This is the forth installment of an article series looking into Uniqlo’s CSR track record, and specifically into the reasons as to why they want to do business with Grameen. (Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7)
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Summary of previous posts:
Uniqlo – Japan’s largest, most dynamic, and fastest growing clothing retail chain – is investing into Bangladesh, notably by striking up a joint venture with Grameen bank. The question is: Why would they do that? This series of posts is looking at Uniqlo’s global strategy, their CSR track record, and what we can learn from that about their motives for the joint venture.
In the last two post, I had a closer look at Uniqlo’s, for what is Japan, innovative, hiring strategy in their home market, and at their efforts to include physicall and/or mentally handicapped adults into their work force.
Today’s Focus: Uniqlo’s Global Clothing Recycling Initiative
The initiative began in 2001 with the Fleece Recycling Program, which was expanded in 2006 to include all collected Uniqlo items in biannual in-store collections. Through this initiative, they reuse and recycle products received from customers with the objective of ensuring the products serve beneficial purposes across their life-cycle with nothing wasted. The initial intention was to recycle the clothes as fuel, but with the cooperation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Uniqlo started donating the clothes to refugee camps.
To that end, approximately 90% of the collect clothing is now donated to refugee camps all over the world, including those in Nepal, Ethiopia and Georgia. The company has learned to check shortages of clothing, and also to conduct research on levels of demand, taking into consideration season and size, religiously appropriate colors, and details concerning differences in local culture. In addition, to avoid theft and reselling during transit to the refugees, they deliver the clothes to the sites themselves through a dedicated team, and distribute the items in cooperation with the UNHCR.
Since the end of 2009 the recycling initiative has moved from bi-annual in-store collections towards year-round in-store collection in all their Japanese stores, supported by appropriate logistic processes.
(Image source)
In the next installment, I will have a closer look at Unqilo’s efforts in monitoring their supply chain
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This is the forth installment of an article series looking into Uniqlo’s CSR track record, and specifically into the reasons as to why they want to do business with Grameen. (Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.)
