Comprehensive Management System for Chemical Substances

In order to ensure the safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and traceability of consumer and industrial products, the Kao Group developed and adopted its own “Comprehensive Management System for Chemical Substances” where each material and product is assigned with group-common codes called “Master Index (MI)”. Features of the Kao Comprehensive Management System for Chemical Substances are as follows.

  • Master Index (MI), the key code of this system, has a stratified structure consisting of M1-M4 (see the diagram below) and allows for instant tracing of Kao products to the components (substances) as well as identification of products tracing back from an component. This system enables ensuring the traceability of products and thus swift response to new or revised regulations, quality troubles, etc., by instantly identifying the area of influence.

マスターインデックスの階層構造例

Hierarchic structure of Master Index

  • Various kinds of information (such as product and raw material composition, Safety Data Sheet, laws and regulations in various countries, safety data, and relevant documents) are integrally managed under this system and shared among relevant departments. It also contributes to drastically reducing the time required from designing to marketing of our products.
  • Substance Volume Tracking (SVT) of chemicals that is compliant with CSCL or REACH is realized by tracking products to the substances and by linking them with the production, shipping and import/export information stored on our core system and information on use at customers. SVT allows for gathering of accurate information on quantity used, quantity manufactured, and quantity released for the substance regulated by the Act on Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (so-called “PRTR Act”) or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

This system is also effectively used for investigating their compliance to laws and regulations in countries, contained substances that may be subject to special requirements or regulations, etc, on the products sold to customers, in response to inquiries made by the customers.

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