KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Bernama) -- Global apparel retailer UNIQLO has reinforced its commitment to environmental conservation by donating RM200,000 to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to support its forest conservation programmes.
The donation represents a portion of the proceeds collected whenever customers purchase paper shopping bags at UNIQLO stores.
“In collaboration with FRIM, the donation will fund various initiatives, including tree inventory and mapping, monitoring, and maintenance activities, and a UNIQLO Awareness Programme,” the company said in a statement today.
UNIQLO Malaysia’s director of Legal and Sustainability, Evelyn Tan said as a member of the local community the company feels responsible for helping preserve and protect green spaces.
"We are honoured to expand our forest conservation efforts in partnership with FRIM, aiming to enhance their conservation initiatives and raise awareness about the critical need to protect our forests," she said in the statement.
Meanwhile, in the same statement, FRIM director general, Dr. Ismail Parlan said the institute is grateful for UNIQLO's support towards conservation efforts and commitment to promote environmental awareness.
"Partnerships with corporations like UNIQLO enable us to continuously conserve and preserve the trees in our project sites, while also facilitating community engagement activities to raise awareness about the importance of forests," he said.
The statement highlighted that funds donated by UNIQLO would support FRIM's tree inventory and mapping project. This project aims to assess carbon stock and species composition by mapping and measuring trees with a diameter exceeding 10 cm.
In 2020, UNIQLO introduced Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper shopping bags, sourced responsibly. The RM0.30 charge for these bags reflects the retailer's commitment to sustainability by reducing the use of single-use plastic materials in its operations.
UNIQLO has also demonstrated its commitment to preserving green spaces through previous contributions, including donations to the Taman Tugu Park in Kuala Lumpur.
The statement added that UNIQLO will continue to explore solutions and partnerships to further support forest conservation and environmental protection initiatives in Malaysia and globally, as part of its environmental sustainability efforts.
The public can learn more about UNIQLO's sustainability initiatives at www.uniqlo.com/my.
-- BERNAMA
