YKK Corporation, the manufacturer of zippers and fastening products, today announced that it has become a signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

YKK joins more than 100 signatories to the Charter, which supports the goals of the Paris Agreement in limiting global temperature rise to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels and sets specific goals for the fashion industry to implement. These goals focus on a 30-percent aggregate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action was launched under the auspices of United Nations Climate Change at COP24 (24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in December 2018.

In a press release YKK stated, it will continue its efforts to identify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its business activities, including raw material procurement, production processes, logistics, and the supply chain. Within the next two years, it will set science-based targets consistent with what the latest climate science suggests is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement — to limit global warming to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.

YKK aims to obtain Science Based Targets initiative certification.

“YKK has a long history of environmental stewardship, which is an integral part of our ‘Cycle of Goodness’ philosophy. Our Environmental Pledge was signed by our CEO in 1994, and we created Natulon, the first zipper made from recycled PET bottles and polyester remnants, 26 years ago,” said Hiroaki Otani, president, YKK Corporation. “Signing the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action signals to the world not only our continued commitment to sustainability in our product development and manufacturing processes but also our desire to work together with other organizations in the industry to accelerate the reduction of GHG emissions.”