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2020/06/12

The Refill Revolution: Kao's efforts and innovations on plastic reduction featured in film series by Cosmetics Europe and BBC StoryWorks

Kao has partnered with industry association Cosmetics Europe and BBC StoryWorks* for their film series "The Essentials for Daily Life", which takes a look at how the personal care and cosmetics sector is enhancing people's lives, supporting the planet and improving products. Kao is one of 16 companies and associations that are featured in the series, which was launched on 11 June 2020 on the special website.

In the short documentary "The Refill Revolution", Cosmetics Europe and BBC StoryWorks* show how Kao has revolutionized the Japanese household and personal care market with its unique refill packs that have reduced the amount of plastic used in these categories by more than 70%. "To achieve true change it's not going to be one company or one government, it's going to take all of us working together", says Dave Muenz, Senior Vice President of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) at Kao.

Kao's efforts and innovation on plastic reduction are part of its overall ESG strategy, called "The Kirei Lifestyle Plan", outlining the company's commitments and actions in ESG. Kao is striving to constantly evolve its packaging solutions to reduce the amount of plastic used, and increase recyclability, without compromising on quality. The company's actions on packaging are driven by a 4R (reduce, replace, reuse, recycle) approach based on continuous improvement and innovation.

  • *
    BBC StoryWorks is the content marketing division of BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of BBC.

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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