A new report sheds light on the progress YKK made this year toward its goals for environmental stewardship and climate neutrality by 2050.
In 2024, the Japanese trims manufacturer increased it usage of materials from sustainable sources by 12 points to 38 percent of all product sales. A newly developed proprietary in-house recycling technology for copper and zinc alloys is contributing to this increase. The materials are currently used in zippers.
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The company aims to increase the ratio of products made with sustainable inputs to 51 percent.
Additionally, 31 percent of YKK’s packaging is now sustainable. The company’s Kurobe Manufacturing Center replaced the main outer packaging cardboard for fastening products with packaging which uses paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
YKK is scaling the number of products designed for recycling. It recently bowed developed Natulon Plus with recycled PET open parts. The chain and the open parts are made of recycled PET, while the slider is made of metal. The company says the product simplifies the garment processing stage of textile recycling by reducing the need to remove the zipper.
“YKK will continue enhancing its products designed for circularity such as those that are easily recyclable and repairable, while aggressively working to tackle environmental problems in the apparel industry across the entire supply chain,” said Terry Tsukumo, VP, product strategy division, global sales headquarters, YKK Corporation.
Water continues to be an area of focus. In 2024, the company achieved 91.9 percent waste recycling rate. Water intake decreased 22.1 percent compared to a FY2018 baseline. YKK reported that it conducted wastewater management studies based on ZDHC wastewater guidelines and analyzed water risks at each of its manufacturing sites.
YKK also globally deployed the ZDHC MRSL compliance level assessment system for better chemical management. In 2024, the company sourced alternative materials for non-compliant materials in the 2023 version of the YKK RSL and conducted fluorine testing of all purchased materials. It switched to materials that are alternatives to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) wherever possible.
In July, the trims manufacturer announced that it slashed direct emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 56.2 percent and reduced Scope 3 GHG emissions 32.7 percent from 2018 levels. This surpasses YKK’s target, recognized by SBTi, to half the company’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.