New Body “Study Group on Sustainability of Textile Industry” to be Inaugurated

1. Purposes

Since the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the global community has been raising momentum and advancing efforts for sustainability as seen in the announcement in Europe by the European Commission (EU) of its “Circular Economy Action Plan.”

The textile industry has built long supply chains that are characteristic to the industry, that range from manufacturing raw materials of threads and textiles, to planning and manufacturing products, to distributing and selling them. The industry is requested to engage in efforts to improve sustainability in the respective steps of the supply chains, and, in response, Japanese companies have embarked on such efforts, which included development of environmentally-friendly raw materials, acquisition of international certificates and collection of used textiles at stores.

In addition, responsible supply chain management is considered an important perspective for future business management.

Furthermore, the textile industry in Japan has suffered serious damage due to tthe COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this setback, some companies are starting new efforts, such as reviewing business strategies with an eye on improving sustainability.

In light of this situation, the study group will hold discussions and deliberations on “supply structures,” “environmental friendliness,” “responsible management of supply chains” and other issues, aiming to encourage the textile industry to engage in efforts for sustainability, and will compile the discussion results into a report.

2. Schedule and other information

The first meeting will be held on February 25, 2021. The meetings will be held about once a month and a report will be compiled around the summer of 2021.

These meetings will be closed to the public in order to ensure an opportunity for members and other participants in the study group to exchange their opinions in a frank and free manner. However, the distributed materials and summaries of the minutes of the meetings will be released at a later date.

Division in Charge

Lifestyle Industries Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau