A special campaign tag featuring Ultraman that will be attached to Ethical Steel products. Photo courtesy of Kyoei Steel, Ltd. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS
Source: Kyoei Steel, Ltd. press release
Kyoei Steel Ltd. (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Yasuyuki Hirotomi) has decided to use Ultraman as a mascot to create awareness of the "ethical steel" (エシカルスチール, Eshikaru Suchīru) that the company is promoting. Special content will be released on the company's website from June 2025, and products that qualify as "ethical steel" will be shipped with special campaign tags featuring Ultraman for a limited time. Details of the campaign will be announced in the coming months.
■What is "Ethical Steel"?
For over 35 years, Kyoei Steel has been engaged in the business of manufacturing steel while detoxifying medical and industrial waste by melting it in an electric furnace. In order to raise awareness of this unique business of creating products while solving social issues, they have decided to name these products "ethical steel." "Ethical steel" is "steel manufactured while processing medical and industrial waste, and products that ensure traceability from production to shipment." As of April 2025, the scope of Kyoei Steel's business has been expanded and they are manufacturing and selling it at all of their business locations.
■About the Use of Ultraman
There are heroes like Ultraman"who come from far away planets and fight for peace on this planet. But even those of us who are not like that can do something for the Earth. Since 1988, Kyoei Steel have been running a resource recycling business that simultaneously carries out steelmaking and environmental recycling, and have contributed to solving social issues by dealing with difficult-to-treat waste that appears with the times, such as medical waste, asbestos, fluorocarbon gas, and used lithium-ion batteries. Along with the hero that everyone knows, Ultraman, Kyoei Steel strives to be another "hero" working to protect the future of the Earth. The use of Ultraman is filled with Kyoei Steel's desire to let more people know about their "ethical steel."
About Kyoei Steel, Ltd.
Since its founding, the Shin Nippon Air Technologies Group has taken up the challenge of creating the world's first and Japan's first air conditioning systems and providing a wide range of value, while maintaining the pioneering spirit of the air conditioning industry and the spirit of engineers. We will continue to provide value through our core business of providing building equipment systems in keeping with this spirit.
About Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions, creator and copyrights owner of the superhero ULTRAMAN series was founded in 1963 by Eiji Tsuburaya, world-renowned special effects wizard also known for his special effects work on the Godzilla series. With more than fifty years’ experience, it is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected independent film and television production houses. Its popular Ultraman TV and film series which premiered in 1966 has been seen in over 100 territories worldwide and has spawned over 3,000 licensed products. In addition to production, the company also handles character licensing and program distribution and staging live stage shows both domestically and internationally.