Kao (China) Holding Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Minoru Nakanishi), a China-based group company of Kao Corporation (President and CEO: Michitaka Sawada), started to promote "China's nationwide cleanliness and water-saving initiatives" in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Education and Communications (CEEC) of China's Ministry of Environmental Protection.

This activity, under the slogan of "Save 10,000 liters of water annually per household," is to raise awareness of water saving in China, which is facing a serious social problem, due to lack of water resources. It has been conducted because the Chinese Government policy to raise public awareness of the importance of using less water is in line with Kao Corporation's idea of promoting ecological activities that can be done together with consumers by, among others, selling water-saving laundry detergents in China. Initiated in 2012, the activity has been implemented each year, starting from late March so as to coincide with the United Nations World Water Day, and is celebrating its eighth anniversary this year.

The opening ceremony, held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on March 22, was celebrated by more than a hundred attendees, including He Jiazhen, Deputy Chief of CEEC, representatives of relevant Chinese government agencies, related parties from the Kao Group, representatives of student volunteers and local residents. After the ceremony, the site accommodated them with exhibition panels introducing the importance of water saving and water resources and exhibition of award-winning works from the Kao International Environment Painting Contest for Children.