Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory switches 300mL PET bottles of Oral Rehydration Solution OS-1 Series to 100% recycled PET bottles

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Inc. (Head Office: Naruto, Tokushima, Japan; President and Representative Director: Shuichi Takagi; hereinafter, "Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory") will gradually switch the 300mL PET bottles of the Oral Rehydration Solution OS-1 series to 100% recycled PET bottles^*1 starting from February 2025.

This is expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 34% per bottle^*2 (approximately 133 tons annually^*3). In addition, the 500mL PET bottles of the same series will also be switched to 100% recycled PET bottles once preparations are complete.

The Otsuka Group has established the "Otsuka Group Plastic Policy" with the aim of realizing a sustainable society, promoting the use of recycled and plant-based materials in PET bottles, and setting a goal to achieve a 100% usage rate of recycled and plant-based materials by 2030. Our company will also promote these initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic made from petroleum-based materials and greenhouse gas emissions.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, as a leading company in IV solutions, leveraged its expertise in IV solutions to launch OS-1 in 2001 as a product based on the concept of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) as proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2004, for the first time in Japan, OS-1 has been approved for labeling as an individually evaluated food for persons with medical conditions, categorized as a food for special dietary use, and has been used as a dietary therapy for mild-to-moderate dehydration. We will continue to provide products and disseminate correct knowledge about dehydration, heatstroke, and oral rehydration therapy, which is one of the options for rehydration of water and electrolytes, with the aim of eliminating accidents and emergency transportation due to dehydration and heatstroke.

Based on the corporate philosophy of "Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide," the Otsuka Group is dedicated to contributing to the health of people around the world.

*1 Bottles made from PET resin reproduced from collected PET bottles through material recycling.
*2 According to a survey by Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) conducted in December 2024
*3 Estimate based on 2025 production plans

【Otsuka Group Plastic Policy】

Fundamental Concept

PET bottles comprise the majority of plastic containers and packaging used for consumer products by our group companies. For this reason, we believe that by promoting PET bottle recycling, we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuel and thereby contribute to environmental conservation. Our plan is to use PET bottles manufactured from recycled and plant-based materials and increase the percentage of such sustainable resource use in our production processes globally to 100% by 2030 and by 2050, we aim to eliminate the use of petroleum-based raw materials in all consumer products.

Our Vision for 2050

For our entire line of consumer products, we will endeavor to use packaging that supports a sustainable society:

• No use of plastics made from petroleum-based materials
• Promote use of recycled, plant-based, and biodegradable materials
• Promote use of reusable packaging

Our Goal for 2030

• Achieve 100% use of recycled and plant-based materials in our PET bottles.
• Adopt new alternative materials (such as paper containers) as beverage containers, and increase the use of existing can containers.
• Promote the reuse model for beverage containers by adoption of reusable containers through a circular sales model as well as the use of personal bottles and squeeze bottles for existing powder-type products.
• Promote the use of alternative material containers in parallel with the recycling of beverage containers.

To advance PET material recycling, it is essential to recycle PET bottles for use as raw material. Together with our various stakeholders, we will advance our global efforts on proper collection and recycling of used PET bottles.