Tokyo, Japan – The biggest global fashion brand based in Asia, Uniqlo, and its parent company Fast Retailing Group, on January 9 committed to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire global supply chain and products by 2020, in response to Greenpeace’s global Detox Campaign. [1]
“Uniqlo recognises clean water as a critical global issue, and is proud to join Greenpeace in its campaign to eliminate hazardous chemical use,” said Yukihiro Nitta, Fast Retailing Group Executive Officer and Executive in Charge of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Fast Retailing will accelerate the transparency revolution taking place in the sector by disclosing discharge data from at least 80% of their global suppliers (including all their facilities) in 2013. This will give people living near manufacturing facilities the right to know what is being discharged into their environment. The commitment covers all of the brands in the Fast Retailing Group, which include Uniqlo, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, g.u. and Theory. Together they have over 2000 stores.
“Uniqlo today becomes a global Detox leader by committing to use and lead the development of alternatives to hazardous chemicals. This is a victory for local communities around the world affected daily by toxic water pollution,” said Junichi Sato, Greenpeace Japan Executive Director.
Fast Retailing Group becomes the twelfth global corporation to make a credible commitment to clean up its supply chain and products since Greenpeace launched its Detox Campaign in 2011, and the eighth to provide a concrete date for when it will have eliminated all perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). [2]
“We welcome Uniqlo’s Detox announcement and its commitment to open up the notoriously murky world of textile manufacturing to the public. Other brands such as Calvin Klein, Victoria’s Secret and G-Star Raw also need to listen to their customers and urgently eliminate all hazardous chemicals from their supply chain and products,” said Greenpeace Japan Toxics Campaigner, Hisayo Takada.
Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign demands fashion brands commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020 and require their suppliers to disclose all releases of toxic chemicals from their facilities to communities at the site of the water pollution.
Source: Greenpeace.
Notes:
[1] Link to Uniqlo Zero Discharge Commitment: http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/csr/environment/zero.html
[2] Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs) are manmade chemicals widely used by industry for their non-stick and water-repellent properties. In the textile industry, they are used to make textile and leather products both water and stain-proof.
