Kao Corporation has been recognized as a world leader for its efforts to manage water resources more sustainably and has been awarded a position on the 2016 Water A List by CDP, the UK-based non-profit that drives sustainable economies. The list was produced after asking 1,252 large global companies to provide data about their environmental efforts. Of the 607 companies that submitted data, Kao earned an A grade and for the first time was named one of the 24 companies on the Water A List.
Kao and other Japanese companies that earned a place on the list were officially announced at the "Japan Water Style Summit with CDP's Japan Water Forum 2016" held in Tokyo on December 5, 2016. Kao's leadership is also celebrated in CDP's new report, Thirsty Business: Why water is vital to climate action, published on November 15, 2016.
•Thirsty Business: Why water is vital to climate action
Recognizing its responsibility as a supplier of everyday products that require water to produce and consume, the Kao Group released its Environmental Statement in 2009 and has been actively working to minimize the environmental impacts of Kao products throughout their life cycle.