Conservation of Biodiversity

• Biodiversity Protection and Conservation Initiatives
• Timber Resource Initiatives
• Environmental Protection and Conservation Initiatives
• Endorsement of the TCFD and TNFD Recommendations

Biodiversity Protection and Conservation Initiatives

The destruction of the natural environment is resulting in biodiversity being lost at an ever-accelerating pace. The Yamaha Group conducts business activities that utilize natural resources, such as the timber used as a raw material to make a variety of products including acoustic musical instruments, and the ecosystems that produce these resources, which are comprised of diverse living organisms. We therefore have a responsibility to protect and conserve forests and the biodiversity therein as a company that uses timber. Based on this recognition, we have enacted the Yamaha Group Sustainability Policy and the Yamaha Group Environmental Policy to guide our business in a nature positive direction to prevent the loss of, and help restore, biodiversity. To this end, the Group promotes appropriate business activities and timber use as well as environmental conservation activities based on its recognition of this responsibility.

Timber Resource Initiatives

Many of the instruments that the Yamaha Group produces, such as pianos and string, percussion, and wind instruments, are primarily made of wood. Timber is also widely used when making speakers, soundproof rooms, and other non-instrument products due to its characteristics in terms of acoustic performance, function, design, and texture.

Considering the diverse variety of timber used in its business operations, the Yamaha Group established the Yamaha Group Timber Procurement Policy, which sets forth directives for timber usage in order to better conserve this precious resource and to ensure its availability for continued use in the future, without depleting biodiversity or damaging ecosystems. The Group has also established the Yamaha Supplier CSR Code of Conduct, which clearly stipulates points related to the harvesting and trading of timber resources that suppliers are requested to observe. This policy and code guide the Group in conducting sustainable procurement and in fully utilizing timber, a highly renewable resource.

Breakdown of Timber Resources Used by the Yamaha Group by Origin (Fiscal 2026)

Breakdown of Timber Purchase Volumes by Location^*1

• 1 Figures exclude products that are not Yamaha brand or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or original design manufacturer (ODM) products.

Timber Due Diligence

Sustainable use of timber requires consideration for forest conservation and for timber resource volumes. At the same time, it is crucial to contribute to community development through employment opportunities and infrastructure to sustain the economic viability of the supply chain. The Yamaha Group has established a timber due diligence system and conducts surveys via questionnaires to assess the place of origin, the legality of harvesting, and the sustainability of purchased timber resources. Based on the results, we perform stricter verification of the legality for timber deemed to represent a high risk by undertaking further investigations including local site visits and assessments by a committee comprised of members of the Timber Procurement Division and the Sustainability Division.

In fiscal 2026, 98.6% of timber was judged to be at low risk (on a volume basis^*1), based on legality confirmation and other standards. In addition, we have set out a target of 80% compliance with Group standards for sustainably sourced timber for use under our medium-term management plan, “Rebuild & Evolve.” The ratio in fiscal 2026 was 71.3% (59.4% being certified timber, both figures are volume ratio^*1).

This standard for sustainably sourced timber was established under the guidance of Preferred by Nature, an international environmental organization, and sets out evaluation criteria and decision-making benchmarks for objectively assessing the sustainability of non-certified timber through a due diligence process. By March 2026, on-site inspections were conducted for plantation timber sourced from Southeast Asia, enabling assessments and evaluations of sustainability based on field tests. With regard to the assessment of North American timber, which covers a diverse supply chain, the objectives of this initiative were communicated individually to each relevant supplier, and the documentation required for sustainability determinations was subsequently obtained. Going forward, the Yamaha Group intends to expand its usage of sustainably sourced timber through coordination with suppliers while gaining the understanding of relevant parties throughout the supply chain, including producers and business partners. At the same time, we will improve the accuracy of and expand the frameworks for our due diligence activities by training staff to heighten their assessment skills and facilitate surveys.

Cultivation of Quality Timber Through Coordination with Local Communities (Otonomori Activities)

The Yamaha Group is advancing Otonomori (Forest of Sound) Activities through coordination with local communities for the purpose of developing sustainable forests to ensure that high-quality timber suited to musical instrument production can be secured in a sustainable manner and that instruments are manufactured sustainably. We partner with government agencies and academic institutions to advance these activities around the world.

Our vision for a sustainable forest that yields wood suited for making instruments has been named Otonomori (Forest of Sound) and aims for sustainable forest development through the promotion of cultivation and conservation of tree species, with particular focus on timber that has a direct and significant impact on the functionality and value of instruments (scarce tree species).

1. Initiatives in Tanzania (African Blackwood)

African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), an important material used for woodwind instruments, is classified as near threatened by the Red List of Threatened Species, which is compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and a downward trend in the resource volume has been seen in recent years. In 2015, Yamaha began investigations of African blackwood looking at matters such as ecology and forest management status in Tanzania, where this tree is grown. Seeking to create a business model that can utilize African blackwood timber in musical instruments in a sustainable manner, we have been working to introduce cultivation techniques, improve land utilization practices, and develop material usage technologies from the perspectives of forest conservation, musical instrument production, and local communities. These activities have been selected for subsidy programs by various third-party institutions, including as a base of pyramid (BOP) business by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) over the period from 2016 to 2019 and as a Forestry Agency subsidy project in 2015 and 2021. We are moving ahead with these activities with the cooperation of numerous research institutions, NGOs, and other organizations.

Yamaha has been taking part in regular African blackwood planting activities since 2017. In fiscal 2026, there are now four communities engaged in these activities. Our efforts in fiscal 2026 resulted in the planting of approximately 6,000 seedlings (the medium-term management plan target is 20,000 per year), making for an aggregate total of around 33,000 saplings planted across an area of roughly 16.5 ha over the nine years of these activities. Approximately 60% of these planted saplings have been confirmed to have survived through growth monitoring over a period of five years following their planting^*2, further demonstrating that tree planting is effective in promoting natural regeneration within forests. In addition, we are developing and implementing tree planting and forest conservation methods that improve survival rates through the distribution of wild-grown specimens and the analysis of natural regeneration dynamics. At the same time, we are working together with local NGOs and community members to make forest management activities entrenched practices within communities in order to help ensure the sustainability of African blackwood.

Moreover, there are still numerous cases in which African blackwood timber produced in Tanzania cannot be used for producing musical instruments due to flaws such as cracks or breaks. This reality is creating a need for means of using these unutilized materials.^*3 Yamaha is moving ahead with the development of wood flow-molding technology^*4 for making better use of such unutilized materials. These technologies have been utilized to produce composite-material keyboards composed of 70% African blackwood powder, and these keyboards are being used in our TORCH T01 limited-edition digital piano for sale only within Japan. By transforming previously unusable resources into materials suited to musical instrument production through further development of this technology, we aim to create new value together with benefits for the communities producing these resources while also providing additional incentives for conserving forests.

• 2 East African Journal of Forestry and Agroforestry 8(1), 2025 DOI: 10.37284/eajfa.8.1.2805
• 3 Unutilized materials are those rejected through the careful selection and processing of wood materials when making instruments.
• 4 Wood flow-molding technology is used to flow and shape wood while retaining its natural characteristics, such as acoustic qualities and texture.

2. Initiatives in Hokkaido (Sakhalin Spruce)

Until the early 2000s, timber from Sakhalin spruce (Picea glehnii) trees growing naturally in Hokkaido Prefecture was used in Yamaha pianos, and these trees have thus continued to be produced in this area alongside other such valuable tree species as Sakhalin fir and Japanese larch. Approximately 25% of Hokkaido’s plantation Sakhalin spruce population can be found in the Okhotsk region, which is centered on Kitami City, and demand for Sakhalin spruce plantation timber, a major timber product of this region, is expected to grow going forward. Yamaha Music Craft Hokkaido Co., Ltd., which manufactures Yamaha piano soundboards, has signed an agreement with the Okhotsk General Subprefectural Bureau and the town of Engaru, Monbetsu-gun, Hokkaido Prefecture involving the establishment of the Okhotsk Otonomori Sakhalin spruce plantation area. In addition, a comprehensive cooperation agreement has been concluded between Hokkaido Prefecture and Yamaha Corporation. These agreements have shaped efforts to reestablish a stable supply of high-quality Sakhalin spruce timber that is suited for use in piano soundboards and to pass the region’s forestry culture on to the next generation.

As part of the mokuiku^*5efforts advanced through its Otonomori Activities, Yamaha began arranging castanet making workshops that utilize Sakhalin spruce timber in 2023, at events throughout Japan. In fiscal 2026, 12 such workshops were organized in Japan, giving more than 500 individuals the opportunity to experience castanet making. Since the first workshop held in 2023, there have been a total of over 1,000 participants. The workshops used Sakhalin spruce timber produced during thinning as well as unutilized painted maple (Acer pictum subsp. mono) wood. We plan to expand these activities to give people, ranging from children who will shape the future to adults, the opportunity to become more familiar with instrument production and with trees, especially those for which Hokkaido is well known, such as the Sakhalin spruce as well as the painted maple, which is commonly used for piano materials.

Yamaha is advancing basic research on how to foster Sakhalin spruce timber for use in musical instrument production at both existing plantations and new locations. For example, we are engaged in joint research on the growth and quality of Sakhalin spruce plantation timber together with universities and research institutions and have begun efforts to adapt Sakhalin spruce timber for use in musical instruments.

• 5 Our mokuiku efforts are meant to give people more opportunities to interact with wood to encourage a more proactive relationship between communities and forests.

3. Initiatives in India (Indian Rosewood)

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is a valuable tree species associated with Southern India that is also an important material for musical instrument production used in guitar side and back panels, as well as fretboards. However, applications beyond instruments are limited and natural regeneration within forests is difficult to achieve. This presents challenges from the perspective of resource sustainability. In 2022, Yamaha commenced surveys on Indian rosewood forests, cultivation, and replacement conditions and on supply chains that can connect trees in forests centered on the Southern Indian states of Karnataka to musical instrument materials, creating internationally coordinated efforts together with NGOs, private-sector companies, and local research institutions. Indian rosewood timber traded on the Indian market sometimes originates from government-owned trees grown in the wild and other times comes from trees raised to provide shade in private coffee plantations. However, natural replacement of trees in forests is not advanced in either case, creating concerns for the sustainability of this resource. Yamaha is looking to roll out full-fledged Otonomori Activities targeting Indian rosewood trees, and we are currently in the process of establishing the cooperation with government institutions that this undertaking will require. At the same time, we have worked to prepare a pilot program for conserving forests and contributing to community development by advancing tree planting tests and examining material use efficiency through an internationally coordinated initiative together with NGOs, private-sector companies, and local research institutions.

In November 2025, we entered into a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Overseas Traders, an Indian lumber company that supplies Indian rosewood for acoustic and electric guitars to markets worldwide, with the aim of promoting the sustainable conservation and management of Indian rosewood forests. The agreement seeks to jointly establish a sustainable Indian rosewood supply chain encompassing the full value chain from forest to finished product, while fostering mutual collaboration in research and development aimed at advancing sustainable forest conservation for the sustainable use of this species. In the local area, we are simultaneously pursuing both practica implementation and scientific approaches, covering areas such as the development of reforestation techniques for resource recovery, regeneration dynamics within forests, and the influence of site conditions on timber quality. Following the conclusion of the agreement, and in collaboration with the Indian Forest Service and national research institutions, a total of three hectares of trial plots have been established within the primary distribution range of Indian rosewood, and a nursery for cultivating Indian rosewood seedlings has been set up on privately owned land. Over the next three years, we will work to establish reforestation techniques and develop a sustainable forest conservation model that achieves both the cultivation of timber resources and their efficient and sustainable utilization.

Environmental Considerations for Timber Resources in Product Creation

The Yamaha Group is proactively utilizing wood cultivated specifically for industrial purposes on planned plantations as well as certified wood, which is properly managed so that the lumbering process does not harm the forest or ecosystems. The goal of measures is to use the high-quality renewable resource of trees on a sustainable basis. In addition, the Group focuses on developing alternative materials that accurately reproduce the superior sound quality of scarce wood materials best suited for instruments.

Products Designed with Consideration for Timber Resources

• 7 Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) is Yamaha’s proprietary technology for artificially stimulating the same changes in wood that occur during natural aging in a short time to improve acoustic characteristics. Through precise control of temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure using a specialized device, the acoustic properties of the new wood can be manipulated to realize a more ideal condition that is similar to the acoustic characteristics of wood materials in instruments that have been played for years. Prior timber enhancement technologies often utilize chemical agent-based enhancement methods. A.R.E., however, does not use any chemical agents in the processing stage. Therefore, this technology has a lower environmental impact.

Environmental Protection and Conservation Initiatives

Conservation of Forests and Natural Environments

The Yamaha Group is committed to the conservation of forests and natural environments, and we are therefore engaged in forestry activities around the world with the goal of regenerating natural forests and recovering biodiversity in a manner that is matched to the conditions of the given regions.

Yamaha Forest Activities in Indonesia

Over the period spanning from 2005 to 2016, Yamaha carried out Yamaha Forest activities in Indonesia. As a result, the Company has confirmed the status of forest growth using satellite imagery and estimated the CO₂ emissions absorbed by the planted trees. The Company estimates that approximately 42,000 t-CO₂ had been absorbed as of 2017, and that an additional 6,000 t-CO₂ or more has been absorbed each year since.

Enshunada Coastal Forest Recovery Support

Since the Yamaha Group signed a supporter of future forests in Shizuoka agreement with Shizuoka Prefecture and Hamamatsu City in 2007, the Group has engaged in tree planting activities aimed at reforestation of the Enshunada Coastal Forest owned by Hamamatsu City, which has been seriously damaged by pine weevils, as part of its environmental and social contribution activities. To date, we have planted more than 3,000 trees of species including wax myrtle (Myrica rubra), Ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides), Japanese spindletree (Euonymus japonicus), and Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis). In recent years, we have been placing particular emphasis on black pine (Pinus thunbergii), which is resistant to pine weevil damage, in our tree planting activities. This tree has been chosen with the goal of reviving forests comprised of tall pine trees in order to restore the forest’s ability to protect against sand and wind.

During fiscal 2026, approximately 100 participants, including Yamaha Group employees and their families, planted roughly 100 saplings.

Chemical Substance-Related Initiatives

To limit the impact of chemical substances on the environment and ecosystems, the Yamaha Group is working to enhance management and reduce usage of chemical substances while implementing measures to prevent leakage.

Water Quality Preservation

The Yamaha Group is building treatment facilities and conducting monitoring and audits to prevent wastewater from business sites from negatively impacting water and related habitats.

At the Toyooka Factory, where the Company conducts the production of wind instruments, wastewater containing chemical substances from the wind instrument production process is detoxified before being released into waterways. Assessments of the impact of wastewater on ecosystems are also conducted. Moreover, the impact of such factory wastewater is evaluated using the bioresponsive Whole Effluent Toxicity method,^*8 and these evaluations have confirmed that the impact on ecosystems is minimal.

• 8 The Whole Effluent Toxicity method is a wastewater management method that evaluates whether wastewater from factories and business sites is harmful to ecosystems by measuring the impact on the existence, growth, and reproduction of aquatic organisms, such as algae, water fleas, and fish in diluted wastewater.

Endorsement of the TCFD and TNFD Recommendations