Unicharm

Unicharm Corporation (TOKYO: 8113), a leading global manufacturer of personal care and hygiene products, has announced the publication of its Integrated Report 2026 and Sustainability Report 2026. The two reports provide stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of the company’s business strategy, sustainability initiatives, human capital development, environmental priorities and long-term approach to creating sustainable corporate value.

The reports arrive at an important milestone for Unicharm as the company celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2026. The anniversary year also marks the beginning of the company’s 13th Medium-Term Management Plan, known as “Project Renaissance.” Covering a five-year period through 2030, the plan establishes a new framework for sustainable growth and organizational transformation.

At the center of Unicharm’s strategy is its distinctive management philosophy, “Management with Resonance.” Through this approach, the company aims to combine advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, with human sensitivity and an understanding of individual needs. The objective is to create products, services and solutions that respond more closely to people, communities and society while strengthening the company’s competitive position.

New Growth Strategy Under Project Renaissance

Unicharm’s 13th Medium-Term Management Plan represents a significant step in its long-term evolution. Rather than relying exclusively on traditional mass-production approaches, the company is pursuing a structural transformation toward more human-centric value creation.

The strategy recognizes that consumer expectations are becoming increasingly diverse and personalized. Unicharm therefore intends to use AI, data and other advanced technologies to understand individual needs more precisely while retaining the human perspective necessary to develop practical and meaningful solutions.

The company describes this transformation as a fusion of AI and humanity. By combining technological capabilities with human sensitivity, Unicharm aims to move beyond producing products at scale and instead focus on delivering value that closely supports individual consumers.

This strategy is expected to influence product development, manufacturing, marketing, supply-chain management and customer engagement across the company’s global operations.

Combining Technology With Human Sensitivity

A major theme of the Integrated Report 2026 is Unicharm’s effort to create a new business model in which technology enhances rather than replaces human understanding.

Artificial intelligence and data analytics can help the company identify changing consumer behaviors, market trends and emerging needs. However, Unicharm believes technology must be combined with an understanding of the emotional, physical and social circumstances of its customers.

This philosophy is particularly relevant to Unicharm’s core businesses, which serve consumers at different stages of life. Baby care products support families during early childhood, feminine care products address specific needs throughout women’s lives, wellness care products support aging populations and people requiring assistance, while pet care products focus on the health and well-being of companion animals.

By bringing these businesses together under a common human-centric philosophy, Unicharm aims to strengthen its ability to provide solutions throughout the life cycle.

Building a More Agile Global Business

Another important component of Project Renaissance is Unicharm’s move away from excessive self-sufficiency toward a more agile and collaborative business structure.

Unicharm operates across more than 80 countries and regions, giving it an extensive global business foundation. The company plans to use this international presence more effectively by collaborating with capable local OEM and ODM partners.

Such partnerships can enable Unicharm to respond more rapidly to local market requirements while improving cost competitiveness and operational flexibility. Instead of relying solely on internally controlled production and resources, the company can combine its own expertise with the capabilities of specialized local partners.

The company also plans to strengthen AI-based data linkage across its operations. By connecting information and improving the flow of data between different parts of the organization and its partners, Unicharm aims to accelerate decision-making and improve its ability to respond to changes in demand.

This combination of local collaboration, data utilization and technology is expected to help Unicharm achieve greater speed and efficiency while maintaining the quality standards associated with its products.

Four Strategic Business Units Present Growth Roadmaps

The Integrated Report 2026 also provides detailed perspectives from the leaders of Unicharm’s four Strategic Business Units, or SBUs.

The presidents of the Baby Care, Feminine Care, Wellness Care and Pet Care businesses outline their respective growth strategies and explain how each business can contribute to the company’s broader objectives.

Baby Care remains focused on supporting babies and families, while Feminine Care addresses evolving needs associated with women’s health and daily life. Wellness Care is positioned to benefit from demographic changes and the growing demand for products that support healthy and comfortable aging. Pet Care continues to respond to the increasing importance of pets within households and the growing expectations surrounding companion-animal health.

Together, the four businesses provide Unicharm with opportunities to support consumers across different stages of life. Their individual strategies are designed to capitalize on market-specific opportunities while benefiting from shared technologies, knowledge and organizational capabilities.

Sustainability as a Growth Engine

The Sustainability Report 2026 focuses on how Unicharm intends to integrate environmental and social considerations directly into its business strategy.

One of the report’s central themes is the company’s approach to the circular economy. Rather than treating environmental initiatives solely as costs or compliance requirements, Unicharm aims to transform sustainability into a source of long-term business growth.

The company has updated its medium- and long-term environmental, social and governance goals under “Kyo-sei Life Vision 2035.” The revised framework builds on previous sustainability initiatives while introducing more quantitative and practical indicators.

By establishing measurable goals and publicly disclosing progress, Unicharm seeks to improve transparency and demonstrate how sustainability objectives are being integrated into business operations.

Advancing Used Diaper Recycling Technology

A particularly notable initiative highlighted in the Sustainability Report 2026 is “RefF,” Unicharm’s paper diaper circular recycling system.

Disposable diapers are challenging to recycle because they contain multiple materials and are used in circumstances that require strict hygiene standards. Unicharm has therefore been developing specialized technologies that can safely process used diapers and recover valuable materials.

Under the RefF system, used disposable diapers undergo proprietary ozone treatment technology designed to sterilize the materials. Following the treatment process, recovered pulp can be reused as a material with sanitary quality comparable to raw materials.

The initiative represents an effort to address the environmental challenges associated with disposable hygiene products while creating a potential circular resource stream.

Unicharm’s objective is not simply to collect and recycle used products but to establish a practical system capable of returning recovered materials into productive use. The company views this initiative as an important part of its broader circular economy strategy.

Advancing Kyo-sei Life Vision 2035

The updated Kyo-sei Life Vision 2035 framework provides the foundation for Unicharm’s medium- and long-term ESG activities.

The company is seeking to establish clear connections between environmental protection, social contribution and corporate growth. Quantitative targets allow Unicharm and its stakeholders to monitor progress and evaluate whether initiatives are producing measurable results.

This approach is particularly important as companies face increasing expectations from investors, customers, employees and communities to demonstrate tangible progress on sustainability.

For Unicharm, sustainability is closely connected to its purpose as a manufacturer of products designed to improve quality of life. By developing more resource-efficient production methods, advancing recycling technologies and addressing changing social needs, the company aims to create value for both society and its business.

Looking Toward 2030 and Beyond

The publication of the Integrated Report 2026 and Sustainability Report 2026 provides an overview of Unicharm’s priorities as it begins its next five-year management cycle.

Project Renaissance is intended to accelerate business growth while transforming the company’s operating model. AI, data utilization, global partnerships and human capital are expected to play important roles in this transformation.

At the same time, Kyo-sei Life Vision 2035 establishes a longer-term sustainability direction, with circular economy initiatives such as RefF demonstrating how environmental challenges can potentially become opportunities for innovation and growth.

By combining technological advancement with human sensitivity, Unicharm aims to strengthen its ability to respond to increasingly diverse consumer needs. Its four strategic business units provide a broad platform for growth across baby care, feminine care, wellness care and pet care, while its global network offers opportunities to expand through local partnerships and more agile operations.

The company’s latest reports therefore present a vision in which business growth and sustainability are closely connected. As Unicharm enters its 65th anniversary year and begins Project Renaissance, the company is positioning innovation, human capital, AI and circular-economy initiatives as key elements of its strategy for creating sustainable corporate value through 2030 and toward its longer-term 2035 goals.

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