Japan’s Kao Corporation has introduced a new ‘dynamic cell production system’ for efficient, high-mix, low-volume manufacturing at its global cosmetics facility in Odawara. Test operations finished at the end of 2023, and operations will begin in stages shortly.
Non-profit organisation CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) has issued its rankings for 2022. These rate about 15,000 companies in multiple industries from about 18,700 who submitted data about their emissions on a scale from A to D- in three categories. In all, 283 received an A for Climate Change, 25 for Forests and 103 for Water Security.
Kao has signed an agreement with its Japanese compatriot Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, a specialist in over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, to collaborate in joint development in skin care, using each other's skin- and health-related fundamental and formulation technologies. Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare will use Kao's skin product formulation technology to develop OTC drugs.
Japan’s Kao Corporation has joined the $120 million venture previously announced by Genomatica and Unilever to scale and commercialise plant-based alternatives to palm kernel oil. The firm described this is as a key move towards meeting goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2040 carbon-negative by 2050, by making responsibly sourced palm oil and derivatives a critical feedstock.
Japan's Kao Corporation is to double capacity for the synthetic fragrance methyl dihydrojasmonate (MDJ) at its site in Olesa, Spain, by adding a second production facility. MDJ is used to give a jasmine fragrance to a wide range of consumer products and Kao is already the leader in the 20,000 tonnes/year European market, which is projected to grow at 4% year.
Ethisphere has named Lonza and Ecolab among the 136 publicly traded companies in 45 industries in 22 countries in its ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ listing. These have outperformed a comparable index of large cap companies by 24.6 percentage points over the past five calendar years.
Lonza, which appeared for the second time was one of thee in the Pharmaceuticals category, along with Pfizer and Eli Lilly. The company said that the aware “acknowledges its successful efforts in combining performance with integrity and accountability”.
