Last Updated: 2024.12.27
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Fast Retailing engages in ethical and responsible procurement to ensure our products are socially and environmentally sustainable. We are committed to continuously reducing the environmental and enhancing the positive social impact of the materials we use.
Responsible Raw Materials Procurement Policy
Fast Retailing continues to transform its business model to balance sustainability with business growth.
We create only what our customers really need and pursue manufacturing with minimal environmental impact across all processes from production, to transportation, and sales of clothing. Meanwhile, we are building a supply chain that considers human rights and animal welfare, and which emphasizes traceability to enable customers to purchase our products with peace of mind.
Fast Retailing believes when processing raw materials used in its product during manufacturing process, there are two main objectives that must be met :
- No human rights violations or animal abuse:Raw materials that can be verified to be free of any child labor, forced labor, or animal abuse.
- Low environmental impact：Raw materials taking care of environment that use fewer chemical substances, prevent soil contamination, take biodiversity into consideration, and reduce GHG emissions, compared to general raw materials*
To ensure these objectives are met, Fast Retailing established the Fast Retailing Raw Materials Procurement Guideline (hereafter "Raw Materials Procurement Guideline"), which defines issues to be addressed and standards to be observed for each raw material. Specifically, the Guideline defines the following seven items for each raw material that must be considered by factories, production departments, and other divisions involved in raw material procurement.
- Consideration for human rights (forced labor/child labor/violation of indigenous peoples' rights, etc.)
- Respect for animal welfare
- Reduction of GHG emissions
- Reduction of water use
- Reduction of pesticide and chemical fertilizer use
- Consideration for biodiversity
- Consideration for soil conservation (crop rotation, rotational grazing, and other land management practices)
We regularly review and update the Raw Materials Procurement Guideline in response to international trends, new scientific findings, and social demands, etc.
Procurement of Plant-Derived Materials
Cotton
Fast Retailing defines sustainable cotton as cotton that is grown in a way that reduces the use of water, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers during the cultivation process, takes into consideration soil and ecosystem conservation, and respects the labor environment of farmers. We aim to procure 100% of our cotton from sustainable sources by the end of December 2025. Currently, we define sustainable cotton as Better Cotton*1; cotton sourced from the United States or Australia, recycled cotton*2; organic cotton*3; Fair Trade cotton; cotton produced using regenerative agriculture*4.
*1 See Better Cotton, below.
*2 Cotton certified by GRS (Global Recycled Standard) or RCS (Recycled Claim Standard)
*3 Cotton certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OCS (Organic Content Standard)
*4 Cotton certified by a third party as having been produced using comprehensive agricultural methods that improve soil health and reduce environmental impact, such as no-till farming and cover crops.
・Better Cotton
Fast Retailing became an affiliate member of Better Cotton (BC) in January 2018. BC is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the sustainable production of cotton. BC promotes better cotton cultivation, educating farmers on the proper use of water, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, and provides guidance on workers' rights, etc. Farmers meeting standards set by BC are certified as Better Cotton producers.
Manmade Cellulosic Fibers (MMCF)
Manmade Cellulosic fibers (MMCF) such as viscose/rayon, modal, and lyocell are recycled fibers made by chemically dissolving wood pulp into fibrous form. In the process of extracting raw materials, there are concerns on the impact of deforestation, the habitats of endangered species, in illegal logging, and violation of the rights of indigenous peoples.
In response to these issues, Fast Retailing has published the "Fast Retailing Responsible Product Policy: Wood-based and Forest derived Fabrics and Materials", which outlines the company's response to the conservation of ancient forests and ecosystems in danger, recognition, respect, and protection of human rights and the rights of local communities, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, we have established a list of recommended MMCF manufacturers based on third-party (Canopy) evaluations, and are working to require suppliers to procure from the producers on this list. In addition, we are gradually switching to materials that emit less greenhouse gas.
Procurement of Animal-Derived Materials
Fast Retailing prohibits the procurement of raw materials from animals slaughtered solely for apparel production. We believe that animals should always be treated and bred according to ethical husbandry practices, aligning with the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. Based on this belief, our raw materials procurement guideline prohibits procurement from farms that violate the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, such as those collecting from animals alive or force-feeding. We are also promoting the use of recycled and alternative materials to reduce our environmental impact, and are committed to procuring in accordance with the following:
- No use of raw materials derived from animals listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Only use edible meat by-products of animals generally accepted for human consumption will be used. However, cultural and customary considerations will be taken into account when deciding whether or not to use these by-products.
- No use of cosmetics that have been tested on animals or cosmetics of animal origin in any of our production processes.
Merino Wool
Fast Retailing is dedicated to animal welfare, refusing to procure Merino wool from suppliers who source from producers who practice mulesing. Mulesing is the practice of cutting away a section of wool-bearing skin from the breech of the sheep to prevent parasitic infection in the deep folds of the Merino sheep skin.
Cashmere
Cashmere presents risks not only in terms of animal welfare at the rearing site, but also in terms of its impact on biodiversity, such as recent vast land use and grazing land grassland desertification. Fast Retailing has formulated a cashmere procurement policy that stipulates animal welfare and proper management of grazing land. We procure cashmere from suppliers who have agreed to this policy, and our employees regularly visit some of the suppliers and farms from which we procure. In addition, to conserve biodiversity, we have conducted scientific analysis of the supplier farms with an external team of expert researchers. We have confirmed that there has been no degradation of vegetation over the past 20 years, and that biodiversity has been maintained. We will continue to conduct regular monitoring to ensure sustainable procurement.
Down, Feathers
Fast Retailing prohibits sourcing of down or feathers from farms that practice live plucking or force feeding. All our partner garment factories involved in the production of our down products are RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified as of the end of December 2019 and we will continue to support the RDS going forward. In addition, from 2020, we have been promoting a clothing-to-clothing recycling initiative that collects down products no longer worn by customers. We then extract the down and feathers for recycling, cleaning and restoring this to an as-new condition for use in new down products.
Related Links
Prohibited Materials
Fast Retailing prohibits the use of the following materials.
- Leather/Skin of exotic animals (crocodile, alligator, snake, lizard, ostrich, kangaroo, whale, shark, etc.), wildlife, animal fetuses
- Real fur
- Mohair (Angora goat hair), Angora (Angora rabbit hair)
- Alpaca
- Horns / Bones / Teeth
Procurement of Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, and polyurethane are produced from petroleum by-products, and the manufacturing process requires a lot of energy. The Fast Retailing Group is working to switch approximately 50% of all materials used, including synthetic fibers such as polyester, to materials with low greenhouse gas emissions, including recycled materials, by the end of the August 2030 fiscal year. For the 2024 products, the percentage of materials with low GHG emissions such as recycled materials was 18.2% of all materials used, and the percentage of recycled polyester was 47.4% of all polyester used. In addition, these petroleum-based materials do not decompose in the natural environment, and there are concerns about environmental pollution caused by the shedding of microplastics during washing and improper disposal. Fast Retailing recognizes the impact of microplastics on the environment as an important issue and is working to minimize their impact.
For more detail, please see the related links.
Related Links
Response to Climate Change - Efforts in the Supply Chain- Improved Waste Management and Resource Efficiencies
- Initiatives on Microplastics
Traceability
Fast Retailing pursues traceability throughout the entire supply chain. We have established a system to monitor working environments across the whole chain, and also to better trace the use of the raw materials across production process. We have achieved this through improved, engaged procurement methods that cover upstream processes, through site visits by our own employees, and through audits or certification by third-party organizations etc. Our main brand UNIQLO has established a system for checking the end-to-end adherence to supply chain plans for each product, including raw materials, spinning mills, material factories, and garment factories. From the 2023 spring/summer season, we are able to track the entire commercial flow of all products, from the country of origin of the raw materials to the garment factory. In addition, we have introduced regular traceability audits for cotton products. From the 2024 fall/winter collection, we are expanding these initiatives to 100% cashmere products and are conducting audits of washing factories and spinning mills. We will continue to develop similar frameworks for wool products and aim to expand it to all products and group brands in the future.
Related Links
Redefining Sustainable Materials
Fast Retailing is redefining the term 'sustainable materials' to deliver products that customers can buy with peace of mind. We establish criteria for items based on the characteristics of the material, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, biodiversity, human rights, and animal welfare, and define materials that meet these criteria in terms of both quality and quantity as 'sustainable materials', and clearly identify the materials that should be used in our products. We have started this initiative with cotton, which we procure in large quantities, and we will soon expand it to other materials.
