As consumers' interest in environmentally friendly products grows, department stores and other department stores are actively engaged in the business of reusing old clothes and bags to create new products.
Takashimaya, a major department store, is in full swing to sell clothing made from polyester taken from used clothing, and from this month, it has begun selling new jackets and suits in collaboration with the brands it opens.
We are also working on collecting clothes that we no longer wear at stores, and in the future, we would like to put the system for recycling and commercializing the collected clothing on track.
Yusuke Hashi, a buyer of the company, said, "Since clothing is the main sales force in department stores, we would like to contribute to solving social issues by reducing waste."
On the other hand, the bag brand "Tsuchiya Bag Factory" started a business this month to take over its unused products, repair broken parts, and sell them at about 60% of the list price.
The company is aiming for annual sales of 500 million yen by five years, and the person in charge, Tomohiro Sasada, said, "I want to appeal to people who are attracted to the point of reuse."
Consumers are paying more attention to environmentally friendly products, and even among companies that handle branded products, the business of regenerating old products is becoming active.