Supply chain transparency has picked up steam in 2018, and Fast Retailing is doing its part to advance the effort.
The Japanese parent company of Uniqlo has published a new list of all of the fast fashion chain’s core fabric mills and sewing factories. It also released a list of the core sewing factories it employs for its GU discount fashion brand.
In a statement, Fast Retailing said the move comes as part of its “ongoing commitment to increasing transparency across its supply chain in order to help protect the environment, to ensure proper working conditions for all, and to help safeguard human rights.”
Fast Retailing said it has been monitoring working and environmental conditions at its partner factories since 2004 to ensure compliance with its established codes of conduct. More recently, the company expanded its monitoring efforts to include strict standards at the fabric mills it uses, too.
To help reduce its environmental impact, Fast Retailing said it regularly tests factory wastewater to help eliminate hazardous chemical discharges, and it also leverages the Higg Index at its fabric mills in order to assess their sustainability performance and collaborate with them on initiatives to curb energy and water consumption.
The Uniqlo core fabric mill list includes the names and locations of 46 of Fast Retailing’s suppliers, from Bangladesh to China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The sewing factory list includes 184 key suppliers covering similar key sourcing locales, in addition to Cambodia.
“Fast Retailing is committed to continuing its efforts towards a more sustainable world,” the company said in a statement.
Last year, following pressure from non-profits and a group against corporate misbehavior over allegations of unethical labor practices in its supply chain, Fast Retailing released a list of 146 core factory suppliers making for its Uniqlo brand.
Publishing factory lists isn’t a new phenomenon—H&M released its list in 2013, Gap in 2016 and Bestseller was among those releasing its list this year—but as demand ramps up from consumers for better insight into the companies they buy from, more brands and retailers have gotten on board with transparency.