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Initiatives supporting safe use of products
Kao Receives JCIA’s “JIPS Award” for the Eighth Consecutive Year
In February 2024, Kao received the JIPS*1 Award (award for excellence) from the Japan Chemical Industry Association. The JIPS Award, established in 2016, is given to companies that earn public trust by voluntarily disclosing proper usage of chemical products they manufacture and market in the “GPS*2 Safety Summary”, ensuring they have no adverse effect on human health and the environment.
Kao is the only company in Japan that has received the JIPS award for eight consecutive years since the first award. Kao has disclosed 229 GPS Safety Summaries so far, the largest number in Japan (Japanese companies have disclosed 715 Summaries in total as of January 2024).
Kao handles a wide range of chemicals in the household products we manufacture and markets, such as laundry detergents, bath additives and cosmetics, as well as in industrial chemical products, including asphalt modifiers. In order to fulfill our social responsibility as a company that handles chemicals, we have been working to assess the risk of chemicals, strengthen the management on site, and disclose the information. Kao has been continuing with this initiatives since 2012.
In 2023, we conducted a safety evaluation based on the laws and regulations of each country and Kao’s unique safety standards, focusing on alcohol ethoxylate, a nonionic surfactant. We compiled a GPS Safety Summary that shows from a scientific perspective these chemicals can be used safely without adverse effect on human health and the environment. Alcohol ethoxylates are widely used in household products, such as laundry detergents, fabric softeners and shampoos because they cause little damage to textile and skin irritation. They are also used in industrial products, mainly as emulsifying and dispersing agents.
Chemical substances contribute to our sustainable lives by being selected with a correct understanding and used appropriately. Going forward, Kao will continue its activities with the aim of contributing to the realization of a society in which consumers can use products with peace of mind.
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* 1 JIPS: Japan Initiative of Product Stewardship. An initiative designed to promote ICCA’s GPS in Japan.
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* 2 GPS: Global Product Strategy. Part of a commitment established by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) to a strategic approach for international chemicals management.
Example of GPS Safety Summary
Example of products that contain alcohol ethoxylates