May 22, 2024
LiveDo Corporation
Nagase & Co., Ltd.
Nagase ChemteX Corporation

Joint Development of Adult Disposable Diapers
with Bio-based Super Absorbent Polymers
LiveDo Corporation (Head Office: Osaka, Osaka; President and Representative Director: TomohitoUda) and Nagase & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President andCEO: Hiroyuki Ueshima), along with NAGASE Group’s core manufacturing company Nagase
ChemteX Corporation (Head Office: Osaka, Osaka; President and CEO: Satoru Fujii), have enteredinto an agreement for the joint development of adult disposable diapers and incontinence products.
This joint development aims to release a product in 2027 or later using a polymer developed by theNAGASE Group with a high biomass content and biodegradability, as well as high absorbability (SAP*1), as the absorbent material in disposable diapers by LiveDo Corporation. This practicalimplementation of environmentally-friendly sanitary products using SAPs with high biomass content isa pioneering example, and they will be sold to nursing care facilities, medical facilities, and drugstoresas sustainable products.
Role of Each Company
LiveDo Corporation

Performance evaluation, development and manufacture of adultdisposable diaper products

Nagase ChemteX

Development and manufacture of SAP for use in disposable diapers

Nagase & Co.

Development of environmentally-friendly materials and new market
development

Issues with Disposable Diapers
The consumption of adult disposable diapers is increasing in Japan along with the growth of thepopulation aged 65 and older. In 2020, 556,000 tons of disposable diapers were used in the year (*2),
with disposable diapers estimated to account for 5.2 to 5.4% of general waste (*3). Used disposable
diapers are generally incinerated, and since fuel may be necessary depending on the water content
due to urine, the increase in CO2 emissions is becoming a problem.
Solving Social Issues with Development of Environmentally-friendly Disposable Diapers
This joint development project focused on the property of the SAP developed by NAGASE, which
when turned to gel after absorbing water can be rapidly changed to an aqueous solution by adding asmall amount of chemicals. This property makes it possible to separate the disposable diaper andgelatinous SAP, which should solve the issue of the gelatinous SAP remaining in regards to theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Towards Accepting Disposable Diapers in
the Sewage System,” as well as leading to the recycling of disposable diapers promoted by the Ministry

of the Environment (*4), contributing to solving the issues related to the disposal of used disposable
diapers.
Through the development of this product, the aim is to contribute to decreasing the labor burden for
disposal and CO2 emissions from incineration by making it possible to dispose of used sanitary
products via the sewage system, by developing sanitary products combining the newly developed SAP
and water soluble materials. In the future, efforts will also be made on a recycling scheme to improve
the resource retrieval efficiency of used disposable diapers (see figure below). This is the first example
in the industry of the joint development of adult disposable diapers using SAP with high biomass
content and that can rapidly dissolve into an aqueous solution, and the intent is to makeenvironmentally-friendly adult disposable diaper products with consideration for disposable via thesewage system and promoting recycling.
Through this joint development project, the three companies will aim to contribute to solving social
issues by developing sustainable adult disposable diapers in an industry first and by promoting theirrecycling.
■Scheme for Reducing CO2 Emissions and Retrieving/Recycling Resources*1: “Bio-based Super Absorbent Polymer with High Biomass Content Successfully Developed”(nagase.co.jp)*2: “Guidelines on Recycling Used Disposable Diapers”, Ministry of the Environment (Japanese only):900534449.pdf (env.go.jp)*3: “Report on Results of Project to Promote Recycling Used Disposable Diapers,” Ministry of theEnvironment (Japanese only): 000152774.pdf (env.go.jp)*4: “Towards Accepting Disposable Diapers in the Sewage System,” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (Japanese only) (mlit.go.jp)

“Recycling Disposable Diapers,” Environmental Restoration and Resource Cycle, Ministry of
the Environment (Japanese only) (env.go.jp)■About the SAP Developed by the NAGASE Group
SAPs are polymers with high absorbability which are used in a wide variety of fields, from sanitary
products such as disposable diapers to agricultural and greening products. Most existing SAPs arepolyacrylic and have a large environmental burden due to being petroleum based and nonbiodegradable, while biodegradable SAPs with a low environmental burden made from naturalmaterials did not have sufficient absorbability and were considered inviable as final products.
In February 2023, the NAGASE Group succeeded in the development of an SAP maximizing
absorbability while increasing the proportion biomaterials used, primarily starch, by combining theenzyme technologies of Nagase Viita Co., Ltd. (Kita-ku, Okayama; Representative Director NaokiYasuba) and the resin manufacturing techniques of Nagase ChemteX, core manufacturingsubsidiaries of the Group.
■LiveDo × NAGASE (Strengths of Each Company)[LiveDo Corporation]
In the fields of “Care” and “Cure,” LiveDo is engaged in businesses to “support the power of life” forindividuals. Their Life Care business in the field of nursing care manufactures and sells adult diapers
under the Refre brand, which are chosen by nursing care professionals for industrial use in facilities
and hospitals. Their Cure business in the medical field manufactures and sells surgical kits used insurgery rooms at hospitals, with a growing market share in recent years.
[NAGASE Group]With approximately 110 Group companies in 30 countries and regions around the world, theNAGASE Group is involved in businesses in a wide variety of fields including chemicals, electronics,mobility, energy, food, medicine, and bio. In addition to its functions as a trading firm, it has
production and R&D functions, and by combing the diverse functions of the Group aims to solve themanufacturing issues of customers worldwide through materials, thereby contributing to solving
increasingly complex social issues such as climate change and food crises.
■ LiveDo Corporation Overview
・Company Name: LiveDo Corporation・Head Office: Osaka, Osaka・Representative: President and Representative Director Tomohito Uda
・Business Summary: Manufacture and sale of adult diapers, supplies and products used incaregiving, disposable medical products (surgical non-woven fabric items andsurgical kit products)
・URL: https://livedo.jp/english/

■Nagase & Co. Overview
・Company Name: Nagase & Co., Ltd.
・Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
・Representative: Representative Director, President and CEO Hiroyuki Ueshima
・Business Summary: Import/export and domestic sales of chemicals, plastics, electronics
materials, cosmetics and health foods
・URL: https://www.nagase.co.jp/english/■Nagase ChemteX Overview
・Company Name: Nagase ChemteX Corporation
・Head Office: Osaka, Osaka・Representative: President and CEO Satoru Fujii
・Business Summary: Production and sale of high-performance resins including formulated
epoxy resins, photolithography materials, epichlorohydrin derivatives, acrylicpolymers, conductive coating materials, disinfectants and antimicrobial agents
・URL: https://group.nagase.com/nagasechemtex/en/◆Inquiries<Product Inquiries>
Performance Chemicals Dept., Nagase & Co., Ltd.

Tel: +813-3665-3315<Media Inquiries>
Development and Manufacture of Adult Diapers and Incontinence Products:
PR Section, Corporate Planning Dept., LiveDo Corporation
http://livedo.jp/english/contact/
Development and Manufacture of SAP:
Corporate Sustainability Office, Corporate Planning Dept., Nagase ChemteX Corporation
https://group.nagase.com/nagasechemtex/en/inquiry/
Joint Development Project:
PR Section, Corporate Relations Div., Corporate Management Dept. , Nagase & Co., Ltd.
Tel: +8180-8828-8676
https://www.nagase.co.jp/english/