The fashion industry gets a lot of criticism for how wasteful it is. Some of Japan’s most high-profile brands are getting more serious about the problem. They’re making a bigger effort to recycle and repurpose their own used clothes.
Apparel maker Onward Kashiyama accepts used garments from consumers at its brick-and-mortar outlets and online.
It sells some of them second-hand at lower prices, and it recently started using material from other items to make hats and bags.
Textile maker Teijin Frontier developed a technology that makes it easier to recycle sportswear and other clothes containing stretch fabric.
The industry ministry is aiming for a 25-percent cut in the amount of clothes thrown out by households over the 10-year period from fiscal 2020 to 2030.