Basic Approach
Pigeon’s Purpose is to make the world more baby-friendly by furthering our commitment to understanding and addressing babies’ unique needs. In order to create a baby-friendly future, we aim to grow sustainably as an indispensable part of society by reducing our environmental impact and resolving the social issues that affect babies and their families across all the countries and regions where we operate, and by embracing the challenge of new business endeavors. We will support baby feeding through the development of baby bottles and nipples, which are the starting point of the Pigeon Group and the core of our brand, and by providing appropriate information, products, and services.
Strengths of the Pigeon Group
Pigeon is dedicated to designing nursing bottles and nipples that replicate the natural sucking motion of breastfeeding, allowing mothers to comfortably continue breastfeeding whenever necessary. Pigeon has conducted in-depth observation and research for 70 years aimed at clarifying the sucking behavior of babies who cannot articulate their needs. The intricate movements and functions occurring in a baby’s oral cavity are not readily apparent through external observation alone. Therefore, we have conducted studies while creating our own research observation techniques to examine the movements of babies‘ mouths and throats during feeding.Through these methods, we unveiled the intricate sucking behavior of babies, focusing on the “Three Key Factors of Sucking”: 1) latching on, 2) peristaltic tongue movement, and 3) swallowing. Nursing bottles and nipples are the starting point of the Pigeon Group and the most important products at the core of our brand. We are aiming to grow to become an even stronger category, armed with the knowledge from our long-term research, our competitive advantage, and the trust of our customers.
Nursing bottles and Nipples Basic Strategies
The main pillar of our business strategy in the 9th Medium-Term Business Plan is to concentrate management resources on our corporate DNA—nursing bottles and nipples—to secure an overwhelming No. 1 share of the global market. We have positioned these as our "top priority investment area (core products)." By maximizing the synergy between our strengths, "Pigeon (for babies)" and "Lansinoh (for moms)," we will build a dominant position achieving both the world's highest quality and high profitability. Furthermore, we will use both brands to expand into untapped markets and new product domains, leveraging this solid business foundation to drive the sustainable growth of our broader core product lineup.
Nursing bottles born from close observation Bonyu Jikkan series / SofTouchTM series
Pigeon boasts the top global share in nursing bottles*1. Among its offerings, the Bonyu Jikkan series of nursing bottles has overturned the common perception that “all nursing bottles are the same.” This achievement is the result of our rigorous research on baby feeding and our attention to detail in the planning and design process, integrated into our product development, which is unparalleled worldwide.
Since its launch in 2002, the Bonyu Jikkan series has been embraced by numerous babies and families. The second generation, introduced in 2010, has seen remarkable success, with approximately 140 million units and 290 million individual nipples sold worldwide in the 11-year period to 2020. In Japan,
our Bonyu Jikkan bottle is the most widely adopted in hospitals and maternity facilities, holding a commanding domestic market share above 80%*2. In China, where it debuted in the early 2000s under the Ziran Shigan series, the brand has gained the trust of multiple generations of Chinese parents due to
its high reliability, functionality, and safety—resulting in a leading market share in mainland China*3. In other international markets, the bottles are sold as the SofTouchTM series. Together with other Pigeon nursing bottle lines, the brand has secured the top market share in Indonesia, Singapore,Thailand, and Vietnam*3. In addition, in North America and Europe, the Lansinoh Business has introduced the NaturalWave® Nipples series, based on the Bonyu Jikkan series, under the Lansinohbrand. The Bonyu Jikkan series has earned high praise worldwide, garnering support from many customers who wish to continue breastfeeding.
*1 Includes products other than the Bonyu Jikkan series
*2 Pigeon research (average of 12 months in 2023, based on expanded estimates from nationwide baby shops and drugstores using Intage POS data)
*3 Pigeon research (based on sales data of nursing bottles and nipples, in terms of sales value)
Making the world a more baby-friendly place
Pigeonʼs nursing bottles are highly acclaimed around the world. Not satisfied with the status quo, however, we continue making every effort to further evolve our products. Our aim is to supply Pigeon nursing bottles for all babies in need. The Pigeon Group is still in the process of developing the global baby care market, and there are many babies around the world with whom Pigeon can engage.
We continue to further deepen our R&D to develop new products and services that enable every baby to progress at their own pace and to become whoever they want to be. We will continue embodying Pigeonʼs commitment to nursing bottles, as well as know-how and ideas derived through rigorous observation of and research into babiesʼ sucking behavior. We will also develop new materials from a sustainability perspective, create unique products with social value, and develop products that refl ect regional characteristics. In both countries where we have a presence and markets yet untapped, there is ample room for the Pigeon Group to grow its business. With this in mind, Pigeon, with an unparalleled commitment to babies, will deliver unique, carefully designed products to more and more babies and thus make the world more baby-friendly.