

During the Games, it will accommodate about 1,500 residents. After the Games, it will be converted into a vibrant neighbourhood offering 1,700 student beds, including subsidised accommodation, interwoven with cafés, shops and green spaces.

The project is part of Milan’s long-term regeneration plan, stitching an industrial scar into the urban fabric. Sustainability is embedded throughout: the Village is targeting LEED Gold certification through rooftop solar panels, rainwater reuse systems, heat pumps and low-carbon materials. The Village Plaza, a wide, pedestrian square framed by the new buildings, will become a public space for markets and community life after the Games.

Cortina – A Temporary Solution in the Dolomites

Cortina d’Ampezzo, the “Queen of the Dolomites” and host of the 1956 Games, will once again welcome the world. Its 2026 Olympic Village, located in Fiames just north of the town, is purposefully temporary: a modular complex built from mobile, prefabricated units. About 377 of these compact wooden-clad homes, each about the size of a small apartment and equipped with modern climate control and ergonomic furnishings, will be arranged in orderly rows, connected by walkways and plazas. The result is a pop-up Alpine town for 1,400 residents, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pomagagnon and Tofane peaks.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Village will function as a compact community with dining halls and shared recreation spaces. Then, it will be dismantled, returning the land to open space.

Livigno – adapted Alpine lodges

High in the Alps near the Swiss border, Livigno is renowned worldwide as a hub for freestyle and snowboard sports. Instead of building a new facility, three traditional Alpine lodges with timber balconies and pitched roofs will be adapted to host athletes just steps from the slopes. After the Games, these lodges will return to Livigno’s vibrant hospitality sector, avoiding new construction while strengthening the town’s established tourism economy.

Bormio – historic ski resort welcomes Olympians

Further west, Bormio will welcome athletes in existing hotels, located close to the Alpine skiing venues. This approach allows the resort to make the most of its existing infrastructure while ensuring athletes stay close to their competition sites.

Anterselva – hotels accommodate athletes

In Anterselva, world-renowned for biathlon, athletes will be accommodated in existing hotels. After the Games, they will return to regular tourism, embodying the same principle of adaptation and reuse that defines Milano Cortina 2026.

Predazzo – existing facilities upgraded for the Games

In Predazzo, within the Val di Fiemme cluster, an existing facility is being renovated to accommodate athletes and officials, including those competing in Tesero. It combines modernisation with respect for the town’s character and heritage.

International Olympic Committee news

The Games’ organisers are making the best use of the world-class venues already woven into the landscape, across Northern Italy’s cities, valleys and Alpine towns. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Villages follow the same mode, redefining the concept of Olympic living: from Milan’s city centre through to Cortina’s Dolomite valleys and Livigno’s high-altitude borderlands, the decentralised Games won’t have a single campus. Instead, six Olympic Villages will seamlessly adapt to their surroundings: some developed through new constructions, renovations or temporary structures; others hosted within existing hotels, transforming them into fully integrated Village environments. Together, the Villages form a network rooted in the character and unique needs of each host community.

Key facts:

• Milano Cortina 2026 will have six Olympic Villages across Northern Italy – in Milan, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo, Anterselva and Cortina – combining new, temporary and existing facilities tailored to local contexts.
• Each location is designed to make the most of existing or temporary structures, minimising new construction and adapting to local needs, while ensuring all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience.
• The newly built Milano Olympic Village, located in the Porta Romana district, will become a permanent student neighbourhood, while other sites will return to tourism or open space, reflecting a focus on reuse and lasting local value.

The geography of Northern Italy makes this approach both logical and necessary. Venues are spread between Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Alpine valleys of Lombardy, Trentino and South Tyrol, linked by a carefully planned network. With Olympic Villages in Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo and Anterselva, no athlete is too far from their competition site.

At the same time, efforts have been made to ensure all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience. Milan Cortina 2026 will be the first edition of the Winter Games with a multi-centred model. The Opening Ceremony will also reflect the Games’ multi-centred model: thanks to an innovative and inclusive project, all athletes will be able to participate in a shared experience between Milan, Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. As a result of this approach, more athletes than ever before will have the possibility to take part in the Opening Ceremony and be part of the parade of their delegation.

Olympic Villages have always reflected their time – from wooden huts in 1924 to lasting community neighbourhoods today. Each edition tells a story about the context and ambitions of its hosts. Milano Cortina 2026 continues this evolution, showing that housing athletes is about more than logistics – it’s about creating lasting value for local people.

Marie Sallois IOC Director for Sustainability

Milan – Porta Romana’s urban reinvention

In the southeast of the city, the abandoned Porta Romana railway yard is being reborn as the Milan Olympic and Paralympic Village. Once a tangle of sidings and warehouses, the site is now home to six new residential blocks with pale façades and clean, geometric lines, set around tree-lined courtyards, alongside two restored brick depots that preserve the site’s industrial character.

During the Games, it will accommodate about 1,500 residents. After the Games, it will be converted into a vibrant neighbourhood offering 1,700 student beds, including subsidised accommodation, interwoven with cafés, shops and green spaces.

The project is part of Milan’s long-term regeneration plan, stitching an industrial scar into the urban fabric. Sustainability is embedded throughout: the Village is targeting LEED Gold certification through rooftop solar panels, rainwater reuse systems, heat pumps and low-carbon materials. The Village Plaza, a wide, pedestrian square framed by the new buildings, will become a public space for markets and community life after the Games.

Cortina – A Temporary Solution in the Dolomites

Cortina d’Ampezzo, the “Queen of the Dolomites” and host of the 1956 Games, will once again welcome the world. Its 2026 Olympic Village, located in Fiames just north of the town, is purposefully temporary: a modular complex built from mobile, prefabricated units. About 377 of these compact wooden-clad homes, each about the size of a small apartment and equipped with modern climate control and ergonomic furnishings, will be arranged in orderly rows, connected by walkways and plazas. The result is a pop-up Alpine town for 1,400 residents, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pomagagnon and Tofane peaks.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Village will function as a compact community with dining halls and shared recreation spaces. Then, it will be dismantled, returning the land to open space.

Livigno – adapted Alpine lodges

High in the Alps near the Swiss border, Livigno is renowned worldwide as a hub for freestyle and snowboard sports. Instead of building a new facility, three traditional Alpine lodges with timber balconies and pitched roofs will be adapted to host athletes just steps from the slopes. After the Games, these lodges will return to Livigno’s vibrant hospitality sector, avoiding new construction while strengthening the town’s established tourism economy.

Bormio – historic ski resort welcomes Olympians

Further west, Bormio will welcome athletes in existing hotels, located close to the Alpine skiing venues. This approach allows the resort to make the most of its existing infrastructure while ensuring athletes stay close to their competition sites.

Anterselva – hotels accommodate athletes

In Anterselva, world-renowned for biathlon, athletes will be accommodated in existing hotels. After the Games, they will return to regular tourism, embodying the same principle of adaptation and reuse that defines Milano Cortina 2026.

Predazzo – existing facilities upgraded for the Games

In Predazzo, within the Val di Fiemme cluster, an existing facility is being renovated to accommodate athletes and officials, including those competing in Tesero. It combines modernisation with respect for the town’s character and heritage.

International Olympic Committee news

The Games’ organisers are making the best use of the world-class venues already woven into the landscape, across Northern Italy’s cities, valleys and Alpine towns. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Villages follow the same mode, redefining the concept of Olympic living: from Milan’s city centre through to Cortina’s Dolomite valleys and Livigno’s high-altitude borderlands, the decentralised Games won’t have a single campus. Instead, six Olympic Villages will seamlessly adapt to their surroundings: some developed through new constructions, renovations or temporary structures; others hosted within existing hotels, transforming them into fully integrated Village environments. Together, the Villages form a network rooted in the character and unique needs of each host community.

Key facts:

• Milano Cortina 2026 will have six Olympic Villages across Northern Italy – in Milan, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo, Anterselva and Cortina – combining new, temporary and existing facilities tailored to local contexts.
• Each location is designed to make the most of existing or temporary structures, minimising new construction and adapting to local needs, while ensuring all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience.
• The newly built Milano Olympic Village, located in the Porta Romana district, will become a permanent student neighbourhood, while other sites will return to tourism or open space, reflecting a focus on reuse and lasting local value.

The geography of Northern Italy makes this approach both logical and necessary. Venues are spread between Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Alpine valleys of Lombardy, Trentino and South Tyrol, linked by a carefully planned network. With Olympic Villages in Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Bormio, Predazzo and Anterselva, no athlete is too far from their competition site.

At the same time, efforts have been made to ensure all athletes can enjoy the full Olympic experience. Milan Cortina 2026 will be the first edition of the Winter Games with a multi-centred model. The Opening Ceremony will also reflect the Games’ multi-centred model: thanks to an innovative and inclusive project, all athletes will be able to participate in a shared experience between Milan, Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. As a result of this approach, more athletes than ever before will have the possibility to take part in the Opening Ceremony and be part of the parade of their delegation.

Olympic Villages have always reflected their time – from wooden huts in 1924 to lasting community neighbourhoods today. Each edition tells a story about the context and ambitions of its hosts. Milano Cortina 2026 continues this evolution, showing that housing athletes is about more than logistics – it’s about creating lasting value for local people.

Marie Sallois IOC Director for Sustainability

Milan – Porta Romana’s urban reinvention

In the southeast of the city, the abandoned Porta Romana railway yard is being reborn as the Milan Olympic and Paralympic Village. Once a tangle of sidings and warehouses, the site is now home to six new residential blocks with pale façades and clean, geometric lines, set around tree-lined courtyards, alongside two restored brick depots that preserve the site’s industrial character.

During the Games, it will accommodate about 1,500 residents. After the Games, it will be converted into a vibrant neighbourhood offering 1,700 student beds, including subsidised accommodation, interwoven with cafés, shops and green spaces.

The project is part of Milan’s long-term regeneration plan, stitching an industrial scar into the urban fabric. Sustainability is embedded throughout: the Village is targeting LEED Gold certification through rooftop solar panels, rainwater reuse systems, heat pumps and low-carbon materials. The Village Plaza, a wide, pedestrian square framed by the new buildings, will become a public space for markets and community life after the Games.

Cortina – A Temporary Solution in the Dolomites

Cortina d’Ampezzo, the “Queen of the Dolomites” and host of the 1956 Games, will once again welcome the world. Its 2026 Olympic Village, located in Fiames just north of the town, is purposefully temporary: a modular complex built from mobile, prefabricated units. About 377 of these compact wooden-clad homes, each about the size of a small apartment and equipped with modern climate control and ergonomic furnishings, will be arranged in orderly rows, connected by walkways and plazas. The result is a pop-up Alpine town for 1,400 residents, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pomagagnon and Tofane peaks.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Village will function as a compact community with dining halls and shared recreation spaces. Then, it will be dismantled, returning the land to open space.

Livigno – adapted Alpine lodges

High in the Alps near the Swiss border, Livigno is renowned worldwide as a hub for freestyle and snowboard sports. Instead of building a new facility, three traditional Alpine lodges with timber balconies and pitched roofs will be adapted to host athletes just steps from the slopes. After the Games, these lodges will return to Livigno’s vibrant hospitality sector, avoiding new construction while strengthening the town’s established tourism economy.

Bormio – historic ski resort welcomes Olympians

Further west, Bormio will welcome athletes in existing hotels, located close to the Alpine skiing venues. This approach allows the resort to make the most of its existing infrastructure while ensuring athletes stay close to their competition sites.

Anterselva – hotels accommodate athletes

In Anterselva, world-renowned for biathlon, athletes will be accommodated in existing hotels. After the Games, they will return to regular tourism, embodying the same principle of adaptation and reuse that defines Milano Cortina 2026.

Predazzo – existing facilities upgraded for the Games

In Predazzo, within the Val di Fiemme cluster, an existing facility is being renovated to accommodate athletes and officials, including those competing in Tesero. It combines modernisation with respect for the town’s character and heritage.

EMERYVILLE, Calif., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is pleased to announce the publication of Version 5.0 SCS-106 Verification Standard for Recycling Operations, previously known as the SCS Recycling Program Standard SCS-106.

The standard has been restructured and simplified, and now looks at the previous 12 months of data of a recycling operation to verify that a recycling facility is diverting waste from landfill, incineration, or permanent storage by processing waste into recycled material.

SCS-106 fits into the larger ecosystem of SCS Standards’ circularity standards, complementing the SCS Certification Standard for Zero Waste (SCS-110), the SCS Certification Standard for Recycled Content (SCS-103), and the upcoming SCS Certification Standard for Responsible Advanced/Chemical/Molecular Recycling (SCS-004).

To learn more about SCS-106, please join our complimentary webinar on Friday, February 20th, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT, 10:30 a.m. CET). Register here to learn about SCS-106, including the revisions and certification process.

To download a copy of SCS-106, visit the SCS Standards Website: Verification Standard for Recycling Operations | SCS Standards

For SCS-106 Certification Services, please visit the SCS Global Services Website: Recycled Content Certification | SCS Global Services

About SCS Standards

SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is an organization committed to the development of standards that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Standards are developed in alignment with best practices and guidelines provided by internationally recognized bodies to ensure a robust, transparent, and collaborative approach. SCS Standards is the official standards development body for Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. For more information, visit www.SCSstandards.org.

Media Contact

Victoria Norman
Executive Director
Send an email

EMERYVILLE, Calif., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is pleased to announce the publication of Version 5.0 SCS-106 Verification Standard for Recycling Operations, previously known as the SCS Recycling Program Standard SCS-106.

The standard has been restructured and simplified, and now looks at the previous 12 months of data of a recycling operation to verify that a recycling facility is diverting waste from landfill, incineration, or permanent storage by processing waste into recycled material.

SCS-106 fits into the larger ecosystem of SCS Standards’ circularity standards, complementing the SCS Certification Standard for Zero Waste (SCS-110), the SCS Certification Standard for Recycled Content (SCS-103), and the upcoming SCS Certification Standard for Responsible Advanced/Chemical/Molecular Recycling (SCS-004).

To learn more about SCS-106, please join our complimentary webinar on Friday, February 20th, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT, 10:30 a.m. CET). Register here to learn about SCS-106, including the revisions and certification process.

To download a copy of SCS-106, visit the SCS Standards Website: Verification Standard for Recycling Operations | SCS Standards

For SCS-106 Certification Services, please visit the SCS Global Services Website: Recycled Content Certification | SCS Global Services

About SCS Standards

SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is an organization committed to the development of standards that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Standards are developed in alignment with best practices and guidelines provided by internationally recognized bodies to ensure a robust, transparent, and collaborative approach. SCS Standards is the official standards development body for Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. For more information, visit www.SCSstandards.org.

Media Contact

Victoria Norman
Executive Director
Send an email

EMERYVILLE, Calif., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is pleased to announce the publication of Version 5.0 SCS-106 Verification Standard for Recycling Operations, previously known as the SCS Recycling Program Standard SCS-106.

The standard has been restructured and simplified, and now looks at the previous 12 months of data of a recycling operation to verify that a recycling facility is diverting waste from landfill, incineration, or permanent storage by processing waste into recycled material.

SCS-106 fits into the larger ecosystem of SCS Standards’ circularity standards, complementing the SCS Certification Standard for Zero Waste (SCS-110), the SCS Certification Standard for Recycled Content (SCS-103), and the upcoming SCS Certification Standard for Responsible Advanced/Chemical/Molecular Recycling (SCS-004).

To learn more about SCS-106, please join our complimentary webinar on Friday, February 20th, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT, 10:30 a.m. CET). Register here to learn about SCS-106, including the revisions and certification process.

To download a copy of SCS-106, visit the SCS Standards Website: Verification Standard for Recycling Operations | SCS Standards

For SCS-106 Certification Services, please visit the SCS Global Services Website: Recycled Content Certification | SCS Global Services

About SCS Standards

SCS Standards and Assurance Systems is an organization committed to the development of standards that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Standards are developed in alignment with best practices and guidelines provided by internationally recognized bodies to ensure a robust, transparent, and collaborative approach. SCS Standards is the official standards development body for Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. For more information, visit www.SCSstandards.org.

Media Contact

Victoria Norman
Executive Director
Send an email

ST. PAUL, Minn., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is pleased to announce that Kirin Holdings C ompany has joined its global coalition of leading beverage companies working collaboratively to advance environmental sustainability across the beverage sector.

Headquartered in Japan, Kirin Holdings Company brings more than a century of innovation and stewardship to BIER’s collaborative platform. Since its founding in 1907, the Kirin Group has evolved from its origins in brewing to become a diversified global company spanning Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, and Health Science. Across its businesses, Kirin leverages fermentation and biotechnology to deliver products and services that enhance quality of life while addressing pressing social and environmental challenges.

Kirin’s environmental strategy is guided by a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact across its value chain. The company prioritizes climate action, responsible water stewardship, resource efficiency, and the sustainable procurement of raw materials. Through its environmental materiality framework, Kirin is advancing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen water resource management, minimize waste, and promote circular approaches to packaging and production.

In parallel, Kirin places a strong emphasis on sustainable supply chains, working closely with suppliers to address environmental and social risks, promote responsible sourcing, and enhance transparency. These efforts reflect Kirin’s belief that long-term business resilience depends on collaboration across industries, regions, and value chains.

The addition of Kirin’s membership in BIER further supports these commitments by providing a collaborative forum for exchanging best practices, aligning methodologies, and engaging with peers on shared environmental priorities. Through BIER, Kirin will contribute to and benefit from collective efforts focused on water stewardship, climate action, sustainability disclosure, circular systems, and nature-positive strategies, helping accelerate progress across the global beverage industry.

“BIER is built on the principle that meaningful environmental progress happens when companies work together,” said Erica Pann, Executive Director of BIER. “Kirin’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible supply chain management strengthens our collective ability to address complex environmental challenges facing the beverage sector.”

Through the market leadership of its members, BIER continues to serve as a trusted, collaborative voice for environmental sustainability in the beverage industry. By advancing credible technical guidance, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and engaging proactively on emerging challenges, BIER helps its members strengthen performance, build stakeholder trust, and contribute to more sustainable outcomes across the value chain.

Media Contacts:

Erica Pann, Executive Director, BIER – Erica.Pann@anteagroup.us

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

About Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*　Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

ST. PAUL, Minn., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is pleased to announce that Kirin Holdings C ompany has joined its global coalition of leading beverage companies working collaboratively to advance environmental sustainability across the beverage sector.

Headquartered in Japan, Kirin Holdings Company brings more than a century of innovation and stewardship to BIER’s collaborative platform. Since its founding in 1907, the Kirin Group has evolved from its origins in brewing to become a diversified global company spanning Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, and Health Science. Across its businesses, Kirin leverages fermentation and biotechnology to deliver products and services that enhance quality of life while addressing pressing social and environmental challenges.

Kirin’s environmental strategy is guided by a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact across its value chain. The company prioritizes climate action, responsible water stewardship, resource efficiency, and the sustainable procurement of raw materials. Through its environmental materiality framework, Kirin is advancing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen water resource management, minimize waste, and promote circular approaches to packaging and production.

In parallel, Kirin places a strong emphasis on sustainable supply chains, working closely with suppliers to address environmental and social risks, promote responsible sourcing, and enhance transparency. These efforts reflect Kirin’s belief that long-term business resilience depends on collaboration across industries, regions, and value chains.

The addition of Kirin’s membership in BIER further supports these commitments by providing a collaborative forum for exchanging best practices, aligning methodologies, and engaging with peers on shared environmental priorities. Through BIER, Kirin will contribute to and benefit from collective efforts focused on water stewardship, climate action, sustainability disclosure, circular systems, and nature-positive strategies, helping accelerate progress across the global beverage industry.

“BIER is built on the principle that meaningful environmental progress happens when companies work together,” said Erica Pann, Executive Director of BIER. “Kirin’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible supply chain management strengthens our collective ability to address complex environmental challenges facing the beverage sector.”

Through the market leadership of its members, BIER continues to serve as a trusted, collaborative voice for environmental sustainability in the beverage industry. By advancing credible technical guidance, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and engaging proactively on emerging challenges, BIER helps its members strengthen performance, build stakeholder trust, and contribute to more sustainable outcomes across the value chain.

Media Contacts:

Erica Pann, Executive Director, BIER – Erica.Pann@anteagroup.us

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

About Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*　Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

ST. PAUL, Minn., January 20, 2026 /3BL/ – The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is pleased to announce that Kirin Holdings C ompany has joined its global coalition of leading beverage companies working collaboratively to advance environmental sustainability across the beverage sector.

Headquartered in Japan, Kirin Holdings Company brings more than a century of innovation and stewardship to BIER’s collaborative platform. Since its founding in 1907, the Kirin Group has evolved from its origins in brewing to become a diversified global company spanning Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, and Health Science. Across its businesses, Kirin leverages fermentation and biotechnology to deliver products and services that enhance quality of life while addressing pressing social and environmental challenges.

Kirin’s environmental strategy is guided by a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact across its value chain. The company prioritizes climate action, responsible water stewardship, resource efficiency, and the sustainable procurement of raw materials. Through its environmental materiality framework, Kirin is advancing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen water resource management, minimize waste, and promote circular approaches to packaging and production.

In parallel, Kirin places a strong emphasis on sustainable supply chains, working closely with suppliers to address environmental and social risks, promote responsible sourcing, and enhance transparency. These efforts reflect Kirin’s belief that long-term business resilience depends on collaboration across industries, regions, and value chains.

The addition of Kirin’s membership in BIER further supports these commitments by providing a collaborative forum for exchanging best practices, aligning methodologies, and engaging with peers on shared environmental priorities. Through BIER, Kirin will contribute to and benefit from collective efforts focused on water stewardship, climate action, sustainability disclosure, circular systems, and nature-positive strategies, helping accelerate progress across the global beverage industry.

“BIER is built on the principle that meaningful environmental progress happens when companies work together,” said Erica Pann, Executive Director of BIER. “Kirin’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible supply chain management strengthens our collective ability to address complex environmental challenges facing the beverage sector.”

Through the market leadership of its members, BIER continues to serve as a trusted, collaborative voice for environmental sustainability in the beverage industry. By advancing credible technical guidance, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and engaging proactively on emerging challenges, BIER helps its members strengthen performance, build stakeholder trust, and contribute to more sustainable outcomes across the value chain.

Media Contacts:

Erica Pann, Executive Director, BIER – Erica.Pann@anteagroup.us

About BIER
BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi Group Holdings, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill Brands, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Molson Coors, Monster Energy, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard and Suntory Global Spirits. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

About Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*　Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

Patrick O’Connell, CFA| Director—Responsible Investing Portfolio Solutions and Research
John Huang, CFA| Director of Responsible Investments, Data and Technology—Responsibility
Erin Bigley, CFA| Chief Responsibility Officer

The materiality of ESG factors differs across sectors and markets. Investors need to understand how.

As environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors help contribute to—or detract from—security returns, it makes sense for active investors to integrate them into security selection. But there’s a wide disparity in the materiality of ESG factors across investment sectors and markets. In our view, understanding this dynamic is the key to successfully incorporating ESG risks and opportunities into portfolio construction.

For many investors, whether fixed income or equity, the process of integrating ESG factors into their strategies begins with correlating the relevance of each factor to individual industries. At a basic level this shows, for example, that greenhouse gas emissions are a particular risk for mining companies and electric utilities, while customer privacy is a key concern for the healthcare sector.

This is a good starting point but offers an incomplete perspective. We believe a much deeper dive is necessary to fully dimension the materiality of ESG factors for portfolio performance. Investors need to know how a particular factor may affect investment returns for a given sector or market.

Factors Can Have Wide or Narrow Impacts

Factor attribution using historical returns can reveal how ESG factors have contributed to investment returns in the past, whether for a sector or an entire investment universe, in equities or in bonds.

We’ve observed that some factors can be financially material for all companies in a market, regardless of sector. For example, we divided stocks in the MSCI All Country World Index into quintiles according to their total recordable incident rate (TRIR)—the number of workplace injuries or illnesses—then compared their returns relative to the parent index over 14 years. The results show that high TRIR consistently underperformed the market and that low TRIR consistently outperformed. 

Similarly, in the bond market, “social fines” is a powerful, index-wide factor. Social fines are regulatory penalties imposed for nonenvironmental reasons, such as workplace health and safety and anticompetitive practices.

Other ESG factors with broad relevance across investment sectors include CEOs’ length of tenure and employee turnover. For investors wishing to integrate ESG factors into their portfolios, it’s useful, in our view, to know which factors have index-wide applicability.

Factor attribution can also reveal which ESG factors are particularly relevant to a specific sector and which have historically shown no financial materiality.

Another advantage of factor attribution is that it can lead to observations that are unexpected and even counterintuitive. We found, for example, that companies with high ESG disclosures broadly performed better than those with low or no disclosures, regardless of whether their ESG practices were good, bad or indifferent. In the case of ESG metrics where there was no significant under- or overperformance relative to the market—CFO tenure and split roles for CEO and chair of the board—companies that disclosed data outperformed companies that didn’t disclose, on average.

Fundamental Research Enhances Insights from Factor Attribution

But factor attribution alone is not enough, in our view; it should complement fundamental research.

Understanding the effect of ESG factors on performance is most valuable in the context of broader research into how well a company is managed. For example, fundamental research can show that a high TRIR affects productivity directly, through lost working hours, and indirectly, by creating a culture in which workers are undermotivated because they don’t feel safe. Additionally, factor attribution works best with long data series, which are not always available, stressing the importance of fundamental research.

Another way fundamental research can help is in measuring ESG factors appropriately to a particular sector, instead of taking the generic approach typically used by many third-party ESG databases. This could mean, for example, measuring carbon emissions in terms of miles per gallon for automakers, per passenger mile for airliners and per ton of cement produced for building-material companies.

And it can tease out the nuances underlying many ESG factors. In the case of the mining sector, for example, fundamental research can focus on tailings dam risk within the more broadly defined factors of water and hazardous materials management (Display).

As this small snapshot of an ESG materiality matrix shows, these insights can be mapped very simply. But it’s the quality of the information behind it that gives the map its value: the understanding of how ESG factors can be financially material across investment sectors, industries and markets. By embedding such knowledge in their securities research and portfolio construction, investors, in our view, may significantly enhance the potential for outperformance.

The authors wish to thank Peter Højsteen-Ljungbeck for his contribution.

The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations and do not necessarily represent the views of all AB portfolio-management teams. Views are subject to revision over time.

MSCI makes no express or implied warranties or representations, and shall have no liability whatsoever with respect to any MSCI data contained herein.

The MSCI data may not be further redistributed or used as a basis for other indices or any securities or financial products. This report is not approved, reviewed or produced by MSCI.

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