Group News

Last Updated: 2026.11.02

UNIQLO Donates Over One Million Items of HEATTECH to People in Need Worldwide in 2026 - Contributing to Communities Together With Many Partners

UNIQLO CO., LTD.
to Japanese page

Global apparel retailer UNIQLO launched "The Heart of LifeWear" initiative in 2024, the year the company celebrated its 40th anniversary, donating one million new items of HEATTECH thermal clothing to refugees, children, disaster victims, and other people in difficult situations around the world, to make their lives just a little more comfortable. In 2026, the third year of the program, UNIQLO made an additional donation of one million items worldwide, alongside such partners as the UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors, and Toray Industries, Inc., the company's strategic partner that co-developed HEATTECH.

• 
  Donation activities in Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 
  Donation activities in Los Angeles, USA

Commenting on the initiative, Koji Yanai, Senior Group Executive Officer at Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, the parent company of UNIQLO, said, "Now in its third year, The Heart of LifeWear is a concerted effort involving UNIQLO partner organizations worldwide, store managers and employees. The program delivers clothing to those who need it, fostering connections, and providing experiences to bring joy, and remind people they are not forgotten. In cooperation with its Global Brand Ambassadors and partner organizations, UNIQLO will continue to pursue activities that support communities and better the lives of the people who live there. Further, together with our long-standing global partner UNHCR, UNIQLO will continue to support refugees and internally displaced people whose lives and dignity are constantly threatened."

UNIQLO donated a total of 100,000 HEATTECH products throughout Japan in 2026 to children's homes, children living with illness and their families, and disaster victims. On November 23, the JFA UNIQLO Soccer Kids in Kumamoto program will be held in Kumamoto, an area impacted by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake. JFA UNIQLO Soccer Kids Captain Atsuto Uchida will donate HEATTECH to participants and enjoy a day of soccer with the children.

More than half of the one million items of clothing were donated by UNIQLO businesses around the world to disaster victims, people experiencing homelessness, the economically disadvantaged, and people in socially vulnerable situations. In the Netherlands, the fifth "Around the World with Roger Federer" event was held on September 9 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, alongside a The Heart of LifeWear event. John C Jay, President of Global Creative for UNIQLO, and UNIQLO employees handed over 1,000 items of HEATTECH and other UNIQLO products to 130 children invited by NGOs; World Tennis, Cruyff Foundation, and Save The Children, with Global Brand Ambassador Roger Federer also joining.

In the United States, the "The Heart of LifeWear with The Dodgers" event was held on August 2 at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Students and families from John Muir High School, located in an area impacted by the January 2025 wildfires, were invited to the event where they received donations of AIRism T-shirts and other UNIQLO merchandise, and had a special opportunity to meet with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, observe batting practice, and watch the Dodgers vs. Pirates game.

UNIQLO will donate approximately 520,000 HEATTECH items to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with whom UNIQLO holds a global partnership. 320,000 HEATTECH items will be donated to returnees within Syria, and 200,000 HEATTECH items will be donated to displaced population in Iran.
Currently, about 1.8 million refugees who returned to Syria, mostly from neighboring countries, along with over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)*, are forced to live in precarious conditions amidst freezing winter temperatures near 0°C. This follows a previous donation of approximately 500,000 HEATTECH items to Syria in 2025. Meanwhile, in Iran, approximately 3.2 million IDPs in need of international protection, along with Afghan and Iraqi refugees are enduring difficult displacement conditions. In response to urgent needs for warm clothing this winter, UNIQLO is actively preparing to expedite the distribution of HEATTECH items across the country.

Source:
*UNHCR Syria Operational Update, August 2026　**UNHCR Iran: Factsheet - September 2026

*Mainly HEATTECH, but includes AIRism and other UNIQLO products according to the need.

• The Heart of LifeWear initiative originated with UNIQLO considering the question "What makes life better?" and asking how, in its 40th anniversary year, the brand could take further concrete action to contribute to society through LifeWear. In 2025, UNIQLO donated over one million items of HEATTECH and other products to refugees, children, and disaster victims in 28 countries and regions worldwide. Approximately 500,000 items were provided to Syrian returnees at the request of UNHCR, with 500,000 items donated by UNIQLO businesses worldwide to those in need in the countries where the stores operate, and neighboring countries.

  Press release: https://www.fastretailing.com/eng/sustainability/news/2602271300.html
  a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKrV3P0Hra4

• 
  Syrian returnee parent and child receiving HEATTECH (Photo: UNHCR, December 2025)

UNIQLO parent company Fast Retailing began working with UNHCR in 2006, providing clothing assistance for refugees and displaced persons around the world, and making support for refugees one of the key components of its sustainability program. In 2011, Fast Retailing became the first company based in Asia to enter a global partnership with UNHCR, enabling more comprehensive support to address the refugee crisis. Along with providing used clothing items collected through its product recycling initiative to refugee camps, Fast Retailing provides a wide range of humanitarian assistance, including refugee self-reliance programs, employing refugees in UNIQLO and GU stores, and leading refugee awareness campaigns.
https://www.fastretailing.com/eng/sustainability/community/refugees.html

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. The organization delivers life-saving assistance including shelter, food and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR also works to ensure that stateless people are granted nationality.
https://www.unhcr.org/

Top of page