Humanitarian assistance for the Ukraine crisis (2022)

For the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine, Fast Retailing, parent company of UNIQLO, donated US$10 million (approx. ¥1.15 billion) to UNHCR to support people forced to flee. The donation provided urgent assistance such as shelter, psychosocial support and emergency supplies to affected populations in Ukraine and neighboring countries. In response to UNHCR's needs, Fast Retailing also announced a donation of 100,000 items of clothing and other products, such as UNIQLO HEATTECH blankets and HEATTECH innerwear. Individual UNIQLO operations in the EU have also started donating UNIQLO products and recycled clothes, including secondhand winter clothing that customers have brought into our stores. We are also raising funds from our employees and customers, and we have launched an employment program for those who have fled Ukraine in Germany and the Netherlands.

Helping Combat COVID-19 (2020-2021)

Many refugees and other displaced people live under circumstances in which they lack access to sufficient medical care or proper sanitation. As such, life in refugee camps or densely populated urban spaces carry a high risk of infection. In 2021, Fast Retailing donated over 3 million UNIQLO AIRism masks to UNHCR for distribution to refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide as well as host communities. Fast Retailing also donated US$100,000 to help UNHCR respond to the coronavirus pandemic with essential support and services, including assistance to children deprived of educational opportunities due to COVID-19.

Winter survival assistance in Afghanistan (end 2021)

Even before the full-fledged onset of winter, when temperatures can fall below zero, many persons forcibly displaced in Afghanistan and surrounding regions had suffered from drought and other natural disasters, as well as food shortages. All of these are in addition to the risk of COVID-19. Fast Retailing donated US$800,000 (approximately 92 million yen) in winter assistance to UNHCR to provide relief supplies, such as blankets, solar lanterns and tent insulation kits, to allow people forced to flee, especially women and children in particularly vulnerable situations, to protect themselves from sub-zero temperatures. Fast Retailing and UNIQLO U.S.A also donated over 42,000 winter items including fleece jackets and Heattech innerwear to people evacuated from Afghanistan in partnership with International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other local partners.

As a company that makes clothes, one of the basic essentials for people’s lives, UNIQLO is always trying to maximize the “power of clothing.” We are determined to deliver clothing to people most in need, so we continue to collect items that our customers no longer wear and deliver them to refugees and other displaced persons around the world, or donate them to people in need in the countries and regions in which we operate.

UNHCR’s program for vocation training and livelihoods

Fast Retailing donated a total of US$5.5 million to UNHCR’s livelihood program over a three-year period between 2016 and 2018. The project was implemented in five Asian countries to help refugees earn an income by offering sewing, computer skills or other types of vocational training needed, as well as starting their own businesses. A total of 18,987 people participated in this program, which helped them gain much needed skills to thrive in new environments.

Supporting the MADE51 initiative that showcases handicrafts made by refugees

UNIQLO supports MADE51, one of the livelihood initiative of UNHCR, by raising awareness of the brand and supporting the participating refugees’ self-reliance. We have used MADE51 products as novelty items, which have helped to expand sales and brand visibility of MADE51. In 2021, 354 refugee artisans participated in the production of those items. Eighty-five per cent of the participating refugees said that they have been able to use the money they earned from the project to buy food for their families or pay for their children’s education and medical needs. Since 2021, Fast Retailing has donated US$100,000 each year to MADE51, totaling US$200,000 to date (approximately 25.5 million yen). That donation is used for various purposes, including seed funding for local social enterprises who collaborate with MADE51, as well as developing product branding and strengthening MADE 51’s online store.