Uniqlo Thailand, a local unit of the global casual apparel retailer, has teamed up with ReAcc Co, under national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc, and SCG Packaging Plc (SCGP) to create local sustainability initiatives in order to make clothes that are better for the environment.
According to the company's chief executive, Yoshitake Wakakuwa, the initiatives aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at its stores and offices by 90%, and in its supply chains by 20%, by 2030.
Through the initiatives, the company also plans to increase the proportion of recycled materials in its products to about 50%, and reduce, replace, reuse and recycle materials used in delivering clothes to customers.
In addition, it is committed to increasing female management by 50% and employing at least one person with a disability in each store.
"We put our efforts into every aspect of the environment, people and society," Mr Wakakuwa said. "Sustainable development is fundamental to how we operate and Uniqlo takes very seriously its responsibility as an industry leader to drive positive change."
Mr Wakakuwa said the company has started to offset 100% of carbon emissions from electricity by using a service from ReAcc, which operates a trading platform for clean energy and climate neutrality through a digital platform for companies which have targets and need to procure renewable energy.
To move towards zero waste, SCGP helps bring back leftover cartons into the recycling process as raw materials to produce new products such as paper furniture.
Hiroyuki Matsumoto, the company's chief operating officer, said Uniqlo will continuously reduce the environmental impact of every business process, from product planning to production, and distribution to sales.
"Thailand is one of our strategic markets along with other countries in Europe and China," Mr Wakakuwa said. "We believe that the market will gradually recover. We've seen that people are starting to travel abroad. We believe that Thailand remains one of their tourist destinations. Though Covid-19 remains, we can stay with it by adapting to consumers' changing behaviour."
Prasong Intaranongpai, PTT's executive vice-president for strategy and portfolio management, said Uniqlo has chosen PTT to provide certified renewable energy to ensure the quality of green products in all of Uniqlo's Thai stores.
