HCM CITY — Japanese global apparel retailer UNIQLO and its parent company, Fast Retailing, are focusing on advancing a corporate growth model aligned with sustainable development.

Speaking at a press briefing on October 1 to announce its sustainability results, Akiyama Naoki, general director of UNIQLO Vietnam, said Fast Retailing achieved a 90.3 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2025, exceeding its 90 per cent target for 2030 five years ahead of schedule.

Renewable electricity accounted for 93.5 per cent of electricity used across its stores and corporate offices, with the company targeting 100 per cent renewable electricity utilisation by 2030.

To strengthen supply stability while integrating sustainability across its operations, Fast Retailing is expanding long-term partnerships with manufacturers and raw material suppliers. Its responsible procurement approach considers environmental protection, human rights, biodiversity and animal welfare alongside product quality. Supply-chain traceability is also being expanded beyond cotton and cashmere to other raw materials.

Globally, Fast Retailing is expanding its social initiatives through programmes such as The Heart of LifeWear, PEACE FOR ALL and ocean conservation education.

In Việt Nam, UNIQLO has implemented environmental and community programmes, with all stores committed to obtaining International Renewable Energy Certificate (I-REC) certification.

In July 2026, UNIQLO partnered with Gaia Nature Conservation Centre to plant 833 giáng hương trees at Tà Kóu Nature Reserve in Lâm Đồng Province, funded by paper-bag charges collected at its stores.

A clean-water programme launched in 2022 has benefited more than 7,000 residents, teachers and students, while RE.UNIQLO has collected and donated nearly 56,000 garments to people in difficult circumstances across more than 10 provinces and cities.

UNIQLO has worked with Hope Foundation to improve learning facilities in remote and disadvantaged areas, completing and handing over seven school sites and one bathroom facility by May 2026.

Its partnership with the Disability Research and Capacity Development (DRD) Centre has also enabled nine people with disabilities to join its stores.

The Fast Retailing Foundation Scholarship has supported 36 Vietnamese students pursuing English-language undergraduate programmes at universities in Japan since 2023.

Through The Heart of LifeWear, UNIQLO Việt Nam has donated 20,000 HEATTECH and 1,100 PUFFTECH products to disadvantaged residents, teachers and students in four provinces, in cooperation with Plan International and Hope Foundation.

Its PEACE FOR ALL project with Plan International supports learning and raises awareness among ethnic minority children about child marriage and consanguineous marriage. As of August 2026, it had supported 4,075 students and reached 2,181 young people. — VNS