Fast Retailing launches refugee initiative
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Japanese retail company Fast Retailing has launched HELP, a global initiative to help clothe refugees.
The project – dubbed 10 Million Ways to HELP will be run in conjunction with the UNHCR.
Collection starts at Uniqlo and GU on October 2 at stores around Japan and from mid-October in other markets.
According to a Uniqlo statement, UNHCR estimates the number of women, men, and children forcibly displaced owing to armed conflict and other causes reached 59.5 million by the end of 2014 – the highest since the end of World War II – prompting Fast Retailing to respond.
Fast Retailing has been implementing an All-Product Recycling Initiative to provide clothing to refugees since 2006, and in 2011 became the first company headquartered in Asia to establish a global partnership with UNHCR. As part of the initiative, Fast Retailing has also launched a drive to collect clothing from employees.
Around 90 per cent of the clothing that Fast Retailing has collected to date through its All-Product Recycling Initiative has been in wearable condition. As of the end of April 2015, more than 10 million items from the company had been delivered to refugees in 37 countries by UNHCR, including those in Jordan, Syria, Thailand and Nepal.
As another contribution to alleviate the plight of displaced people, from 2011 Fast Retailing has operated an internship program at Uniqlo stores in Japan for refugees and their family members, offering invaluable work experience to promote their self-reliance.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which specific brands under Fast Retailing are participating in the new HELP initiative to collect clothing?
Which specific brands under Fast Retailing are participating in the new HELP initiative to collect clothing?
Collection of clothing for the HELP initiative will start at Uniqlo and GU stores. These collections will begin in Japan on October 2 and then expand to other international markets from mid-October onwards.
Q.What is the history of Fast Retailing's involvement with refugee support before this new initiative?
What is the history of Fast Retailing's involvement with refugee support before this new initiative?
Fast Retailing has been collecting clothing for refugees through its All-Product Recycling Initiative since 2006. In 2011, it became the first Asian-headquartered company to partner globally with the UNHCR.
Q.Beyond clothing donations, what other support has Fast Retailing provided for displaced people?
Beyond clothing donations, what other support has Fast Retailing provided for displaced people?
Since 2011, Fast Retailing has run an internship programme at its Uniqlo stores in Japan. This initiative provides work experience for refugees and their family members, aiming to promote their self-reliance.
Q.How much clothing has Fast Retailing previously provided to refugees and in how many countries?
How much clothing has Fast Retailing previously provided to refugees and in how many countries?
As of April 2015, Fast Retailing had delivered over 10 million items of clothing to refugees. These items were distributed by the UNHCR to displaced people in 37 different countries globally.
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