※This is a machine-translated text of the original article.
On April 1, 2020, UNIQLO and GU, both of which are subsidiaries of Fast Retailing Co Ltd, announced that all stores in Japan would charge for shopping bags and sell them at a price of 10 yen (excluding taxes).
As concerns about environmental pollution caused by plastic waste are growing worldwide, the company has set a target of reducing disposable plastic used by shoppers by 85% (approximately 7,800 tons) by 2020 from the group’s 2018 level.
As part of this effort, from September 2019, the company has been successively switching to environmentally friendly paper using FSC-certified(*) paper or recycled paper for plastic shopping bags.
In line with the introduction of paper shopping bags at all UNIQLO and GU stores in Japan, we began pay-per-share sales of shopping bags.
In addition, the company plans to promote the use of “my bags” and reduce the use of shopping bags as a whole.
At the same time, the company said it will promote the elimination of plastic packages and switching to alternative packages using FSC-certified paper.
Previously, the company discontinued plastic packaging for UNIQLO room shoes from the autumn/winter 2019 season, and also introduced paper packages for some air-rhythm products in the 2020 spring/summer season.
From the fall and winter season of 2020, the company plans to switch to alternative material packages for UNIQLO Heat Tech and some GU inner products.
(*) Forest Stewardship Council certification.
Original Text: https://ampmedia.jp/2020/02/18/fastretailing/