Circular design manufacturing

With the aim of helping to realize the circular economy, we undertake manufacturing that incorporates resource recovery as a key part of the process.

The PATCHWORKSTM project was launched with the goal of building a new future by creating opportunities for all apparel items that have been discarded as waste to be recycled to make new apparel by 2050. This is a project to promote the development of the circular economy in the fiber and fashion sector. The initial phase involves working together with various partners to target the main categories of fiber used in apparel manufacturing – including polyester, cotton, and nylon – and build a reverse supply chain (RSC) “textile-to-textile” cycle whereby used apparel, etc. is collected and recycled. In the forward supply chain (FSC), we are working with partner companies to drive the development of recycling-friendly fiber materials and products. In this way, we are promoting the effective utilization of resources and contributing toward the realization of the sustainable society.

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Eco-friendly materials

We listen carefully to customers’ issues and needs in relation to the environment, and, in response, we undertake the planning, development and supply of proprietary materials that are unique to our company.

We are committed to developing and providing materials of the kind that only TFE can offer, including: T2T (Textile-to-Textile) Polyester – A recycled polyester material made using material recovered from used apparel Re:fiVer – A recycled polyester material with a modified cross-section fiber structure, which uses recycled PET bottles as the raw material OceanCycle – A recycled polyester material which uses marine plastic waste (PET bottles) as the raw material netplus – A nylon material made from discarded fishing nets ABSSOLOOP – A recycled nylon material made from recycled automotive airbag offcuts Vegan Leather – A material made by processing food waste and breaking it down into microscopic particles, to create a raw material for manufacturing artificial leather KAMITO – A material made from coniferous tree thinnings that is used as a raw material for manufacturing traditional Japanese-style paper Through dialog with customers and through market research, we identify the issues and concerns affecting our customers, and then work closely with our production facilities (both in and outside Japan) and with partner companies in the supply chain to speedily develop and supply new materials.

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Environmental compliance consulting

We use our knowledge of global markets to provide support to help companies implement timely production in the right quantities, realize visualization of environmental assessment indicators, and reduce CO2 emissions.

To address the issue of wasteful excess production (including inventory loss and waste loss), which is a major problem for the fiber and fashion sector, by leveraging our knowhow in relation to the Toyota Production System (TPS) and by implementing Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and measures to enhance productivity at our own plants (in Vietnam and China), we provide support for achieving timely production in the right quantities. By adopting PLM, in the short term we are aiming to promote greater operational efficiency, and over the medium to long term we are aiming to reduce lead times through data integration based on close coordination with suppliers and through data linkage with customers. We have a track record of providing support to many customers who need to implement leading-edge environmental compliance and obtain environmental certifications in global markets, and we provide optimal solutions, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and environmental indicator visualization. By effectively utilizing the knowhow that we have accumulated through CO2 reduction and circular economy initiatives, we are able to help our customers who are implementing environmental compliance.

Global production system

Our production is underpinned by our own production facilities in Vietnam and China (manufacturing functionality) and by our global business flow (trading company functionality).

Coordinating the operations of various production sites both within and outside Japan, we provide optimal material and product proposals and undertake contracted manufacturing in line with the needs of leading apparel makers and SPA (Specialty store retailer of Private label Apparel) companies. Our overseas production operations include plants in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam, and by implementing production flow based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) at both our own plants and partner plants, we are able to meet our customers’ varying needs. At our own production sites, we have put in place a system that enables us to respond rapidly to customers’ diverse requirements, for example in terms of being able to manufacture a wide range of product types, implement complex production processes, perform small-lot production, and meet tight lead times. In addition, by collaborating with reliable partner companies and leveraging the special strengths of Toyota Tsusho, we provide integrated service covering every stage from planning through to production, logistics and sales, thereby realizing quality enhancement and cost reductions, and providing our customers with production environment proposals that give them the kind of production environment that they want.

Materials for other industries

We supply various materials to customers in many different industries, including not only Japanese and international apparel firms, but also production materials makers and yarn manufacturers, etc.

It is not just apparel makers that need fiber to manufacture their products. Companies across a wide range of industries, both within and outside Japan, are adopting new types of fiber and other materials. We provide diverse materials solutions and products not only to apparel firms, but also to customers in many other industries. In particular, our recycled polyester and recycled nylon materials (areas where we have special expertise) are used in products across multiple different industries besides apparel, including utilization as raw material for molding sporting goods such as snowboards and boots, and other applications that include office and home furniture and sundries, carpets, construction materials and industrial materials, etc. The environmental, safety, durability and quality requirements vary depending on the industry and on the individual product. Leveraging the wealth of data and track record of successful performance that we have in relation to different industries and products, and having built up relationships of trust with suppliers in each sector that possess extensive specialist knowhow, we strive to implement high-quality manufacturing in line with our customers’ needs.