Kao has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies, the only Asian company to have made the list every year since Ethisphere began its ranking in 2007.
Related: Kao to Join 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index
This marks the 15th consecutive year Kao has received this recognition, which recognizes companies that have demonstrated outstanding performance in transparency, integrity, ethics and compliance.
The Institute surveys and evaluates companies worldwide across five categories, covering ethics and compliance programs, corporate citizenship and responsibility, culture of ethics, governance and leadership and reputation.
Yoshihiro Hasebe, Kao's president and CEO, said, "We are honored to have been recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 15 consecutive years. Our business has always been based on walking the right path — a core value of our founder. Outside evaluations are therefore an important indication we are indeed going in the right direction. However, we should never be satisfied with the status quo. What has worked for us today may not work in the future, so we should always strive for improvement. As CEO, I am determined we continue to make ethical decisions in this ever-changing world."
Ethisphere CEO, Timothy Erblich, said, "We are, once again, delighted to include Kao in our World's Most Ethical Companies list — the only Asian company we have honored every year since the award's inception. This is a testament to Kao's dedication to advancing ethical and ESG management best practices. We believe Kao will continue to be at the forefront of setting ethical standards in the industry globally."
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