Stort F&F Visit Kao Europe Plant

28 April 2023

During our visit to In-Cosmetics in March, our F&F team were delighted to visit the Kao Mollet plant in Barcelona. One of 4 manufacturing sites in Spain, the Mollet plant hires 75 people and manufactures Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde and Gamma Lactones. Kao are one of Stort’s longest standing principals, when founder, Kendrick Gilkes, represented Ambroxan and Boisambrene Forte for Henkel in 1986 prior to the acquisition by Kao. In 2022, Kao purchased new land to expand this site, increasing capacity for their aroma chemicals.

This follows Kao’s announcement that they are expanding their MDJ production facilities to strengthen their position in the European fragrance market. Prior to this, Kao were already the MDJ market leader, predicting that the global demand would grow at an annual rate of 4%. In keeping with their sustainability goals, the new plant utilises Kao developed technology that is set to cut CO2 emissions by 2 tonnes per year. In additions to this, the required energy for waste-water treatment is reduced by eliminating all saline water waste, which previously equated to 850 tonnes per year.

Kao have recently published their decarbonization progress for 2022 which are in line with their aims to reach carbon zero by 2040 and carbon negative by 2050. Having achieved a Platinum EcoVadis rating this year, Kao are focussed on developing products that require fewer resources and create less waste. Although “Sustainability” doesn’t have an official definition, Kao believes that it encompasses the entire life-cycle of the product with a wide variety of parameters to be considered.

Stort Group are proud to represent companies such as Kao who are dedicated to making a difference in the world and continue to be ambassadors for greener chemistry. We are pleased to offer their aroma chemicals in the UK market.

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