JRCCD and ALL YOURS launches upcycling project MAWASU STATION

JR Central Community Design (JRCCD), JR East Start-Up Company, apparel brand ALL YOURS, and Kurabo Industries have come together to give a second life to unwanted clothing.

From July through September, these partners will transform discarded garments into upcycled textile products. Shoppers will find these innovative items available online and at select retail spaces, including Cereo and nonowa outlets within stations on the JR Chuo Line.

Last year, as part of the first-phase initiative at MAWASU STATION – a recycling hub dedicated to reutilizing and repurposing clothing – the alliance used Kurabo’s unique upcycling system, L∞PLUS. They successfully converted portions of unused clothes gathered between July and September into new fibers, leading to the creation of MAWASU STATION’s original tenugui (Japanese hand towels) and handkerchiefs.

MAWASU STATION is a circular economy model aiming to transform unloved garments into valuable commodities. This summer, they’re expanding their collection points to include ticket gates at specific JR Chuo Line and JR Nanbu Line stations, alongside Cereo and nonowa stores. The collected items will be maintained, treated with antibacterial processes, and then All Yours will transform suitable pieces into corporate uniforms.

Garments unsuitable for reuse will not go to waste. With the application of Kurabo’s L∞PLUS upcycling system, these will be turned into new fibers that serve as raw materials for future textile products.

By integrating the L∞PLUS system, the initiative is constructing a novel local circular model, repurposing the collected clothes into new textiles, which are then circulated back into the community. The aim is to generate a new production platform that stimulates local revitalization.

The second phase of the MAWASU STATION project will commence on July 1. There will be new collection drives for unwanted clothing at select JR stations, as well as at Cereo and nonowa stores, accompanied by the sale of new textile products. A workshop event is scheduled for July 4, giving the public a closer look at the recycling revolution in action.