Chemicals management activities

The Kao Group handles a wide range of chemicals in manufacturing of its consumer and industrial products. Kao developed its own “Comprehensive Management System for Chemical Substances” and started implementing the system since 2001. Under the system, Kao practices appropriate management of chemicals including safety assurance, quality assurance of raw materials and products, and compliance with the laws and regulations in various countries.
Kao has endeavored to enhance and promote its chemicals management activities. The “SAICM*1Promotion Committee” launched in 2012 as a group-wide organization that leads Kao’s chemicals management activities, and “SAICM Promotion Policy” set down in 2013 based on the internationally harmonized chemicals management initiative.

In recent years, the number of various regulations on chemicals adopted globally has been growing rapidly. Such regulations include regulations on chemicals registration, regulations on SDS and product labeling that are compliant to GHS*2, and regulations on substances contained in the final products. In response to such global regulations, Kao Chemical Business Unit carries out the following chemicals management activities for the purpose of fulfilling the company’s responsibility in supplying products.

Chemical substance registration

Domestically, Kao observes Japanese laws and regulations on chemicals such as CSCL*3. Globally, Kao observes REACH*4 (European regulations on chemical products) and other laws and regulations adopted at manufacturing and export destination countries.

Risk assessment of chemicals

Risk assessment results obtained through the chemical substances registration in various countries and activities of the SAICM Promotion Committee are put together into the form of GPS Safety Summary and disclose them on product information section of Kao Chemicals website as they become available.

Risk assessment policy

On promoting risk assessment of chemicals in accordance with SAICM, we established our own risk assessment policy.

Risk assessment procedure

Based on the guidance issued by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), Kao has been diligently working on risk assessment of chemicals.

Kao’s Safety Summary of chemicals for priority risk assessment

Safety summary for chemicals are disclosed that underwent risk assessment by Kao’s SAICM activities.

GPS safety summary of Kao Chemical products

Regarding the chemicals registered in REACH (EU’s chemical substance registration system) etc., safety information has been disclosed as GPS Safety Summary of Kao chemical products.

Management of chemicals contained in products

Kao strives for the management of chemicals contained in products by establishing an organization consisting of personnel from the research and development, procurement, production, Quality Assurance and sales departments. As one of the founders of the Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP), Kao promotes the providing of information to its customers using “chemSHERPA”*5 (a common form for listing chemicals included in products) by JAMP.

GHS-compliant SDS and product labeling

Various countries started to implement GHS correspondence after Japan commenced implementation in 2006 (revised Industrial Safety and Health Law). For products of Kao Chemicals, we promote issuance of Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in compliance with Japanese and overseas laws and regulations and affixing of product labels.

*1 SAICM: Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management
*2 GHS: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
*3 CSCL: Chemical Substances Control Law. The full name is “Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their Manufacture, etc.”
*4 REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals in EU.
*5 chemSHERPA: Information transmission sheet for specific chemical substances