Lion History

The birth of Lion

Founder Tomijiro Kobayashi established T. Kobayashi & Co. on the Yanagihara riverside in Kanda, Tokyo, to trade in soap and raw materials for matches

Lion's first social contribution initiative

Began a social contribution program using charity coupons printed on packets of Lion Toothpowder

Japan's first toothpaste for children

Held first oral hygiene lecture
Launched Kodomo Toothpowder (today Kodomo Toothpaste) for schoolchildren
The young swordsman illustration was drawn by Nihonga artist Kiyokata Kaburaki

Japan's first plant-derived laundry soap

Launched plant-derived Lion Laundry Soap

Japan's first dental clinic for children

Opened a dental clinic for children (renamed the Lion Dental Clinic for Children in 1938)

Spreading better laundry washing methods

Opened the Family Laundry Information Service Center (renamed the Lion Laundry Science Laboratories in 1936 and the Household Science Laboratories in 1957)

Launched Lipon F, Japan's first kitchen detergent for washing fruits, vegetables and tableware. Lipon F was the first product endorsed by the Japan Food Hygiene Association.

Oral Hygiene Education Activities

Developed dental hygiene activities for mothers and their children (later named the "Tanpopo Initiative")

Detergent with an ingredient that Lion was the first in the world to successfully commercialize

Launched the laundry detergent Dash, containing alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS), a new, highly biodegradable surfactant

Established the Environmental Problems Countermeasures Committee

Created phosphate-free detergent, ahead of the industry

Moved ahead of the times to develop an early phospate-free detergent and released it as Seseragi

Majorly successful phosphate-free detergent

Launched Murin Top (Enzyme Power Top), a more environmentally friendly detergent that does not sacrifice detergency

Sustainable, carbon-neutral plant-based raw materials

Founded Lion Oleochemical Co., Ltd., which produces highly biodegradable raw surfactant materials from palm oil

Established the Environmental Action Promotion Committee (renamed Environmental conservation committee in 2004, Sustainability Promotion meeting in 2019)

Primary washing ingredients made from 100% palm oil-derived plant-based ingredients

Launched Spark laundry detergent, formulated with the surfactant MES, made from environmentally friendly plant-based ingredients derived from palm oil

Received the Minister of International Trade and Industry Award as a consumer-oriented excellent company
Published the Company's first Environmental Report

All of Lion's factories received ISO 14001 certification

ECO LION Declaration

Established the Lion Eco Standards as a set of new criteria for product environmental friendliness
Established the Lion Forest in Yamanashi

Received the 16th Grand Prize for the Global Environment Award

Successfully replaced the washing ingredients in laundry detergents with ingredients made from plant-based raw materials, reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from household laundry by 47% (compared with 1990 levels)

Became the first manufacturer to receive Eco-First certification from the Ministry of the Environment

Through the Ministry of the Environment’s Eco-First Program, Lion is reinforcing coordination among Eco-First Program member companies and environment-related governmental bodies while accelerating initiatives to address environmental issues

Joined the United Nations Global Compact
Declared support for the UNGC in 2009 and began participating in related initiatives

Released TOP NANOX super-concentrated liquid laundry detergent, formulated with plant-based high-detergency ingredient MEE for easy, one-rinse washing and environmental friendliness (this product was rereleased as TOP SUPER NANOX in 2016)

Announced Eco Vision 2020, a set of environmental targets

Environmental communication through products: Launched an environmental logo and environmental label for use on Lion’s environmentally friendly products

To help customers to choose environmentally friendly products, products that meet the proprietary Lion eco-standard bear our environmental label, which includes the “eco Lion” mark, the slogan “Every Day. For the Earth” and the factors that make the product environmentally friendly.

Launched LOOK Plus Awa-Pita Toilet Cleaning Spray
(Received the Japan Star Prize, the top prize in the 2022 Japan Packaging Contest)

Recertified as a member of the Eco-First Program.

Promoted the Toothbrush Recycling Program

Launched a program in cooperation with TerraCycle LLC to collect used toothbrushes and recycle them into planters and other products. The project is ongoing, with participation from numerous municipalities, schools and other organizations.

Announced LION Eco Challenge 2050, a set of long-term environmental objectives
Established environmental objectives for 2050 based on a long-perspective to contribute to the achievement of global targets, such as those of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through our business

Announced the Lion Group Sustainability Material Issues and Objectives for 2030
Established the Lion Group Sustainability Material Issues and objectives for 2030 with an eye to achieving the management vision of “Becoming an advanced daily healthcare company” by 2030 and contributing to the world envisioned in the SDGs

Promoting the Circulation of Plastic Containers and Packaging Resources through Partnerships (1)
Aiming to realize a resource-circulating society, Lion has partnered with Kao Corporation in a cross-company effort to commence the horizontal recycling of plastic refill containers and packaging

Acquired certification under the ISO 9001 international quality management standard

Adopted internal carbon pricing in domestic operations

Began operations at the new head office building. Acquired S Rank CASBEE Smart Wellness Office Certification

Greenhouse gas reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative as in line with the 1.5°C target

Promoting the Circulation of Plastic Containers and Packaging Resources through Partnerships (2)
Created first refill pack products made with horizontally recycled materials in cooperation with Kao Corporation

Jointly received the Award of the METI Director-General for Commerce and Service Industry Policy under the Excellent Green Logistics Commendation Program.

The award was given in recognition of the collaborative efforts of several companies from different industries, including logistics companies, consignors and consignees, to improve transportation efficiency while reducing environmental impact, such as CO2 emissions, and improving the working environment for drivers.

Conducted a presentation at COP28 Japan Pavilion Seminar hosted by Ministry of the Environment.

A presentation was given on the Company's efforts to realize a decarbonized society at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change under the theme “The great potential of our lifestyles and how we can realize that potential.”

Lion Collaborates with JICA to Strengthen Support for Hygiene Education in Bangladesh

Contributing to the development of cleanliness and hygiene habits in Bangladesh
Concluded an agreement to support the hygiene education of elementary school students and teachers, as well as parents and local residents in Bangladesh through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Selected for the first time as a Yearbook Member of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2025

Advancing the Okuchikarada Project Received the Excellent Company E-Taiken Award (Special Collaboration Award) in fiscal 2024.

* The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has launched the Award for Excellence for Companies Promoting Youth Experiential Activities. This award is given to companies recognized for outstanding initiatives in the area of corporate social contribution activities that promote such learning activities for young people.

Built new environmentally friendly pharmaceutical product manufacturing plant in Odawara that was certified ZEB Ready* for its energy-saving performance.

* Net Zero Energy Building refers to a building that aims to achieve net-zero annual direct energy consumption while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. There are four types of ZEB certification: ZEB, Nearly ZEB, ZEB Ready, and ZEB Oriented (for buildings with a floor space of over 10,000 m²), depending on the degree of energy efficiency.

Held the 82nd Oral Health Event of Tooth Brushing for Children
Record-high 30% participation rate from elementary schools in Japan, with approximately 310,000 participants

Received the 19th Kids Design Award in the designs to support comfortable raising of children category

Promoting a resource-circulating society of plastic packaging materials through partnerships #3

Began collaborating with MEGMILK SNOW BRAND Co., Ltd. on a container-to-container plastic recycling project

Advancing toothbrush recycling activities

In the ten years since the project launch, we have collected a total of 27.0 tons (approximately 2.168 million toothbrushes) of used toothbrushes
* Based on average weight of 12.5g per toothbrush