Ginza×CSR・CSV Vol.31 UNIQLO Ginza Store

• ─ I was surprised to find that your staff also represents many nationalities.
• At the Ginza Store, we currently have people from over twenty countries working with us. I have had the opportunity to meet people from countries that I, myself, previously had no connections with.
  
  We had initially hired foreigners for our multi-language services, but we are recently finding that many international students from countries with UNIQLO stores are motivated to apply because they feel that their ideal part-time job in Japan would be one at UNIQLO Ginza Store where they can make good use of their language skills.
  
  These multilingual staff members can explain the features of each product not only in Japanese and English but also in their mother tongue, allowing customers from overseas to enjoy their shopping in comfort.
• ─ I have been told that Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. lays great importance on diversity.
• UNIQLO values the concept “Made for All,” which means that our clothes are made for all nationalities, generations and genders. We feel that diversity is an essential factor of the service that we offer as well, as the knowhow possessed by each individual leads to hospitality.
  
  At UNIQLO we hire refugees who cannot return to their countries for various reasons, as well as people with disabilities. By working together, we realize that what we take for granted in Japan, or as a healthy adult, is not actually common in the rest of the world. This allows us to reconsider our daily communications and to learn to care for others and have an open mind.

Unlocking the Power of Clothing

• ─ I have noticed that in various corners of your stores, UNIQLO introduces its efforts toward sustainability.
• UNIQLO regards sustainability to be a challenge that companies must take on in order to create the future, so we address the issue from different perspectives of business promotion.
  
  The first perspective is the “supply chain”. We are engaged in efforts to create a comfortable working environment for those who manufacture the clothing that we sell. The second perspective is “product.” UNIQLO proposes the concept of “LifeWear” so that everyone can experience improvements in their daily lives. We value both producing clothing that enriches the lives of people all over the world and producing clothing in a comfortable environment, and we care for the environment and human rights.
  
  The third perspective is “the store and community”. UNIQLO has around 2000 stores worldwide, each of which considers what kind of identity it should have in the local community and accumulates good deeds locally. Such efforts can have a significant impact when they are joined globally. The fourth perspective is “employee.” We lay importance on preparing positive working environments and offer career options so that each employee can find more joy working.

• ─ The apparel industry is often referred to as a major creator of environmental burden. Could you introduce in detail your efforts to link clothing with sustainability?
• UNIQLO addresses sustainability throughout the product lifetime, from selecting material and manufacturing, to collecting used clothing.。
  
  The apparel industry is quite an analog industry. Almost every process requires human hands, so there is a lot of burden on workers. Therefore, it is very important for us to develop sustainable technologies that will reduce this burden and allow us to be environment-friendly.
  
  In Autumn 2016, we opened a Jeans Innovation Center in Los Angeles to conduct research on cutting-edge denim. We are currently developing jeans that can be manufactured with significantly less water at the processing stage.

• ─ You also have recycling boxes at your stores to collect used clothing.
• Under the concept “Unlocking the Power of Clothing,” UNIQLO seeks to change the world though the apparel business in a way that society heads in a better direction.
  
  Under UNIQLO’s “All-Product Recycling Initiative,” we ask our customers to return the clothing bought at UNIQLO after use so that we can deliver it to refugees and other people worldwide who have limited access to clothing. The recycle box at the Ginza Store becomes full every day. We have a global partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to send used clothing collected in UNIQLO stores all over the world to refugees everywhere, according to their specific needs.