Unicharm Corporation (President & CEO: Mr. Takahisa Takahara), in collaboration with Oji Holdings Corporation (President & CEO: Mr. Hiroyuki Isono), is pleased to announce the successful development of EFB*1 pulp blended cardboard base paper, utilizing oil palm empty fruit bunches as a partial raw material. This cardboard will be adopted for packaging materials for select products manufactured by PT Uni-Charm Indonesia Tbk (Unicharm Indonesia), our local subsidiary in Indonesia.

*1 EFB: Empty Fruit Bunches, the empty fruit bunches remaining after extracting the fruit from oil palm bunches (oil palms)

*2 Paper made by mixing various materials other than wood pulp into the pulp that is the raw material for paper

Unicharm established the "Environmental Targets 2030," a medium- to long-term ESG goal in 2020, and is addressing environmental issues through its business activities, focusing on three key issues: "Addressing plastic issues," "Addressing climate change," and "Procurement that does not contribute to deforestation." As part of this effort, Unicharm Indonesia has been promoting the concept of "Ethical Living for SDGs" since 2021, disseminating information, products, and experiences to enable consumers to effortlessly incorporate environmentally friendly practices into their daily lives. Meanwhile, in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, large quantities of EFB*1 are generated during the production of palm oil*3 from oil palms. Due to its high moisture, ash, and salt content, EFB*1 has not been fully utilized as a resource.

Therefore, in collaboration with Oji Holdings Corporation, which shares the goal of reducing environmental impact, we have been developing cardboard base paper using EFB*1 as a partial raw material. By adopting this material for packaging materials for select products sold by Unicharm Indonesia, we aim to promote the effective use of previously unutilized resources and strengthen efforts toward realizing a sustainable society.

*3 Vegetable oil extracted from the fruit of the oil palm, used in a wide range of fields around the world from food to daily necessities

                                                       Oil palm empty fruit bunches       EFB^*1 pulp blended^*2 cardboard base paper

In 2021, Unicharm Indonesia recognized "environmental issues in Indonesia" and "interest in environmentally friendly products" and announced the concept of "Ethical Living for SDGs." This lifestyle concept aims to integrate easy-to-implement, environmentally conscious "small, good deeds" into daily life, with the goal of permeating the lives of all Indonesian consumers.