Stakeholder Engagement

International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (formerly Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh ("Accord"))

August 2013
(membership to the Accord)

A legally binding agreement with independent oversight established in September 2021. Developed in cooperation between brands and unions. As with the previous Accord, the International Accord will continue to protect the safety of at-risk workers in Bangladesh and includes scope to be expanded to other manufacturing countries in the future.

Provide support for stronger garment factory management, including fire prevention, electrical safety, building safety inspections, and the establishment of factory health and safety committees. The Accord provides hotlines for factory workers to report safety problems and training related to fire and building safety.

Fair Labor Association
(FLA)

July 2015

Protect the rights of workers through corporate, citizen group, and university collaboration, bringing labor environments into conformity with international standards.

Provide support to member brands and factories in adopting FLA labor environment standards throughout the entire supply chain. Evaluate the monitoring activities of member brands and factories related to labor conditions; provide guidance for improvement. Encourage cooperation among stakeholders, including member brands, factories, and citizen groups to tackle issues related to labor conditions.

Better Work

December 2015

A joint program between International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group serves as a center for collaboration among governments, global brands, factory managers, labor unions, factory workers, and other corporations, groups and individuals. The program strengthens the stability and competitiveness across the supply chain for the apparel and footwear industries, while ensuring the rights of factory workers and improving labor conditions.

Conduct special-purpose audits, provide training and guidance for improvement among member factories. Encourage stronger policies and systems for labor condition management. Leverage the expertise gained from local activities in each country to provide support for policies and planning in each country.

International Labour Organization
(ILO)

September 2019

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations agency for the world of work.

Devoted to advancing social justice, it promotes a Decent Work Agenda based on four strategic pillars: rights at work, decent employment opportunities, social protection and social dialogue.

Cascale
※Formerly known as Sustainable Apparel Coalition
(SAC)

September 2014

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Spanning over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe, it's united by a singular vision: to catalyze impact at scale and give back more than taking to the planet and its people.

Develop and disseminate standard industry tools (HIGG index*) to measure the environmental and social impact of supply chain activities.

* The Higg index used by Fast Retailing are as follows:

• Higg Product Tools
  - Higg Materials Sustainability Index（MSI）
  - Higg Product Module（PM）
• Higg Facility Tools
  - Higg Facility Environmental Module（FEM）
  - Higg Facility Social & Labor Module（FSLM）
• Higg Brand Tools
  - Higg Brand and Retail Module (BRM)

Textile Exchange

August 2017

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit which accelerates sustainable practices in the textile value chain by focusing on minimizing the harmful impacts of the global textile industry and maximizing its positive effects. It envisions a global textile industry that protects and restores the environment and enhances lives.

Create leaders in the sustainable fiber and materials sector by providing learning opportunities, tools, insights, standards, data, measurement and benchmarking, and by building a community that can collectively accomplish what no individual or company can do alone.

Better Cotton Initiative
(BCI)

January 2018

The mission of BCI is to improve the cotton industry, ensuring a better future for worldwide producers of cotton, for the environment where the cotton is grown, and for the cotton industry as a whole.

To achieve this, BCI links people and organizations across sectors, from farms to retail stores, to achieve measurable and ongoing improvements in agricultural communities, and the economies of cotton-growing regions.

Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals
(ZDHC)

March 2019

The Group's mission is to enable brands, retailers and their supply chains in the textile, apparel, leather and footwear industries to implement chemical management best practices and advance towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals by collaborative engagement, standard setting, implementation and innovation.

The Group focuses on implementing the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme, including: ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL); ZDHC Waste Water Guidelines; ZDHC Gateway; ZDHC Academy; and ZDHC Implementation HUB.

The Microfibre Consortium
(TMC)

September 2019

TMC operates as a non-profit, membership based, cross-industry group. TMC facilitates the development of practical solutions for the textile industry to minimize microfibre release to the environment from textile manufacturing and product life cycle.

With a vision that states 'A future with managed microfibre loss from textiles, to the environment,' the work of TMC looks to connect and translate deep academic research, with the reality of commercial supply chain production to offer solutions to its brand, retail and supplier members and ultimately for the greater good of our ecosystems.

CLOMA
(Clean Ocean Material Alliance)

October 2019
as General member

CLOMA aims to solve the issues of marine plastic litter by promoting the development and introduction of revolutionary alternatives to plastics that will lead to a sustainable use of plastic products. To achieve this, the alliance accelerates innovation through public-private partnerships.

The alliance strives to promote: information-sharing between providers of materials and user companies through technological and business matching and sharing previous cases; obtaining the latest technical trends through technical exchange and seminars; international collaboration with international organizations, overseas research institutes and disseminating information to developing countries; and promotion of collaboration between companies related to effective utilization of plastic products.

Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group

September 2020

AFIRM Group is a brand-driven membership organization of apparel and footwear companies collaborating to promote chemical management and reduce or limit the use of restricted substances in the apparel and footwear supply chain.

Provide a forum to advance the global management of restricted substances in apparel and footwear, communicate information about the Restricted Substances List (RSL) to the supply chain, discuss concerns, and exchange ideas for improving RSL management.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network

January 2022

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Network is the world's leading circular economy network. The Foundation's mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and the Network brings together businesses, governments and cities, academic institutions, emerging innovators, and other thought leaders in a unique multi-stakeholder platform.

The Network provides members with: opportunities to participate in events, workshops, annual summits, and projects; feedback and toolkits to assist Network organizations' pursuit and measurement of their achievement in circularity; education programs for capacity building; and opportunities to network with other Network organizations to explore challenges and solutions for mutual advantage.

Smart Freight Centre(SFC)

July 2023

SFC is an international non-profit organization focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from freight transportation. The Centre leads the global logistics industry to track and visualize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reduce GHG emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030, and to achieve zero GHG emissions by 2050 or earlier, consistent with the 1.5°C target.

The Centre enables measurement of GHG emissions in the logistics industry and promotes organizational transparency and accountability. It will also promote collaboration among logistics stakeholders to share knowledge and create impact together. Additionally, it educates and trains corporate logistics departments to accelerate the adoption of decarbonization solutions.

Canopy

April 2018^*
*CanopyStyle policy adopted

Canopy is an international, solutions-driven, not-for-profit that works collaboratively with businesses to transform supply chains by removing high-risk forest fibers from textiles and packaging, to keep critically important forests standing.

The CanopyStyle initiative supports over 550 brand partners in eliminating supply chain risk, strengthening their environmental performance, and accelerating use of low-carbon Next Gen materials. Canopy provides brands with tools such as: supply chain screenings; risk assessments; insights on circular solutions coming to market; and the annually produced Hot Button Report, which rates global producers of viscose and rayon across seven performance categories.

Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action（UNFCCC）

January 2020

The Charter of Action on Climate Change for the Fashion Industry, established by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which entered into force in March 1994.

Articipating companies commit to implementing climate change measures in line with the Paris Agreement across industries.

In collaboration with experts, investors, environmental advocates, and other stakeholders, UNFCCC-participating companies develop and implement decarbonization strategies for the fashion industry by developing action plans, tools, and other resources necessary to achieve GHG emission reduction targets.

Policy Hub

January 2023

The Policy Hub unites the apparel and footwear industry to speak in one voice and propose policies related to the European textile industry that accelerate circular practices.

Working with partners with technical expertise, Policy Hub represents more than 700 stakeholders in the apparel and footwear industry, including brands, retailers, manufacturers, and NGOs, to develop a new legislation, and to facilitate policy consultations for the transition to a circular industry.

GFA
（Global Fashion　Agenda）

November 2022

A non-profit organization that promotes sustainability throughout the fashion industry, with a vision of a net-positive industry. It encourages all stakeholders to work together to promote sustainability initiatives.

GFA provides detailed analysis and reports based on the latest industry data, and holds a Global Fashion Summit as a forum for various stakeholders to discuss sustainability in the fashion industry. It has also launched the Global Textiles Policy Forum to make global policy recommendations related to the textile industry.

Special Olympics

June 2002

The Special Olympics is an international organization that offers people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to demonstrate the fruits of their sports training through competition.

The organization disseminates and promotes Special Olympics activities, mainly through fostering volunteers, holding national competitions, and sending athletes to the World Games.

UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR)

February 2011

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.

The Agency leads and coordinates international activities to resolve refugee issues through international protection of refugees, in-kind assistance in emergencies, and subsequent support for self-reliance.

Business for Societal Impact (B4SI)

August 2021

Business for Societal Impact (B4SI) is the global standard for measuring and managing corporate social impact, provided by Corporate Citizenship. The Frameworks provide a robust measurement standard that can be applied to any company to understand the difference their contributions make. The network of over 150 businesses is looking to learn best practice on measuring and managing their social impact activities and work to advocate for their peers to do the same.

B4SI provides members utilizing the Frameworks with 4 benefits as follows.
(1) Inform Strategy: Enabling them to make decisions related to the strategy of their activities, including the optimization of their activities.
(2) Simplify Measurement: Assisting members to measure their social impact activity in a rigorous and credible manner.
(3) Connect With Companies: Providing a forum for connecting and learning with peers together how to maximize the social impact.
(4) Create Best: Providing opportunities to identify and improve issues and create best practices.

Save the Children

June 2022

Save the Children is an international NGO that works to make children's rights to survival, development, protection, and participation a reality worldwide. It was established in the UK in 1919 and is currently at work in approximately 120 countries.

The organization is at work with children in partnership with governments and local communities in Japan and abroad. They are active in international programs in fields such as health and nutrition and education. When conflicts or natural disasters occur, they provide emergency and humanitarian responses. In Japan, they have actively addressed issues of child poverty and haｓ also conducted various programs in response to natural disasters. Through these programs, they work to make children's rights a reality.

Plan International

June 2022

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children's rights and equality especially for girls. It was established in 1937 and is currently at work in more than 75 countries.

For more than 85 years, the organization has promoted community development with children, youth and local people. They believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And, it's girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, they strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

The Valuable 500

January 2021

The Valuable 500 was established at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (Davos) in January 2019 by social entrepreneur Caroline Casey, based on the idea that "inclusive business creates an inclusive society." Its goal is to encourage business leaders to implement reforms for inclusiveness within their companies, in order to unlock the latent value of people living with disabilities throughout society, business, and the economy.

The Valuable 500 aims to gain the participation of more than 500 companies at the forefront of inclusion for people with disabilities and those who will take action going forward. It also promotes companies' efforts to incorporate the inclusion of people with disabilities into the management policies of the companies.