Kao has partnered with Cosmetics Europe for the BBC StoryWorks film series “Essentials For Daily Life,” which takes a look at how the cosmetics sector is enhancing people's lives, supporting the planet and improving products.
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With its longstanding focus on environmentally friendly product innovation, Kao is one of 16 companies and associations of the cosmetics and personal care sector that are featured in the series.
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The documentary “The Refill Revolution” shows how Kao has revolutionized the Japanese household and personal care market with its refill packs that have reduced the amount of plastic used in these categories by more than 70% versus a do-nothing scenario.
Kao’s efforts and innovation on plastic reduction are part of its overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, called “The Kirei Lifestyle Plan,” built around the Japanese word “kirei,” which means beautiful or clean, not only on the outside but also on the inside. It describes the value Kao aims to bring to everyday life with its brands, products and services.
The Kirei Lifestyle Plan outlines the company’s commitments and actions in the fields of ESG. Kao is striving to constantly evolve its packaging solutions to increase recyclability without compromising on quality. The brand's actions on packaging are driven by a 4R approach based on continuous improvement and innovation: reducing the amount of plastic used, replacing plastic with recycled plastic or other material where possible, enabling consumers to reuse their packaging and increasing the amount of plastic that is recyclable by consumers.
The Kao film, along with the other films in “Essentials For Daily Life” series, will be featured on the channels of Cosmetics Europe and BBC StoryWorks within the next two weeks, showcasing different aspects of the industry with an emphasis on sustainability, cosmetic product safety and wellbeing.
“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,” Dave Muenz, senior vice president of ESG at Kao, said in the series’ film “The Refill Revolution,” underlining the importance of collaboration in the field of sustainability.
“We have been able to convert 80% of all packages purchased in the household and personal care categories here in Japan to these thin film refillable packages,” Muenz points out. “That has resulted in a 74% reduction in the sheer amount of plastic that is used in those categories.”
