Famous idol sparks controversy by starting ”no sanitary napkin recycling” project

Tao, a former member of the popular idol group "EXO" who has been embroiled in a controversy over sanitary napkin recycling in China, has applied for a job offer that will pay her five times the average salary in the country.
On the 28th, according to local media such as China Do News, a job advertisement for the sanitary napkin brand "Doaway" made by TAO was posted on a Chinese job site.
The positions Duawei is looking for include e-commerce channel manager, live commerce host, product manager, photographer/editor, design expert, distribution manager, etc.
The qualifications are college graduates or above, there are no restrictions on majors, and the company has shown that it is "female-friendly." Among these, the salary for the distribution sales manager position is 30,000 former (about 590,000 yen), which is the highest salary in China.
This is nearly five times the average salary of 6,050 yen (about 120,000 yen) in 2023. Earlier, CCTV reported that a waste recycling company in Jining City, Shandong Province, China, had sold sanitary napkins that had been deemed defective.
The company reported that it was repackaging and distributing sanitary napkins and diapers that had been discarded from large sanitary product manufacturers at low prices, reprocessing them, and making an exorbitant profit of about 30 times the amount.
After learning of the news, TAO said, "I'm really disgusted. I absolutely cannot tolerate women's health being sacrificed for corporate profits," and filed for bankruptcy from the sanitary napkin factory.
At the time, the company said it would "broadcast the production process live 24 hours a day" and that "all processes, from the procurement of raw materials to packaging, will be carried out under public supervision."
However, some have pointed out that the sanitary napkin controversy could be used as a business opportunity. Duawei, which is said to be operated by TAO, is not a new brand.
This is because Duawei has been selling sanitary napkins online for some time. Some netizens have also questioned the quality of Duawei's past sanitary napkins, arguing that "they should have bought the factories in question instead."
In fact, Duawei was established in 2011 and is registered as a manufacturer of sanitary products, disposable medical supplies, and paper products.
Furthermore, the time required to develop products and set up a quality inspection system less than a month after acquiring the factory was insufficient, which deepened suspicions.
In response, TAO said, "My business partner and wife, SHOO Yiyang, personally tested the product for 90 days."
TAO debuted as a member of EXO through SM Entertainment in 2012. Three years later, he filed a lawsuit against the management office to confirm the invalidity of the exclusive contract.
He later left the group and is now active in China.