Kao Is Stepping Up Its Battle Against Plastic Packaging

Global consumer goods company Kao has launched Smart Holder, allowing consumers to use refill packages and reduce the amount of packaging it uses. Eighty per cent of Kao’s personal care and household products are now in refillable packs, reducing plastic waste sold in Japan by 74% for those products. Innovations include the ‘bottle-like pouch’ (BLP) refills, designed to be easy to use (or “raku raku” in Japanese, translated as “so easy”). It has also been working to reduce packaging by innovating the products, such as developing the first super-concentrated liquid detergent in the world. In the US, Kao is to partner with How2Recycle on adding easy-to-understand recycling labels on packaging. The company is also working on a number of other plastics initiatives back in Japan, to raise consumer awareness and involvement in recycling plastics, such as encouraging residents of Kamakura to deposit empty refill pouches, which were converted into blocks to build a life-size model of a popular local train, displayed in front of city hall. [Image Credit: © Kao Corporation]