100 Stories1960 The Birth of Saran Wrap™!

Saran Wrap™ has come to represent Asahi Kasei. Saran Wrap™ is Asahi Kasei’s widely-known leading product. It holds almost 50 percent of the home food preservation cling film industry, which is said to be a 50-billion-yen market.

Saran Wrap™ was first produced in the U.S. in 1952. It was originally developed to protect bullets and gunpowder from humidity on the battlefield. After the World War II, an engineer from Dow Chemical wrapped lettuce in it on a picnic, drawing attention to its use for retaining moisture and preservation. It was then officially sold as a food wrap. It was named Saran Wrap™ after the engineer’s wife's names, Sarah and Ann.

Asahi Kasei and Dow Chemical partnered in Japan, establishing Asahi-Dow, and launched the product in 1960.

Saran Wrap™ currently has a dominant share, but it was challenging at the time. In the U.S., where refrigerators were common, it did not take long for people to understand the uses and convenience of Saran Wrap™. However, the adoption rate of refrigerators in Japan was about only 10 percent at the time. Most people did not understand what it was used for.

That is why the company started by explaining the purpose and method of using Saran Wrap™ in television commercials and stores. These efforts continued for over five years, and results started showing gradually. The adoption rate of refrigerators almost reached 50% at the time, providing a tailwind.

The steady information campaigns proved effective, and people understood the features of Saran Wrap™, such as preventing the odor of food from spreading and retaining moisture, increasing its sales. The package also had yellow in it at the time. Yellow is the main color for Saran Wrap™. It remained unchanged through many redesigns for over 50 years, making it the standard color for Saran Wrap™.

The trend of the times pushed Saran Wrap™ forward. In the late 1970s, microwaves became popular, rapidly increasing the demand for Saran Wrap™. The new use of the Saran Wrap™ made it rapidly grow.

In 2010, a grand sales promotion was held to celebrate 50 years of its launch. This promotion included appreciation for the past and a message toward the future.

With the slogan “Perfect stretch, delicious tomorrow,” an interactive campaign was held featuring Junichi Okada from the popular boy band V6, and sales promotion activities were carried out three times a year. In addition, other strategies were implemented, such as holding the Saran Wrap™ 50th anniversary ceremony in honor of agencies, which helped Asahi Kasei Home Products achieve record-breaking sales and maximize profits.

Moreover, the Farming Project, a new program that features food since it is closely related to Saran Wrap™, was announced as a message toward the future.

Saran Wrap™ has always promoted keeping ingredients fresh and eating delicious food while minimizing food waste. The company offered school farming expertise in hopes that directly experiencing the appeal and properties of vegetables could help convey the idea behind Saran Wrap™.

Various initiatives revolving around Saran Wrap™ were carried out during its 50th anniversary. Saran Wrap™ currently continues to evolve as a national product beyond its 60th anniversary. Keeping ingredients fresh and eating delicious food while minimizing food waste is a theme that will never change no matter how much the times change and has always been the unchanging theme of Saran Wrap™ since its launch.

URL (Japanese page only)
https://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/saran/products/saranwrap/