From "Synthetic Paper Manufacturer" to "Value Co-Creator".

Beyond synthetic paper, to creative materials.

Yupo Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Katsuhiro Naito) announced a corporate brand refresh on July 1, 2026, and held a rebranding presentation to declare its transformation from a "synthetic paper manufacturer" to a "Value Co-Creator of creative materials." At the presentation, the company introduced its new brand concept, new logo, reorganization of its product lineup, and the refresh of its corporate website, in addition to detailing its over 50-year history of application development and co-creation activities with customers, and specific examples of initiatives to solve social issues.

Furthermore, a panel discussion was held with Akihiro Nishizawa, President of Eight Branding Design Inc., to explain the background of the rebranding and the company's future vision. A "Touch and Try" session was also held at the venue, allowing attendees to experience the materials firsthand and introducing the new brand philosophy and product value. Details of the presentation are as follows.

(Photo: From left, Takuya Miyaguchi of Yupo, Katsuhiro Naito, and Akihiro Nishizawa of Eight Branding Design)

Why "Creative Materials" Now – A Re-definition Guided by Over 50 Years of History

● A History of Emerging from Social Issues and Continuously Seeking Applications

The background to our re-definition of ourselves lies in our over 50-year history of evolving alongside social issues. Yupo was born in 1968 during the period of high economic growth, in response to the "Recommendation on the Promotion of the Synthetic Paper Industry" announced by the Science and Technology Agency's Resources Council, driven by the surging demand for paper and concerns about forest resource depletion. While many manufacturers withdrew during the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, our company continued to explore applications, believing in the potential of the material.

We have developed diverse applications such as display labels, in-mold labels, outdoor advertising, plant factories, and suction tacks, growing to become Japan's No. 1 share in the synthetic paper market for over 45 years and being adopted in over 80 countries worldwide.

● Facing Raw Material Procurement Challenges Again

We are now facing the challenge of uncertainty in raw material procurement once again. This is not the first time our fundamental assumptions have been shaken. Through our rebranding project, we arrived at the following realization:

"Yupo's strength is not just its water and durability resistance. The history itself of seeking applications with our customers for over 50 years is our greatest strength."

From this realization, we have re-defined Yupo from "synthetic paper" to "creative materials." The starting point of this rebranding is to focus our business on the ability to create new value with our customers, rather than on the material itself.

(Photo: Yupo's Naito)

"Value Co-Creator"

– From "What to Sell" to "What Value Can We Create Together?"

Our new stance is "Value Co-Creator." Sales and marketing, along with technical support and development, will work together with customers, shifting our thinking from "what to sell" to "what value can we create together?"

● Our True Strength is a "One-Stop Solution"

The foundation of our competitiveness is our one-stop solution system. Our ability to handle the entire process, from integrated production to after-sales service, as a single stop differs from the production-by-process or division of labor systems common among other companies.

● Towards Disclosure of Technical Know-how – Open Manufacturing

Furthermore, we have announced a policy to disclose as much of our accumulated technical know-how as possible and to shift towards open manufacturing in co-creation with our customers. We will place the resolution of social issues through collaborative "co-creation" with customers, beyond just providing value through materials, at the center of our brand.

Material Technology Supporting Evolution and Refreshed Product and Brand Systems

● Yupo's Multifunctionality Supported by Unique Microvoids x Multi-layer Structure x Surface Treatment

Yupo possesses a unique structure with microscopic voids (microvoids) formed during the stretching process of polypropylene and calcium carbonate. We have now disclosed the basic 5-layer and up to 7-layer multi-layer structure of Yupo. Multiple layers each serve different roles, and when combined with our unique surface treatment technology, we achieve diverse functionalities such as water resistance, printability, opacity, and heat insulation, enabling a wide range of applications.

● Product Lineup Reorganized into 6 Categories

In conjunction with the brand refresh, the product lineup has been reorganized to be easily understandable even to those outside the industry, in order to find new partners.

● New Logo, Communication Tools, and Website Unveiled

The new logo integrates an organic, wavy shape expanding outwards from a central square representing Yupo. The outward-expanding shape symbolizes the "Value Co-Creator" stance of collaborating with customers and partners to create value. Concurrently, communication tools such as business cards, envelopes, brand books, and uniforms, as well as the corporate website, have been refreshed in line with the brand philosophy.

Solving Social Issues with "Yupo" Through Four Strengths

In a panel discussion with Akihiro Nishizawa of Eight Branding Design Inc., who handled the rebranding design, Yupo's contribution to solving social issues was demonstrated through the lens of "Four Strengths Supporting Adaptation to Environmental Changes."

● Four Strengths Supporting Adaptation to Environmental Changes

● Four Case Studies of Problem Solving Embodying "Value Co-Creator"

Yupo is already undertaking concrete initiatives to connect its unique material technology with solutions to social issues. These are all examples of how materials solve societal problems through the flow of "Problem → Co-creation → Value."

CASE 1: Reducing Plastic Usage by Up to 46% – "Air Yupo"

Challenge: The industry-wide challenge of balancing plastic usage reduction with product performance.

Co-creation: Applying the unique microvoid structure to achieve a design that reduces resin usage while maintaining performance.

Value: Achieved up to a 46% reduction in plastic usage compared to general PP film, contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.

CASE 2: Building a Resource Recycling Service – Acquisition and Utilization of Wide-Area Certification System

Challenge: How to re-resource and circulate used Yupo as a social resource.

Co-creation: Utilization of scrap and used Yupo that users discard as industrial waste.

Value: Contributes to CO2 reduction and the circulation of social resources by re-resourcing waste.

CASE 3: Turning Discarded Scallop Shells into Value – Scallop Shell Composite Sheet

Challenge: In Hokkaido, approximately 150,000 tons of shells are discarded annually, posing a serious regional environmental and landscape issue.

Co-creation: Established proprietary technology to convert discarded shells into resources and incorporate them into polypropylene for sheet processing.

Value: Contributes to the realization of a circular economy and the resolution of regional issues through the effective utilization of waste.

CASE 4: Solving Safety Issues in Diverse Workplaces – Yupo Anti-slip Type

Challenge: Load collapse in the logistics industry poses safety and quality issues. Conventional anti-slip materials had limitations in durability and water resistance.

Co-creation: Developed a sheet combining Yupo's water and durability resistance with proprietary anti-slip technology.

Value: Aims for application not only in logistics but also in a wide range of fields such as medical care, nursing, and industrial use.

(Photo = Takuya Miyaguchi of Yupo and Akihiro Nishizawa of Eight Branding Design during the panel discussion)

Event Overview

Name: Yupo Corporation Rebranding Presentation

Date and Time: July 1, 2026 (Tue) 13:30 – 14:30

Venue: Shin-Ochanomizu Building 15F (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

Speakers: Katsuhiro Naito (President and Representative Director, Yupo Corporation)

Takuya Miyaguchi (General Manager, Strategic Planning Department, Yupo Corporation)

Akihiro Nishizawa (Eight Branding Design Inc.)

Company Overview

Company Name: Yupo Corporation (Formerly: Yupo Corporation)

Representative: Katsuhiro Naito, President and Representative Director

Founded: May 1969

Business Activities: Manufacturing, sales, research, and development of "Yupo"

Main Applications: Labels, posters, ballots, etc.

Sales: Standalone 19.4 billion yen (FY2025)

Consolidated 29.1 billion yen (FY2025)

Number of Employees: Standalone 352 / Consolidated 572

Manufacturing Sites: Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Chesapeake City, Virginia, USA