Asahi Kasei, a diversified Japanese multinational company, has decided to invest in Circularise B.V., a startup company in the Netherlands that provides digital product passports and mass balance bookkeeping software, together with Brightlands Venture Partners, 4impact capital, and Neste, in November 2022.

Circularise is a startup company founded in 2016 aiming to accelerate the shift towards a circular economy through supply chain traceability and transparency. Circularise has developed a highly reliable supply chain management system that achieves both anonymity and transparency based on Smart Questioning¹ technology utilizing Zero-Knowledge Proofs² with a blockchain. By using these technologies, various information such as raw materials, recycling history, biomass and recycling content, carbon footprint, third-party certification, etc. can be traced through the supply chain while maintaining the confidentiality of each stakeholder's information.

The Asahi Kasei Group expects to contribute to a carbon neutral and sustainable world by joining the establishment of a digital platform ensuring reliability and transparency in the supply chain through its investment in Circularise, in accordance with its medium-term management plan focused on the theme “Be a Trailblazer.”

¹ Smart Questioning: Circularise’s patent-pending method of using Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) to share essential and useful insights into product and material information throughout a supply chain over a public blockchain without sharing any specific data.

² Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP): a form of perfectly hiding encryption that allows sharing of useful insights into information without sharing any specific data. ZKPs can be used to share insight into the environmental impact of a product or material without sharing any specific data on the composition or manufacturing processes of a product.

About Circularise B.V.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its Material sector, comprised of Environmental Solutions, Mobility & Industrial, and Life Innovation, includes a wide array of products, from battery separators and biodegradable textiles to engineering plastics and sound solutions. For more information, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/.

Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon-neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/.

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