Kao unveils pump that turns eco-refills into mainstay packaging

By Sarah Parsons | Published: 26-Aug-2020

The Japanese beauty conglomerate has launched the innovation as part of its environmental plastic reduction programme

Kao Corporation, the maker of John Frieda and Molton Brown, has developed a pump that allows beauty eco-refills to become the primary packaging.

The Raku-raku Switch attaches to refillable pouches to dispense the product and is said to reduce plastic by 50% compared with plastic bottles that use a traditional pump dispenser.

The innovation will launch via the Bioré Body Lotion for Wet Skin from 19 September.

Users just need to attach the Raku-raku Switch to a Kao Corporation developed Raku-raku Eco Pack Refill and press the dome-shaped button to release the fixed amount of contents.

The design is said to prevent air and water from entering the pack even while the product is being dispensed to help maintain a sanitary state.

The switch is a part of the Japanese conglomerate's plastic reduction 'zero waste' programme.

"As the responsibility of a company that offers products used in daily life, Kao is proactively taking steps to reduce environmental impacts throughout the entire product lifecycle," reported the company.

"Kao is reducing the total amount of plastic it uses by shifting from rigid plastic bottles to film packaging, and is advancing research and technical development with the goal of recycling used film packaging into new film packaging."

Most recently, Kao rolled-out its Air-in Film Bottle that uses three layers of film with air pockets that fill with air to create a rigid body that can stand up like a traditional bottle.

The design is said to reduce plastic by 50% and allows consumers to completely use up the cosmetic product.

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