Fast Retailing Commits to Zero Emission of Hazardous Chemicals by 2020

Fast Retailing Co., the largest clothing retailer in Asia and the holding company of Uniqlo, announced on January 9, 2013, a pledge to eliminate the use and release of hazardous chemical substances across the life cycles of its products and all production processes by 2020.

This makes Fast Retailing the first company in Japan and the twelfth in the world to agree to the Detox campaign, promoted worldwide by Greenpeace, an international environmental non-government organization (NGO) since March 2011.

Fast Retailing's road map to zero emissions includes disclosure of information on emissions of toxic substances by the suppliers covering at least 80 percent of its production volume by the end of 2013, the complete ban of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and a set of targets and policies on other hazardous substances. The company, working in cooperation with other apparel makers, material suppliers, the chemical industry and NGOs, will urge the entire apparel industry to change how it operates.

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