Kao Receives the Highest Honor at the 2024 Commendation
in the Good Practices of Consumer-Oriented Management Awards

The award was given to Kao in recognition of its consumer-oriented product development encouraging environment-friendly actions to meet consumer needs and enhance environmental awareness. Such consumer-oriented products include CuCute dishwashing detergent, where Kao has reduced bottle wall thickness to cut down on plastic use while retaining durability and ease of refilling. Another is Bioré UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Mist sunscreen spray, a non-gas mist that is easy to reapply on the go and features a replaceable container.

In addition to consumer-oriented products, Kao was also recognized for the NEWTLAC series, a high durability asphalt modifier utilizing waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which was developed using chemical processing technology. NEWTLAC promotes resource recycling, while also reducing the frequency at which asphalt needs to be replaced, thus contributing to an overall reduction in CO₂ emissions and traffic jams. The product has already been used on over 400,000 square meters of roads and parking lots. Working together with local authorities, Kao is also expanding this business, conducting demonstration experiments using old fishing nets and marine plastic debris as raw material, and developing a product for use in cold climates.

Over the past 130 years, Kao has worked to improve people’s lives and help them realize more sustainable lifestyles—a Kirei Lifestyle. The Japanese word “kirei” describes something that is clean, well-ordered, and beautiful all at once. For Kao, this concept of “kirei” not only describes appearance but also attitude—a desire to create beauty for oneself, for other people, and for the natural world around us. Aiming to realize a more sustainable way of living, in April 2019, the Kao Group established its ESG strategy known as the Kirei Lifestyle Plan. By 2030, Kao aims to empower at least 1 billion people, to enjoy more beautiful lives. Kao also strives to have 100% of its products leave a full lifecycle environmental footprint that science says our natural world can safely absorb.
Please visit the Kao sustainability website for more information.

Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Attack laundry detergent, Bioré and Jergens skin care products, Laurier sanitary products, Curél, SENSAI, and MOLTON BROWN cosmetics, and Oribe hair care products, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,630 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 32,600 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation. As an enterprise that provides products people use on a daily basis, the Kao Group takes responsibility to actively reduce the environmental footprint of its products throughout the product lifecycle. This is laid out in Kao’s ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, which launched in 2019.
Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.