Unicharm Corporation (President & CEO: Mr. Takahisa Takahara) is pleased to announce that they have received the Excellence Award in the ESG category at the “Sustainable Japan Award 2025,” organized by The Japan Times.
The award ceremony and panel discussion featuring the winning companies and organizations were held on Thursday, September 18, at the International House of Japan in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

The “Sustainable Japan Award” is an initiative organized by The Japan Times, Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper founded in 1897. The award honors companies and organizations that are taking advanced steps toward a sustainable society and sharing their efforts with the world. This year marks the 7th edition of the award.

Unicharm was recognized for its horizontal recycling initiative “RefF,” which repurposes used disposable diapers as resources. “RefF” is the world’s first project to commercialize the recycling of used diapers, which were previously only disposed of as waste.
The project was highly praised for pioneering a new circular pathway for products that previously had no recycling options. In addition to ensuring safety and hygiene through cutting-edge ozone treatment technology, Unicharm collaborated with local governments in Shibushi City and Osaki Town in Kagoshima Prefecture to build a community-wide resource circulation system.
The recycled materials are used in a wide range of products, including baby care, elder care, and pet care items, demonstrating a consumer-centric approach to realizing a circular society.

・Products using recycled pulp

・Products using recycled plastic

・Product using recycled SAP

<Related Information>

RefF Brand Site:

https://www.unicharm.co.jp/en/csr-eco/reff.html

Choose, Use, Circulate Sustainability Site:

https://www.unicharm.co.jp/en/csr-eco/ghg.html

Unicharm Note: Thinking about the future of diapers (in Japanese)

https://note.com/unicharm_reff

We believe that this initiative contributes to the following 17 goals of the "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015:

3．Good Health and Well-being　　　　 12．Responsible Consumption and Production

13．Climate Action            　　　   15．Life on Land　　　　

We will continue to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by solving environmental and social issues through our business activities, including the provision of products and services.