30% Fewer Emissions, Zero Offsets: Sakura Sake Shop and Zevero Redefine Sustainable Sake

Japanese sake retailer Sakura Sake Shop and Zevero, a global carbon management platform, have announced the launch of 作 for 2126 (ZAKU for 2126), a sake 18 months in the making, which reduces emissions by 30% per bottle. Developed in collaboration with the renowned Mie Prefecture-based brewery Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, the product went on sale 8 April via crowdfunding platform Makuake and will launch globally through the Sakura Sake Shop website on 9 June. 

作 for 2126 is Japan’s first sake to substantiate its low-carbon credentials using actual product data, without resorting to any form of carbon offsetting. The launch coincides with the 13th anniversary of Sakura Sake’s founding, a milestone for a company whose mission has always extended beyond the bottle.

A 100-year vision embodied in the product

Sakura Sake Shop was founded with a belief that runs through everything it does: that to love sake is to protect the rice, the water, and the natural systems that make it possible. That philosophy, and a commitment to contributing to a world where people can live well 100 years from now, is what gave 作 for 2126 its name and direction.

Translating that vision into a commercially viable, scientifically credible product required a different kind of process. Rather than seeking offsets or making high-level commitments, Sakura Sake Shop prioritised primary data, commissioning a full product carbon footprint (PCF) assessment through Zevero. This provided visibility into which stages of the product lifecycle emissions were generating emissions and where reduction opportunities existed.

18 months from concept to market launch

In October 2024, Zevero and Sakura Sake Shop launched the joint project, beginning with market research and product concept development. Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, one of Japan’s leading sake breweries, was chosen for production. Subsequently, work began on a baseline PCF assessment of the brewery’s flagship brand, ‘Saku’. The assessment revealed that a standard 750ml bottle generated 2.225 kgCO₂e, with manufacturing (35%), rice cultivation (26%), and glass bottles (20%) being the three main sources of emissions.

That data then became a roadmap. Zevero modelled the potential impact of various interventions, helping identify the measures to be prioritised. From there, the effort was hands-on: Zevero visited the Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten brewery and held direct working sessions with Kamio Farm, who supplies rice to the brewery, to co-design the cultivation methods that would underpin the product's ‘low-carbon rice’ claim.

Three key decisions for 30% fewer emissions

作 for 2126 reduces emissions from 2.225 kgCO₂e to 1.559 kgCO₂e per bottle, through three changes:

1. Adoption of reusable bottles.

Switching from single-use glass to a returnable bottle reduces bottle-related emissions by 77%, based on data from the Glass Bottle 3R Promotion Council.

2. A different way of growing rice.

Working directly with Kamio Farm, the team extended the mid-season drying period—a traditional practice in which patty fields are drained and dried mid-grow—by seven or more days beyond the historical average. This reduces methane emissions from soil bacteria and reduces rice-derived CO₂ by 30% per bottle, in line with Japan's J-Credit Agricultural Carbon Methodology (AG-005).

3. Elimination of decorative wrapping paper.

Removing the extra decorative packaging eliminates 0.141 kgCO₂e per bottle with no change to the product quality or contents.

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Takeshi Komazawa, Founder of Sakura Sake Shop, said: 

"Both sustainable and delicious, we've spent over a year bringing this sake to life. From the farmers who adjusted their cultivation practices and the team at Zevero who helped quantify our environmental impact to the designers who shaped this concept into form and the brewery that crafted this wonderful sake — so many people came together on this project. 作 for 2126 is truly a sake made with the next 100 years in mind."

Mr Shinichiro Shimizu, Representative Director of Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, said:

“The land and water that make our sake possible have been central to everything we do at Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten for generations. Working with Sakura Sake Shop and Zevero to develop 作 for 2126 gave us a way to honour that responsibility with the same rigour we bring to the brewing process itself. We take great pride in what this collaboration has produced, both in the sake itself and in what it stands for.”

Marvin Mori, CEO of Zevero Japan, said: 

"Most sustainability work in consumer goods starts and ends with measurement. What Sakura Sake Shop did differently was use the data as a starting point for action, working directly with their brewery and farmers to make changes that are verifiable at every step. That's what gives this product its credibility, and it's a model the wider food and beverage industry should be paying attention to."

About Sakura Sake Shop

Sakura Sake Shop is a Gifu-based Japanese sake retailer established in 2013. Guided by the corporate philosophy ‘We create smiles with sake’, the company wholesales to restaurants nationwide, operates an online shop, exports overseas, and organises sake events. Although a fire destroyed most of its headquarters and warehouse in 2022, the company has made a comeback thanks to the support of many people. Today, it continues to work toward its mission of contributing to society through sake.

https://sakurasaketen.com/ 

About Zevero

Zevero is an expert-led carbon management platform that helps businesses measure, reduce, and derive strategic value from their emissions data. By combining automated carbon accounting with in-house sustainability expertise, the platform helps organisations turn emissions reporting into decision-ready insight.

Founded in 2021, Zevero has grown into a 50-person company operating across more than 20 countries. Its customers span global manufacturing, FMCG, and consumer brands, including Asahi Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and waterdrop. Zevero recently acquired Inhabit to expand its sustainability advisory capabilities and support businesses in translating carbon insights into practical decarbonisation strategies.

https://www.zevero.earth/