Integrated Group Efforts to Reduce Environmental Footprint | Core Theme 3 | Sustainability

Incorporating Reduction into Business Activities

Introduced in 2010, the apparel recycling program had entailed collecting trade-ins of clothing and shoes so that these items might be reused (resold). In addition, we ask customers submitting trade-in items about their shoe-related concerns and use this information in the development of our Rakuchin Kirei series of private brand shoes, which feature not only appealing designs but also superior comfort delivered through sizes matched to customer feet. In developing these shoes, we have employed a process fine-tuned to addressing customer concerns. This process includes having customers participate in planning meetings and creating original shoe trees to expand the range of sizes we can provide. These efforts help to prevent products from going unused due to not matching customer needs, for example, being too painful to wear and thus getting thrown away, effectively expanding the function of the apparel recycling program to include the reduction of waste. We hope to contribute to the resolution of social issues through these efforts. Furthermore, we display the environmental impact from the entire lifecycle of our private brand products on product tags to propose new lifestyles by allowing customers to consciously choose eco-friendly products.

Apparel Recycling Program

Social Contributions	Oct.1991	Commenced Heartfelt Disaster Relief Clothing Donation Program
Social Contributions through Main Business	Commencement of Apparel Recycling Program
	May2010	Introduced clothing trade-in program Commenced participation in FUKU-FUKU Project
	Sep.	Began conducting charity bazaars selling used clothing in Marui stores
	Mar.2011	Great East Japan Earthquake
	Apr.	Began holding clothing trade-in charity drives to support quake-stricken regions
	May	Started holding events for providing used clothing free of charge to people in quake-stricken regions
	May2013	Began conducting charity bazaars selling used clothing in quake-stricken regions
	Dec.	Started trial trade-in program for women's shoes
Transformation of Main Business into Social Contribution Undertaking	Sep.2014	Unveiled new "Marui Future" title for social contribution activities and subsequently changed name of clothing trade-in charity drives to Marui Trade-in Program and changed name of charity bazaars to Reuse Markets
	Reduction through Provision of Shoes That Match Customers' Feet
	Dec.2014	Presented with Chairperson's Award, Eco-Products Awards Steering Committee in eco-service division of Eco-Products 2014
	May2015	Selected as finalist in the Tohoku region division of 3rd Nikkei Social Initiative Award
	Established Marui Future Project Team as Groupwide task force for determining MARUI GROUP's future course
	Mar.2020	Discontinued clothing trade-in program and charity bazaars
	May2021	Disclosed key performance indicators for impact with regard to the development of a circular economy

Reuse Promoted through Clothing and Shoe Trade-in Programs

In Japan, approximately 1.5 million tons of clothing items are thrown away each year, but less than 30% of these items are reused or recycled. To address this issue, we conducted a trade-in program at Marui stores over the period from 2010 to March 2020. Through this program, we worked to contribute to society together with customers by allowing them to trade in clothing items and shoes that they no longer needed. Trade-in items were either resold for reuse or were donated to provide disaster relief or support developing countries, effectively reducing the amount of clothing items and shoes that become waste.

ESG DATA BOOKs

MARUI Trade-in Program Linked to Customers

The Company launched an apparel trade-in program at Marui stores in 2010, and, as of March 2017, an aggregate total of approximately 5.7 million clothing items and shoes had been traded in by customers. Through this program, customers would receive one ¥200 discount coupon for each no-longer-used clothing item or pair of shoes they traded in at a Marui store. Articles received from customers were sorted by Group company MOVING CO., LTD., and then the venue through which they were to be reused was determined based on their condition and the need for such items. This program was discontinued in March 2020.

Receipt of trade-in items at Marui store
(2010–March 2020)
Trade-in clothing items and shoes being sorted and maintained at product center
(2010–March 2020)

Reuse at Special Charity Bazaars in the Tohoku Region

Shortly after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, MARUI GROUP launched a clothing donation program to support the reconstruction of the damaged Tohoku region. We later transformed this initiative in May 2013, two years after the earthquake, evolving these activities, which had previously supplied clothing to support the lives of affected individuals, to support people's independence in order to contribute to reconstruction. To provide this new type of reconstruction support, we set up special charity bazaars that dealt in used items in the towns of Onagawa and Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture. At these bazaars, we had clothing store owners and other individuals sell used items to give people living in the surrounding areas a chance to enjoy shopping and fashion.

Isatomae, Minamisanriku Town, Motoyoshi-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
Trade-in items being resold at store in Hamare Utatsu shopping district
Onagawa Town, Oshika-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
Store reselling trade-in items at Onagawa Machinaka Kouryuukan

Onagawa Town, Oshika-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
Store reselling trade-in items at Onagawa Machinaka Kouryuukan
Onagawa Town, Oshika-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
Used clothing items being resold

Waste Reduction from Preventing the Creation of Products that Go Unused

MARUI GROUP views product creation as the act of making products that match the physical characteristics of individual customers. We facilitate these efforts by creating products together with customers and asking them directly about their concerns and needs. Surveys are also used for this purpose. It was through a survey that we learned of how many shoes are thrown away because of comfort or size issues that become apparent after their purchase. MARUI GROUP sought to rectify this issue by improving the comfort of shoes and expanding the range of available sizes to cover all customer foot sizes. In this manner, we endeavor to reduce waste by proposing products that perfectly match customers' needs and thereby preventing the creation of products that go unused.

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