12/04/2025
Lively LLC is pleased to announce the official launch, in December 2025, of a new consulting service that provides comprehensive support for corporate animal welfare initiatives from both a management and operational perspective.
This service is led by Lively in collaboration with Professor Tsuyoshi Shimmura of the Graduate School of Agriculture at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the non-profit organization Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan (AWCP) (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Director: Maho Uehara-Cavalier). Together, we provide management support aimed at establishing a foundation for the integrated promotion of animal welfare based on the three pillars of economy, science, and society across both the Japanese and global livestock industries.
Animal welfare has gained increasing attention, particularly in Europe and the United States, as a key ESG theme alongside the environment and human rights. In sectors handling food, livestock, and animal proteins, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are driving growing requirements for disclosure on animal welfare impacts and corporate responses across the entire value chain.
In Europe, frameworks such as the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) and the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) initiative—where companies, academia, and non-profit organizations collaborate—have already been established to develop standards and enable real-world implementation, forming a foundation that underpins corporate accountability.
In Japan as well, with the progressive adoption of SSBJ (Japan’s version of ISSB standards), sectors that handle animal-based materials—such as food retail and distribution, meat, poultry, dairy, and food service—are increasingly positioning the assessment, management, and disclosure of animal welfare impacts across the supply chain as a core management issue.
Building on its strong foundation in sustainability disclosure support, Lively has developed a management and disclosure framework that can be applied to animal welfare.
This service integrates management consulting expertise with scientific evaluation and a deep understanding of international standards, providing consistent support to Japanese companies across strategy, governance, and disclosure in addressing animal welfare.
The support process consists of the following seven steps, designed to help companies clarify their animal welfare policies and establish a practical implementation framework.
1. Goal and Objective Setting
Establish short-, medium-, and long-term animal welfare goals and objectives based on international standards (WOAH, OECD, ISO, EU Farm to Fork, etc.) and corporate philosophy.
2. Strategy Development and KPI Design
Build strategic roadmaps and KPI frameworks reflecting risks and opportunities across procurement, production, and sales.
3. Risk and Opportunity Assessment and Mapping
Conduct supply chain risk assessments, analyze impacts on investment and brand value, and quantify improvement scenarios.
4. Governance Design
Establish sustainable management systems through internal policies, committee structures, supplier audits, and certification processes.
5. Disclosure Strategy Development
Based on key international disclosure standards related to animal welfare (ISSB, SSBJ, CSRD, ESRS, GRI, etc.), design reliable and transparent disclosure policies that address both financial materiality (single materiality) and social and environmental impacts (double materiality).
6. Monitoring and Implementation Support
Support effective implementation through progress monitoring, data collection support, and alignment checks with third-party reviews.
7. Training and Workshops
Deliver training programs and interactive workshops for executives, managers, and staffs, covering international trends, scientific insights, and leading practices.
This service is delivered through the following collaborative structure, with Lively LLC serving as the lead organization:
Lively LLC
Lively provides integrated management support for animal welfare, covering management strategy, sustainability KPI design, disclosure strategy, and ESG performance improvement.
Professor Tsuyoshi Shimmura, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
As an expert in animal welfare science and animal behavior, Professor Shimmura provides academic, third-party reviews and advisory support for Lively’s assessments, analyses, and benchmarking activities.
Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan (AWCP)
As a specialized non-profit organization focused on animal welfare, AWCP shares expert insights based on international standards, policy trends, and domestic and global case studies, and supports dialogue related to this initiative.
While animal welfare is grounded in science, many challenges cannot be solved by science—or animal welfare—alone. From my perspective as a scientist, I aim to share objective insights based on both local and international data and real-world experience. At the same time, I look forward to working together with everyone to explore better solutions.
Professor Tsuyoshi Shimmura’s Profile (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Researcher Database)
Animal welfare, particularly the transition to cage-free systems for laying hens, is not a passing ethical trend but an irreversible global standard. For companies, putting this into practice is a core business strategy that is closely linked to ESG management and long-term brand value. Conversely, delayed action may lead to lost market opportunities and increased investment risks. Today, animal welfare has become an essential non-financial value that goes beyond traditional economic considerations. As a non-profit organization, AWCP supports Japanese companies in their transformation journey from the early stages of policy drafting through to public disclosure by sharing the latest international trends and practical examples, and by engaging in constructive dialogue to help explore effective solutions.
Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan (AWCP) (Official Website)
Animal welfare is increasingly recognized as an important issue by society as a whole. At the international level, related regulations, standards, and expectations are becoming clearer, and companies are now expected to address animal welfare through their supply chains, disclosures, and risk and opportunity assessments.
Since its founding, Lively has collaborated with Professor Tsuyoshi Shimmura at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, as well as with Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan (AWCP), accumulating expertise that spans scientific evaluation, corporate practice, and international standards. While drawing on collaborative models established in Europe among corporations, academia, and non-profit organizations, we have been developing a foundation for promoting animal welfare that is tailored to Japanese companies.
Through this service, Lively provides hands-on support to help companies address animal welfare not only from the perspective of environmental and productivity-related risks, but also from broader social considerations such as securing competitive advantage, responding to consumer expectations, and incorporating ethical perspectives. In this way, we support comprehensive and sustainable corporate management.
Please feel free to contact us for consultation.