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Kao Receives Highest Award, the Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau Director-General's Award, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, at the 16th LCA Japan Forum Awards in FY2019
Kao Corporation has received the highest award, the Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau Director-General's Award, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, for its "eco together with suppliers" activities at the 16th LCA*1 Japan Forum Awards in FY2019.
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* 1 Life Cycle Assessment: Assessment of CO2 emissions reduction across the entirety of the product lifecycle
The LCA Japan Forum Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding initiatives related to lifecycle assessment for the purpose of supporting companies, organizations, and researchers working to reduce environmental impacts in the product lifecycle.
Recognizing its responsibility as an enterprise that provides products which people use on a regular basis in their daily lives, the Kao Group takes active steps to reduce the environmental footprint of its products throughout the entirety of the product lifecycle. In April 2019, Kao launched the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, its ESG strategy, which incorporates 19 key leadership actions. By integrating ESG into the core of its company management, Kao will drive business growth and better serve consumers and society through its enhanced products and services. This award is in recognition of the Kao Group's activities taken together with suppliers to reduce environmental impacts in the raw materials procurement process, which has a large environmental footprint, as well as high evaluation of the improved precision of its lifecycle assessments.
Specifically, the Kao Group is conducting the following activities.
● Collecting information on the CO2 load of delivered raw materials for suppliers that deliver raw materials with high CO2 load, aiming to improve the precision of its lifecycle assessments.
● Participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain Program*2 to survey the CO2 emissions management and reduction status for key suppliers, aiming to proactively reduce the environmental footprint of delivered raw materials.
● Currently surveying the general environmental management status of all suppliers using Sedex*3 or an original questionnaire form.
● Implementation of a traceability survey back to the forest or palm plantation for palm oil, paper, and pulp suppliers. In addition, participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain Program*2 to survey the status of supplier initiatives.
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* 2 CDP is an international NPO headquartered in the UK that implements various activities in environmental fields including climate change. The CDP Supply Chain Program is an initiative in which participating enterprises ask the firms that make up their supply chain to disclose information relating to climate change, water resource use, and forest resource use via the CDP platform
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* 3 Sedex: Supplier Ethical Data Exchange. A large-scale global platform for the sharing and verification of information relating to labor standards, health and safety, environmental protection, and business practices, aimed at promoting the adoption and maintenance of ethical and responsible business practices in global supply chains
In the future, the Kao Group will continue to implement its unique ESG activities globally, for example by taking active steps together with suppliers to reduce its environmental footprint, so as to deliver satisfaction and enriched lives for people around the world, and to contribute to the sustainability of society.
About Kao
Kao creates high-value-added products that enrich the lives of consumers around the world. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe. Combined with its chemical division, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,500 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 33,000 people worldwide and has 130 years of history in innovation. Please visit the Kao Group website for updated information.
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Kao Corporation