FamilyMart and Bookoff Group Holdings began a trial program installing donation boxes for used clothes at about 30 FamilyMart convenience stores in residential areas of Tokyo [1]. The trial aims to reduce Japan's textile waste by collecting garments for reuse or recycling.
About 560,000 tonnes of clothes are discarded annually in Japan, making up roughly 70% of the new clothing supplied each year [1]. The initiative intends to address this high volume of discarded textiles by diverting clothing from landfills.
Clothes collected through the trial that are not suitable for secondhand resale will be recycled into new fiber material, reducing environmental impact from textile waste [1]. Bookoff will also sell some used clothing overseas, including to markets in Malaysia, extending the garments’ life cycles beyond Japan [1].
FamilyMart has previously run a food donation program in around 4,900 of its 16,400 stores nationwide, giving excess household food to people in need [1]. The clothing trial marks its first large-scale textile recycling effort in stores.
The trial results will likely guide possible broader rollout plans for clothing recycling at convenience stores, targeting a reduction in Japan’s large-scale textile discards. Collection boxes will remain in place at the participating Tokyo locations as the trial continues [1].
