R&B Strategies

Toward a New Challenge, Turning Dreams into Reality

New Transition in Our R&B

Environment / Energy

• Because we have achieved innovations in culturing technology and polymer innovation, as well as production process technology for mass production, we have successfully made mass commercial production of Green Planet™. Such developments of new technologies are the background of our increased capacity we have announced previously.
• The innovative technologies of highly-efficient heterojunction crystalline Si solar cells are in the background for creation of new photovoltaic power generation system. Recently, social implementation has progressed greatly. For instance, wall-installable photovoltaic system has expanded its market. We will also accelerate R&D of high-performance next-generation photovoltaic modules which is adopted by the Green Innovation Fund Project of Japan. Our development of perovskite solar cell module will be proceeded based on the combination of our long-accumulated solar cell process technologies and material technologies.
  

In-development product of 10cm square-sized ultra-thin perovskite solar cells using polyimide as its substrate (Its cell conversion efficiency reaches 19.8%, which is on the world’s highest level as a film-type perovskite solar cells)

Food

• In 2020, we acquired assets of Japan Tobacco Inc. By using these assets, we are working on projects for providing solutions for food-related issues. (Interactions with External Players) By expanding our open innovation activities, we have been steadily progressing our search for useful genes that will show synergy effect with our unique breeding technology. Also, we have been working on R&D for achieving low-cost mass production of biostimulant that can endure desertification of the Earth.
• Furthermore, there are initiatives underway to create attractive dairy farming, as well as sustainable recycling-oriented organic dairy farming. (Please refer to “Hokkaido Initiative”) Our company supplies products for supporting healthier dietary lives, such as “Milk for Bread™”, yogurt and probiotics supplement.
• There are concerns that supply of protein containing food may become short in the future. To this end, we have started product development in our business for soybean-based meat substitute.

Wellness

• Through the joint research with the de Duve Institute of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) for biopharmaceuticals production process, it has become possible for us to make innovations concerning low-cost mass production technologies that lead to results such as improving productiveness of plasmid, which is a material for making biopharmaceuticals. Such technologies will be implemented in Kaneka Eurogentec S.A., and we will make further investment for dynamic business expansion.

• The Delivery system of Medical Device for providing treatment to affected area has been drawing attentions, and its market has been expanding. We will make blood purification technologies and innovative technologies concerning catheters into open innovation, and responding to expanding the global market needs. Along with that, we will continuously maintain dynamism of our ever-expanding investments.
• As for Kaneka Ubiquinol™, we have acquired its new functional claim, and started to sell new products, “Watashi no Chikara™” series. Our product line-up in the probiotics business has also been increasing by using the library of AB-Biotics,S.A. Our researches prepare scientific data of our product’s functional expressions, which will make it possible to expand our supplement business by reinforcing its branding strategy for making its products known to consumers.

Carbon Neutral

• Development of carbon neutral technologies has been one of the critical global themes in the century, for it will decide the fate of the Earth as well as the mankind (Sustainability). We have put much of our businesses on reducing GHG emissions by changing materials and fuels as well as making innovations on production processes. By applying biotechnologies we have developed with Green Planet™, we will research and develop CO₂ fixation using hydrogen bacteria (production of PHBH), and conduct other things such as development of Kaneka’s photovoltaic power generation system and development of insulation and various recycling technologies, and thus, make contributions to reduction of CO₂ emissions in a society.

R&B Strategy (Selection and Concentration for Resource Allocation and Key Themes)

Ever Evolving R&B with Open Innovation

• Paradigm shift in our age develops quite rapidly. We utilize our policy of open innovation to constantly absorb new ideas from outside and combine our ingeniousness with our global No. 1 technologies, and thus, creates new innovations. This is why we call ourselves as “Trial & Error experiment driven company”.
• Because we have various unique technologies, it has been possible for us to provide numerous solutions for the fight against COVID-19. Such solutions include not only development of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, but also supplying containers for shipping, sanitary materials, as well as products for maintaining daily health such as dietary supplements and foods.

Unchanged Mindset towards Resolving the Social Issues

• We seek for valuables that make people and our society healthy, and challenges its research and development while constantly focusing on the future. Our motto is “Wellness First”.
• In this year, our Green Planet™ has taken a huge step. This product has its origin in the exploratory joint research with a university started 30 years ago, which was carried out by a researcher who wanted to resolve environmental burden issues caused by plastic wastes. We continue to hold dreams, especially in the important fields such as environment and energy, food production support, wellness and telecommunication, and with such dreams we develop our technologies.