Itochu & Ecommit to expand sustainable textile in Japan

In the textile and fashion industries, reducing environmental burden and maintaining sustainable growth are gaining global attention as issues. Itochu launched the Renu Project in the spring of 2019 to shine a light on the problem of excessive waste, and has worked to solve this problem through developing Renu, a recycled polyester material derived from used clothing and textile waste generated during textile manufacturing. Ecommit has worked to create mechanisms to recycle resources with its nation-wide collection logistics network and the creation of a tracking system from production to recycling, the company said in a press release.

With this new initiative as a part of the Renu project, textile products coming out of various sites will be collected and sorted through combining Itochu’s network in the textile and fashion industries and Ecommit’s system from collection to resource recycling. This includes used clothing collected at retail stores from consumers, textile waste products from businesses, and clothing collected by local governments. Reusable products will be reused utilising Ecommit’s knowledge, and recyclable polyester products will be made into Renu. In doing so, the amount of discarded textile products will be reduced as much as possible, the lifecycle of products in the textile and fashion industries will be prolonged, and resources will be used effectively. Through the popularisation of this service, Itochu aims to realise a circular economy by resolving issues from multiple angles surrounding the problem of waste for businesses and local governments involved in industry.

Itochu’s Brand-new Deal 2023, its medium-term management plan, includes business transformation through the incorporation of consumer needs into products and continued contribution to/efforts in the SDGs in its basic policies. As a part of this plan, Itochu is working to create a value chain in the textile industry, starting with sustainable raw materials. Itochu aims to solve sustainability issues and achieve sustainable growth in the textile and fashion industries in the future through the evolution of business models and the offering of new services centred around a value chain that includes everything from raw materials to products.