Kao Corporation of Japan: Future Co-Creation For Innovation
Kao has long regarded its responsibility to the environment and society as a basic tenet rather than a trend. Now it is finding ways to innovate through its fundamental technologies accumulated over many years. Three examples epitomize such efforts-Kao’s revolutionary detergent base Bio IOS, the company’s adjuvant technologies and soil improving agent technologies to increase crop yields. These different innovations are driven by the same spirit of resource conservation. Bio IOS is a unique surfactant, highly soluble in water while at the same time retaining high affinity to oils. Created from the residue of pressed palm oil, Bio IOS was developed with sustainability in mind and is the world’s first real sustainable surfactant in 50 years. Bio IOS uses the residue of pressed palm oil collected from the fruit of the oil palm. It had been difficult to use this residue as a raw material for detergents but Kao scientists found a way. As its name suggests, Bio IOS is highly biodegradable, but it also cleans better than conventional detergents. It’s also better for the planet.