Last Updated: 2012.07.03
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Fast Retailing Maximizes the Value of Clothing
Fast Retailing started its All-Product Recycling Initiative on the belief that it should do more than simply produce and sell high-quality, durable clothing.The program is therefore an important part of its efforts to maximize the value of clothing by collecting its products back from its customers so they can be reused and recycled.
It all started with the 2001 launch of UNIQLO's Fleece Recycling Program. FR expanded this initiative in 2006 to include all UNIQLO products, and introduced it at g.u., another FR Group company, in October 2010.
Now, FR is going global with its recycling efforts, as UNIQLO is currently introducing the All-Product Recycling Initiative in every foreign market in which it has a retail presence.
Cooperative Efforts to Provide International Aid
In its early days, the All-Product Recycling Initiative's primary aim was to recycle clothing for reuse as a fuel source, but FR eventually shifted the program's focus. It started donating clothing to refugees and other displaced people with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(*1) in 2007.
About 90% of the clothing that is collected through the program is still wearable. FR distributes these items to people in need throughout the world, including refugees, displaced people, natural disaster survivors and expectant and nursing mothers, in countries such as Nepal, Ethiopia and Georgia.
FR looks at different countries and regions throughout the world to determine where there are severe shortages of clothing. It also studies the local geography and culture of every location targeted for clothing donations, and considers factors such as climate, local demand and the possibility that some designs or colors might be culturally or religiously inappropriate for local people. FR Group employees go to the places targeted for donations to personally distribute the clothing in cooperation with the UNHCR and other aid organizations. They later report back to help the company closely monitor local relief efforts. FR employees at clothing distribution points such as refugee camps also help to prevent the theft or illicit sale of clothing donations during transit.
In February 2011, FR distributed clothing to the African nation of Zambia in cooperation with the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (*2) to help protect infants and expectant or nursing mothers. Malaria is a major cause of infant mortality in developing countries, but clothing can help to reduce the risk by providing protection from mosquito bites.
An increasingly diverse range of people throughout the world desperately need clothing, from refugees and other displaced people to pregnant or nursing mothers and their infants. Many economically disadvantaged people in major cities throughout the world are also need apparel.
FR is tackling these issues in several ways. It is building partnerships with a range of international aid agencies and NGOs. It continues to collect and distribute clothing while actively improving the garment distribution process, primarily by sending FR Group staff directly to donation points throughout the world to directly assess local clothing-related needs.
*1 The UNHCR was established in 1950 to provide assistance to refugees. It actively seeks solutions to the many issues that such individuals face, while providing worldwide protection and support for displaced people. The agency, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981, is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
*2 JOICFP, an NGO that was established in 1968, organizes and coordinates international support programs to provide health care to infants and pregnant and nursing mothers throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Global Clothing Donations
All-Product Recycling Initiative: Overview
Collection Methods
| Collection Period | All times (during business hours) |
|---|---|
| Collection Site | All UNIQLO and g.u. stores in Japan |
| Collection Method | Notify the staff |
| Valid Items | All products sold by UNIQLO and g.u. |
Key Points to Remember Before Donating Clothing
• Please wash all items at home so they can be delivered in good condition.
• Torn or stained items that cannot be reused as clothing can still be recycled for industrial purposes to maximize their use.
Fast Retailing's All-Product Recycling Initiative
Items Collected
For more information about FR's past aid efforts, please click here
For more information about international clothing relief, please refer to the All-Product Recycling Initiative Report on UNIQLO's Corporate Social Responsibility website
The Role of Clothing
Clothes are not simply items that you wear. Rather, they serve a number of purposes. FR sincerely hopes that its clothing donations can give refugees the chance to experience the joy, happiness and satisfaction of wearing truly great clothing.
