JAKARTA - A number of FamilyMart outlets in Tokyo, Japan, provide boxes to collect used clothes and household items for reuse, joining similar initiatives by other retailers, as a step to reduce waste and attract more customers.
In a trial launched jointly with Bookoff Group Holdings Ltd., which buys and sells used goods, the boxes were installed around 30 FamilyMart stores in Tokyo's residential areas. Bookoff plans to sell some of the collected goods overseas, including to Malaysia.
FamilyMart Co. said that clothes that are considered not suitable for reuse will be recycled into new fibers, reported by Kyodo News (15/5).
This program is the first collaborative project since Itochu Corp., the parent company of FamilyMart, formed a capital partnership with the Bookoff Group in February.
This project is built on FamilyMart's existing food collection charity program, which has been implemented in around 4,900 of its 16,400 stores across Japan, where people can donate excess household food to those in need.
FamilyMart is considering expanding its used goods collection project to stores across the country, with the hope that this initiative will reduce the amount of clothing discarded by about 4,000 tons per year.
According to FamilyMart, citing figures released by the Ministry of the Environment, an estimated 560,000 tons of clothing are discarded as waste in Japan each year, equivalent to about 70 percent of new clothing supplied to the market.
As recycling becomes an increasingly pressing social issue, Fast Retailing Co. is reusing clothes collected at Uniqlo and GU stores to help refugees, while major retailer Aeon Co. has installed about 700 boxes at its stores and facilities to collect used clothes.
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