Fast Retailing increased target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in supply chain

Japanese apparel giant and parent company of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., has raised its target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its supply chain from 20 percent to 30 percent by the end of its financial year 2030 (ending August 2030).

Announced during its LifeWear = a New Industry briefing held on November 19, Fast Retailing also included a short overview of a new traceability initiative. The project involves sourcing wool from designated farms, enhancing animal welfare, environmental standards, human rights, and workplace safety. The company also reported progress toward its FY2030 sustainability targets and updates on supplier factory partnerships at production facilities.

“Du ring FY2025, Fast Retailing steadily continued advancing efforts to realize our vision of creating a new industry through our concept of LifeWear,” said Koji Yanai, Fast Retailing Group Senior Executive Officer, in a statement. “One of our major achievements, made possible through close collaboration with our production partners, is the pace of progress in reducing GHG emissions in our supply chain, which is ahead of schedule and has allowed us to set a higher target.” 

Fast Retailing previously set a target to reduce supply chain GHG emissions by 20 percent by 2030, based on its August 2019 levels. Through collaboration with production partners, the company achieved an 18.6 percent reduction by FY2024. Anticipating early target attainment, Fast Retailing has increased its target to 30 percent by FY2030. The company will pursue this science-based target through factory initiatives, including reduced coal usage, accelerated renewable energy adoption, improved energy efficiency, and expanded use of lower-emission materials.

In addition, earlier this year, Fast Retailing initiated a traceability project to source wool from designated Australian farms, launching a trial audit program to verify compliance with animal welfare, environmental, human rights, and occupational safety standards. 

The new initiative advances the company’s broader aim to increase supply chain visibility from raw materials to finished products, applying its quality, procurement, production, environmental, and human rights standards throughout. Previous measures launched by Fast Retailing include sourcing cotton from specified spinning mills with regular audits (introduced in 2023), designating suppliers for 100 percent cashmere products in 2024, and conducting traceability audits at wool scouring plants and spinning mills beginning Fall/Winter 2024.