Toshima Co., Ltd., a specialized textile trading company (President: Hanshichi Toshima, 2-15-15 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya), has undertaken the third-party allotment of shares in Japan Environmental Design Corporation (President: Masaki Takao, 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) through its operated CVC fund. Furthermore, Toshima has entered into a business alliance agreement to participate in Japan Environmental Design's recycled polyester business as an excellent production partner.

Japan Environmental Design plans and operates the "BRING" project, which involves collecting and recycling unwanted clothing at retail stores. Numerous retail stores and organizations have participated in this project. In December 2017, Japan Environmental Design launched a manufacturing plant for recycled polyester resin, which includes clothing collected by the company, in Kyushu's Kyounada. In the future, the company plans to sell products using this recycled polyester resin to companies participating in the "BRING" project. Toshima has formed a project team that coordinates its materials and product departments to produce and sell products using the same material. Additionally, they will collaborate with Japan Environmental Design to conduct awareness activities and information dissemination, ensuring that business partners can safely utilize this new material and supporting the quality and stable supply of the same material as an excellent production partner.

In recent years, there has been an increase in sustainability demand in the uniform market as part of companies' CSR activities and branding initiatives to resonate with consumers in the casual market, driven by the heightened environmental consciousness among consumers. Both companies aim to establish recycling infrastructure to reduce clothing waste, reuse collected clothing as raw materials for new garments, and promote the early realization of a circular economy. They will cooperate to advance this business.

• Recycled Polyester Containing Clothing Materials:
  Generally, clothing contains not only polyester but also various other fibers such as cotton and nylon. Japan Environmental Design chemically depolymerizes the polyester contained in the collected clothing, purifies and decolorizes it, and then repolymerizes it, resulting in polyester resin with quality equivalent to petroleum-derived ones.
• "BRING" Project:
  Approximately 60% (about 45 million tons annually) of clothing produced worldwide is made from petroleum-derived polyester materials. The "BRING" project promoted by Japan Environmental Design aims to reduce petroleum consumption by chemically recycling unwanted clothing into new garments.
  BRING Official Website: http://bring.org/