Kao Named ‘A’ List Company by CDP for Environmental Achievements for Fifth Consecutive Year

Kao Corporation, a manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics and specialty chemicals, has been named an “A-List” company by CDP, a global nonprofit organization, in its annual global survey of companies’ sustainability initiatives, in the areas of climate change, forests and water security.

The triple “A” companies were selected out of more than 24,800 companies included in the survey. This is the fifth consecutive year that Kao has received a triple “A” rating; it is the sixth time that Kao has received an “A” in the climate change category, the fifth time in forests and the eighth time in water security.

“We are honored to be selected as a CDP triple ‘A’ company for the fifth consecutive year,” said Junko Ohtani, executive officer in charge of Kao’s ESG Division. “We have long been committed to addressing environmental and social issues across the product lifecycle through innovation, together with our stakeholders. We aim to offer products that, while being more sustainable, serve as high-performance solutions to everyday issues, thereby empowering the people we serve to live better, comfortably. This approach is the basis for our ESG Strategy the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, which guides us in managing our business with resilience, not only for the now, but also for the future. We will continue to drive efforts, striving to lead in our wide range of business areas, to realize our mission of a Kirei life for all.”

Major Initiatives

Aiming to realize a decarbonized society and sustainable business, Kao says it’s developing innovative technologies and working with stakeholders to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the value chain with the goal of achieving carbon zero in 2040 and carbon negative in 2050.

Regarding forests, the company promotes ESG procurement with an emphasis on environmental conservation, resource protection and human rights. Through efforts to ensure traceability and dialogue with suppliers, Kao is aiming to achieve zero deforestation by 2025, in line with the goal of realizing sustainable procurement. In the area of palm oil, one of Kao’s most important natural assets, the company is transitioning to RSPO certified oil and are also implementing Smallholder Inclusion for Better Livelihood & Empowerment program (SMILE), a program to support independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia.

Kao says it also considers the sustainable use of water resources to be a critical management issue and are implementing various initiatives to address this. The company is promoting water conservation throughout the product lifecycle by providing water-saving products such as Attack ZERO, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent that requires only one rinse, and CuCute, a dishwashing liquid that quickly rinses off foam during rinsing.