#Sustainability

2019-09-19

Clothing made from recycled down and fabric made with polyester fibres from recycled plastic bottles

On the occasion of the LifeWear Day consumer exhibition taking place this year in London, Japanese global apparel retailer UNIQLO and Toray Industries today announce the joint development of down clothing employing reclaimed down and DRY-EX apparel incorporating fabric from polyester fibres made with recycled PET bottles. This new initiative, part of a longstanding strategic partnership between the two companies, will contribute to sustainability by giving consumers access to merchandise that optimises the use of valuable resources.

New Joint Initiative from UNIQLO and Toray Optimises use of Valuable Resources

Commenting on today’s announcement, Tadashi Yanai, UNIQLO Founder and Chairman, President & CEO of Fast Retailing, said, “UNIQLO is committed to improving the sustainability of society. To this end, we will soon begin our new initiative with Toray that promotes the use of recycled materials. Through such an important partnership, we can continue to offer high-performance, high-quality, and sustainable clothing to all customers around the world.”

Akihiro Nikkaku, President of Toray Industries, Inc., said, “At Toray we challenge ourselves to find solutions to global social issues with our belief that “materials can change our lives”. By promoting businesses that contribute to sustainability together with our strategic partner UNIQLO, we aim to create new value and realise a prosperous society through LifeWear.”

New items made from recycled down

UNIQLO stores will collect used Ultra Light Down items from customers. A new Toray-developed system will extract material from Ultra Light Down pieces, to be cleansed for use in new down merchandise. Collections* will start later in September this year initially only in Japan, and some down products from the 2020 Fall/Winter season will employ this recycled material.

Conventionally, the stuffing in duvets and other objects incorporating down is manually removed. Such processes are arduous with Ultra Light Down items because of their thin shells and complex construction. By developing special extraction machinery, Toray has fully automated cutting, stirring and separating, and recovery, for 50-fold the process capacity of manual processes, thus greatly alleviating workloads.

New DRY-EX pieces incorporating polyester from recycled PET bottles

DRY-EX is a revolutionary material that quickly wicks away sweat and moisture. From 2020 Spring/Summer UNIQLO will begin to introduce DRY-EX items of clothing that incorporate high-value-added polyester fibres derived from reclaimed PET bottles.

This is a milestone because, while fibres made from reclaimed plastic bottles have been commercially available for some time, it has been hard to produce fibres featuring special cross-sections and fine fibres, owing to contaminants in PET bottles. Another challenge to address has been that plastic bottles yellow as they age.

Toray’s contaminant filtering technology overcomes these issues, making it possible to manufacture fibres whose features are commensurate with those of fibres from plastic made directly from petrochemical feedstock, including those with special cross-sections. Another advance is Toray’s Recycling Identification System, which enhances reliability by ensuring that fibres derived from plastic bottles are traceable.

UNIQLO and Toray will keep leveraging their strengths to foster sustainable social progress.

*Such collections will differ from donations made at UNIQLO stores of lightly used clothing that is distributed to needy people around the world.

Toray Industries and MAS Holdings announce Joint Venture in Odisha, India

Toray Industries (H.K.) Ltd., has officially entered a joint venture with South Asia’s largest apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings, marking a unique opportunity to enhance the two companies’ supply chain capabilities and pursue product manufacturing within and for the fast-growing Indian market. The joint venture, operating under the name Toray MAS Apparel India, will see the establishment of a new manufacturing facility at the MAS Apparel Park Bhuinpur in Odisha, India, which is currently under development.

Execs help steer Cascale’s consumer goods agenda in Athens

The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting, taking place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece, will convene leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle one of the industry’s defining questions: how to accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. Guiding those conversations as this year’s co-chairs are Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade, and government affairs at VF Corporation, and Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair at TAL Apparel Limited.

SAITEX reports efficiency gains and greater transparency in 2025 Impact Report

Vietnam-based denim manufacturer SAITEX has published its 2025 Impact Report, documenting progress in resource efficiency, chemical management, digital traceability and knowledge sharing across its manufacturing operations in Vietnam and the United States. Rather than focusing on sustainability ambitions, the report presents operational data, manufacturing developments and lessons learned from the past year.

Aid by Trade Foundation presents annual report for 2025: Market position and impact of sustainably verified natural fibres strengthened

Despite global supply chain challenges, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) was able to further expand its international role in promoting sustainably verified natural fibres in 2025. In doing so, the foundation remains true to its fundamental approach of leveraging market forces. Last year, it generated total revenues of EUR 7.8 million; this included EUR 6.7 million collected through the successful marketing of four standards: Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), CmiA Organic, The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS), and the Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS). AbTF invested the resulting income in projects aiming to protect biodiversity, support women, increase transparency in the textile supply chain, and implement its verification system.

Textile Exchange reports growth in certifications and industry engagement

Textile Exchange has published its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting continued growth in certified sites, industry participation and the development of its standards and membership structure. According to the report, more than 100,000 sites worldwide are now certified to Textile Exchange standards, more than three times the number recorded in 2020. Preliminary figures also indicate 12% year-on-year growth across the organization's current standards, including the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and the Responsible Animal Fiber standards.

Expansive innovations converge in Shanghai as Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 opens doors next week

With just days to go, industry enthusiasm is building for the opening of Yarn Expo Autumn, Asia’s premier yarn and fibre trade fair, running from 25 – 27 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Across 27,000 sqm in Hall 8.2, buyers will find nearly 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, spread across seven specialised zones that range from cutting-edge man-made and regenerated fibres to time-honoured cashmere and silk. Beyond the extensive sourcing options, a fringe programme of trend showcases, presentations and product launches rounds out the three¬day event with design, innovation and market intelligence.

DOMOTEX Southeast Asia 2026 - Building the Gateway to ASEAN's fast-growing flooring market

From 11–13 November 2026, the inaugural DOMOTEX Southeast Asia will take place at BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) in Bangkok, Thailand. Jointly organized by GLOBUS Events Limited and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., with Worldex G.E.C. Co., Ltd. as the local partner, the exhibition marks the expansion of the internationally recognized DOMOTEX brand into Southeast Asia. As the newest addition to the global DOMOTEX portfolio, the exhibition has been developed specifically to serve the rapidly evolving ASEAN market, creating a dedicated business event for the flooring and interior finishing industry.

YKK launches no. 3 size of QuickFree® click-TRAK® magnetic zipper globally

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) has begun the global rollout of the No. 3 size of its QuickFree® click-TRAK® Magnetic zipper, expanding availability beyond China for the first time. While maintaining the same functionality and ease of operation, the No. 3 size is approximately 60% the size of the No. 5 size *1. This enables applications in lightweight garments, sportswear, hooded apparel, and other similar uses.