Responsible Procurement
Making better clothing starts with the materials.
Fast Retailing engages in ethical and responsible procurement to ensure our products are socially and environmentally sustainable. We are committed to continuously reducing the environmental risks and enhancing the positive social impact of the materials we use.
Nylon and polyester
We are working toward a goal of replacing approximately 50% of all materials used—including synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon—with recycled or other low greenhouse gas emission materials by the fiscal year ending August 2030.
In 2025, the proportion of recycled and other low-emission materials used across all products rose to 19.4％ of total materials used, up from 15.9% the previous year.
For polyester specifically, 46.4％ of the total polyester used was recycled polyester, a significant increase from 41.5％ in the previous year.
Down and feathers
Key tenets of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
Removal of down and feathers from live birds (live-plucking or molt-harvesting) is prohibited
Force-feeding is prohibited
Holistic respect for animal welfare of the birds from hatching to slaughter
Each stage in the supply chain is audited by a professional, third party certification body
UNIQLO only use responsibly-sourced down and feathers from farms that seek to minimise their impact on wildfowl. All down in products sold in the EU and UK is RDS certified*. This standard promotes animal safety and welfare and tracks certified material throughout the supply chain. We will continue to support RDS in the future.
Since 2020, UNIQLO have been advancing a circular initiative through our RE.UNIQLO initiative. Used UNIQLO down products are collected from customers, down and feathers are extracted and cleaned, and then reused to create new clothing.
As of the end of March 2025, UNIQLO have recycled 1.5 million down garments through this initiative.
*All partner garment factories involved in the production of our down products are RDS certified as of the end of 2019. UNIQLO North America is RDS certified as of 2025.
Linen
Responsibility for materials is also a global standard. Our premium linen shirts are made of 100% Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ materials, which guarantees third-party verified traceability from fibre to finished product for flax grown in Western Europe. This certification highlights the unique expertise of European fibre producers, as certified flax is transformed through a mechanical process that generates no waste: from the fibre to the shives and seeds, the entire plant is used and valorised. Flax is generally cultivated without irrigation, with limited use of inputs and is always GMO-free.