Increase use of sustainable materials
YKK will reduce waste and the use of petroleum derived materials throughout the lifecycle of our Fastening products. We will contribute to the transition to a circular society by eliminating production and plastic waste and developing products designed for circularity.
Goals
- By 2030, switch to 100% sustainable textile materials (recycled materials, naturally-derived materials, etc.)
- By 2030, replace all vinyl/plastic packaging materials with sustainable packaging, including recyclable/reusable forms.
- Reduce the amount of waste to be landfilled or incinerated at all production sites.
- By 2030, increase the waste recycling rate to 90%
Topics
Creating Sustainable Materials
In FY2020, sales of the NATULON® Series, zippers that use recycled materials, increased 88% year-on-year, bringing the proportion of products that use sustainable materials to 6.5% (total meters) of all products sold. Furthermore, we rolled out NATULON Plus®, which contains a higher level of recycled materials, and GreenRise®, a partially plant-derived zipper. We are also making a phased switchover of SOFIX® products to SOFIX® NATULON®.
Packing Materials
We proposed a scheme to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment to collect and reuse plastic packaging materials used at the time of product shipment from customers (garment factories, etc.) and participated in the “Plastic Smart” campaign organized by the Ministry.
Reduction and Recycling of Waste
The amount of generated waste declined with the fall in production volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we will continue suppressing the generation of waste through such measures as the updating of our production facilities.
Moreover, by proactively selecting recycling companies to handle waste disposal, we now have six plants with a recycling rate of 100% and 13 plants with a recycling rate of more than 90%.
FY2020 Results
Landfill disposal amount: 7,029 tons (down 2,700 tons YOY)
Recycling rate: 82.3% (up 2.5% YOY)