Kao Wins a Place in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World List

Kao Corporation (TOKYO:4452), a leading manufacturer of personal care, household and cosmetics products, was named one of the Corporate Knights' Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (Global 100) for the second year in a row. Selected for the top 100 list from a pool of 7,395 companies chosen for evaluation in 2020, Kao was ranked the #4 out of 42 companies in the Corporate Knights Industry Group's Personal Care and Cleaning Products category.

"We are honored to be included in the list two years in a row. We will continue to be committed to driving purposeful business and innovations that help consumers live more sustainable lifestyles, or the Kirei Lifestyle?a beautiful life inside and out" said Dave Muenz, Executive Officer in charge of ESG at Kao Corporation.

Announced on January 21 at the Global Economic Forum Annual Meeting (Davos Forum) held in Davos, Switzerland, the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World is an index evaluating global companies' sustainability performance developed by the Canadian media and research company Corporate Knights. Global 100 companies represent the top 1.3% in the world on sustainability performance. Selected from a pool of 7,395 companies, each are evaluated on a set of up to 21 quantitative key performance indicators across environmental, social and governance factors, weighted to reflect each industry's impact profile. Kao was ranked the #4 out of 42 companies in the Corporate Knights Industry Group's Personal Care and Cleaning Products category, recognized for its excellence in innovation capacity, employee retention as well as clean revenue, or revenue from all goods and services which have clear environmental benefits.

The Kao Group launched the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy, in April 2019. Kao aims to integrate ESG into the core of its company management to accelerate business growth and create products and services of better value for consumers and society. Kao is committed to implementing its unique ESG activities globally for the wholehearted satisfaction and enrichment of the lives of people worldwide and to contribute to a sustainable society.

About Kao
Kao creates high-value-added products that enrich the lives of consumers around the world. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe. Combined with its chemical division, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,500 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 33,000 people worldwide and has 130 years of history in innovation. Please visit the Kao Group website for updated information.
https://www.kao.com/global/en/