Photo/Illutration Suikuu Ale, a beer product to be sold by Suntory Holdings Ltd. at the site of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo, uses ingredients cultured with eco-friendly agricultural methods. This photo was taken in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Dec. 24. (Satoshi Shinden)

Suntory Holdings Ltd. unveiled an eco-friendly beer for the Osaka Kansai Expo in April that will be served in a cup made from a glass material derived partially from carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere.

It said that more than 50 percent of the ingredients that go into making the special brew, Suikuu Ale, are grown with environmentally sustainable agricultural methods.

As a result, the production process for the ingredients slashed greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.

The amber nectar will be available at the restaurant Suikuu on the expo grounds on a limited basis, according to a Dec. 24 announcement by Suntory. The price has yet to be decided.

Working with farmers who cultivate barley and hops used in beer making both in and outside Japan, Suntory planted different crops in fields during off-seasons. It also ensured there was less plowing.

These approaches aimed to prevent decomposition and leakage of organic substances in the soil. This was to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers, whose production contributes to CO2 emissions.

Suikuu Ale will be sold in special cups that also mark a world first.

Suntory said it is also looking to develop a new beer product based on feedback from visitors to the Osaka Kansai Expo and will welcome perspectives from across the globe.

The company intends to sell its basic standard brew at the world fair’s site so opinions from those who sample it can be gathered directly. Suggestions regarding the beverage’s taste and aroma will allegedly be reflected in the final product.

The finished drink will be released throughout Japan in September 2025 under the brand name World Kanpai Beer.

“We will be taking on these challenges toward our goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across our entire value chain by 2050,” said Susumu Tada, a Suntory executive officer, who is responsible for the corporation’s domestic beer business.

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