Kao Corporation continues to make progress in the area of sustainability. The Japanese company has recently published its sustainable product development policy. In it, Kao has confirmed through a press release that the company's goal is to follow the Kirei lifestyle guidelines that it aims to achieve by 2027.
Kao has introduced a set of new measures that it will incorporate into its manufacturing process. One of these is the idea of "maximum with minimum". In the press release, the company explained that it will optimise the use of materials, the formulation process and also the packaging through the use of technologies. The company is committed to striving to eradicate the negative impact it can have on the environment, biodiversity and human rights, in order to ensure a sustainable life in the future.
The second measure Kao Corporation has established is to increase the life cycle of products and has been achieved through advances in Kao's R&D in raw materials, product formulation and packaging. The company hopes to achieve this measure also by using raw materials derived from waste and carbon dioxide and by designing products that are easy to recycle.
In relation to the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, at the end of 2021, Kao presented an initiative in which it aimed to create a Kirei Lifestyle within the company to reduce its impact. Although not, the company with more than 130 years of history established its ESG strategy based on the Kirei Lifestyle Plan. Kirei is a Japanese term that invokes beauty and has two meanings that fit perfectly with Kao's activity: beautiful and clean. Kirei translates into beauty that reflects something pristine, clean and immaculate.
The Japanese cosmetic ingredients and chemicals company aims to become an essential company in a sustainable society by offering universally designed products that are easy for anyone to use. Kao's goals include ensuring web accessibility in the future and making it easier for more users to obtain useful information.
Kao has experienced moderate growth in the first half of the year. Net sales grew by only 0.6% compared to the same period last year and the sales figure achieved was 738.5 billion yen, with notable growth in make-up and photo-protection products. However, a decrease of 0.2% was reported in the cosmetics division.