Shimamura Co., Ltd., operator of the Shimamura Group, has announced that from July 21 it will launch permanent clothing collection at virtually all of its group stores (Shimamura, Avail, Birthday, Chambre, and Divalo), with only a small number of locations excluded.
The company has been piloting clothing collection at selected stores since 2024 and has gathered more than 300 tonnes of garments to date. By expanding the programme to cover nearly all stores and switching to a permanent, year-round collection model, the group aims to let shoppers drop off unwanted clothing whenever they visit.
The Shimamura Group has long maintained a zero-waste policy of selling through its merchandise and disposing of no surplus inventory. The company explains that this initiative extends that policy to clothing after it has been purchased, with the goal of reducing the amount of unwanted garments sent to landfill.
Clothing collected in stores is consolidated at the circulation centres operated by ECOMMIT Co., Ltd., a resource circulation services company. There, items are sorted for reuse or recycling based on their condition. Items suitable for reuse are resold domestically and internationally through ECOMMIT’s PASSTO platform. Items directed to recycling are processed through the “MUDA ZERO” project run by apparel manufacturer Kaitac Family Co., Ltd., which regenerates the garments into yarn, enabling a true garment-to-garment recycling loop. Products made from MUDA ZERO-regenerated yarn have been on sale at Shimamura Group stores since fiscal year 2025.
The collection covers clothing from any brand, not just Shimamura Group products. Items excluded from the programme include underwear and socks, footwear, bags, hats and other fashion accessories, bedding, and leather goods (including synthetic leather). Shoppers are asked to launder items before bringing them in and to check pockets for any belongings. Wet or heavily soiled items cannot be accepted, and dropped-off clothing will not be returned.
While in-store clothing collection limited to a retailer’s own products is not uncommon among major apparel chains, the Shimamura Group’s programme stands out for accepting items from any brand and operating on a permanent basis across virtually all of its group stores.
Details of participating stores are available on the Shimamura Group’s official website.
