Can a T-shirt make a global impact? In the eyes of Uniqlo, that answer is a resounding yes after taking its PEACE FOR ALL global charity T-shirt project into consideration. PEACE FOR ALL is built around something remarkably simple: a T-shirt. An everyday purchase can be a meaningful catalyst for change in a world facing increasingly complex social challenges. The premise is straightforward, but its strength lies in making participation almost effortless.

“PEACE FOR ALL turns an everyday T-shirt into meaningful action for peace. Together with our collaborators, customers and partners, we aim to deepen its impact and build a lasting movement for positive change. Small actions, multiplied across millions of people, can create meaningful change,” echoed Yukihiro Nitta, Fast Retailing Group Executive Officer in charge of Sustainability.

From left to right: Sonia Chew (Mediacorp Personality), Crystal Tan (Senior Assistant Director, HEART@Fei Yue, Child Protection Specialist Centre), Hwee Lee (Senior Sustainability Director, Uniqlo Singapore), Urassaya Sperbund (Uniqlo Thailand Brand Ambassador), Yukihiro Nitta (Fast Retailing Sustainability Group Officer), Elizabeth Teare (Corporate Partnership and Philanthropy Manager, Save the Children), Jack Lim (Managing Director, Community Chest)

Since PEACE FOR ALL started in June 2022, the project has donated over US$22.2 million from 11.8 million T-shirt sales to global humanitarian organisations UNHCR, Plan International, Save the Children and Uniqlo-founded Displacement Film Fund. Closer to home, Uniqlo announced its partnership with Community Chest to support lower-income families and those facing domestic violence.

“People [sometimes] hesitate because they think there are many things they need to do [when wanting to do good]. If you’re already buying a T-shirt, why not buy a PEACE FOR ALL T-shirt? It’s a simple decision that can make an impact,” explained Hwee Lee, Senior Sustainability Director, Uniqlo Singapore, when asked what the biggest barrier preventing good intentions from becoming meaningful impact is. “We want to make it easy for everyone to take action.”

Hwee Lee (Senior Sustainability Director, Uniqlo Singapore)

For Jack Lim, Managing Director of Community Chest, the partnership also demonstrates how businesses can make a more sustained contribution when philanthropy is woven into their operations, rather than treated as a separate initiative. “The moment you weave your philanthropic strategy into your core business, you institutionalise it. This enables giving to become more seamless within the company, allowing businesses to do good sustainably over the medium to long term, even as they do well. Ultimately, the two go hand in hand,” he said.

Jack Lim (Managing Director, Community Chest)

Peace is a very broad term, almost an ambiguous one. When we talk about peace, what outcome are you aiming for, and who are the beneficiaries?

Hwee Lee (HL): The PEACE FOR ALL project looks to help people who are facing poverty, discrimination, inequality, and violence, as well as those who need humanitarian support.

When I first started working on the project, I often asked myself: “What does a person feel when they have no peace?” They may feel hungry, unsafe, embarrassed about their circumstances, despised, discriminated against, or ostracised.

These are all conditions in which a person does not experience peace, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. Peace in Singapore goes beyond intercultural or religious harmony. There’s much more to it, particularly in a complex society like Singapore’s.

One aspect of a person’s life can affect another. That’s why we hope that by helping children, we can give them a good start in life and make an impact on generations to come.

Jack Lim (JL): The concept is very broad, as you mentioned, but the beauty of the Uniqlo campaign is also the simplicity of the word and what it translates into.

Hwee has explained very eloquently how it translates into peace of mind and peace at home. These are simple issues, but they’re about creating balance. It’s about having a sense of dignity and a sense of choice.

Ultimately, families are the bedrock of our society. We need strong, thriving families and children whose destinies and lives are not necessarily limited or dictated by their present circumstances. If we can uplift them and help them realise their potential, I think the world will be a better and more peaceful place.

What does peace and social good mean in the context of Uniqlo’s work in Singapore?

HL: We provide LifeWear to our customers at Uniqlo Singapore. With PEACE FOR ALL, it’s LifeWear with a message of peace that extends the ability to take a stand. Your action becomes something more meaningful when it helps local beneficiaries in Singapore. Through PEACE FOR ALL, we’re also bringing customers along on this journey to create a collective impact and help Singapore.

Most people care about social good, but very few take the first step towards action. In your respective fields, what do you think is the biggest barrier preventing good intentions from becoming meaningful impact?

HL: Our solution at Uniqlo is to make it simple and easy to understand. We designed these PEACE FOR ALL T-shirts specifically with our collaborators and community partners to ensure that when customers buy one, they can immediately make an impact.

People might hesitate [taking the first step to good] because they think they need to do a lot, or that certain conditions must be in place. But if you’re already buying a T-shirt, why not buy a PEACE FOR ALL T-shirt? Ultimately, it helps our customers make a simple decision that turns into an impactful purchase.

JL: I think Singaporeans are generally generous and kind-hearted. If we can make giving and small acts of kindness part of everyday life, and remove the barriers and friction involved, I think we’ll see more acts of kindness and goodwill from Singaporeans. That’s exactly what Uniqlo has enabled through its network, coverage, geographical distribution across the island, and ubiquity across a wide demographic.

You can now walk into a store and, as Hwee Lee has succinctly put it, make a stand and express your values by purchasing a T-shirt, knowing the proceeds will go toward making a difference in somebody else’s life. Ultimately, it’s about making the entire giving journey more seamless.

What does a corporate partnership need to create genuine, lasting social impact rather than simply short-term funding?

HL: Choosing the right partner is important. As you can see from many of Uniqlo’s sustainability programmes, we don’t go about things alone. We need to agree on the goal we’re working towards. The choice of partner is also shaped by a robust measurement system.

It has been almost a year since we first started talking about what we wanted to do with PEACE FOR ALL. Peace is a subject we sometimes take for granted, so we began by exploring in detail what it means, what it means in Singapore, and who we want to help.

Another very important consideration for us was finding a partner that’s responsible, credible, and has good governance. Community Chest has all these qualities. 100 per cent of the funds they receive from our customers and us go to the beneficiaries.

JL: Apart from being a 100 per cent pass-through model, which ensures zero slippage, Community Chest, as a national fundraising and philanthropic organisation, provides the underlying governance and stewardship of these funds. We have the data, and as Hwee Lee alluded to, after understanding the business model and the needs of our corporate partners, we guide and translate those needs into areas where the greatest needs or impact can be addressed.

We spend a lot of time working with charities and social service agencies by using the necessary standards and frameworks. Ultimately, the ability to articulate outcomes and impact is very important, especially when this becomes institutionalised as part of Uniqlo’s business model. The ability to make social disclosures and report on impact matters to our partners. People will want to know where their money has gone, and how many lives it has impacted and uplifted.

Beyond quantifying the impact through funds raised and the number of T-shirts sold, what does success look like for this campaign qualitatively?

JL: The number of lives impacted is definitely one. We already measure the process from inputs and outputs through to outcomes with our charity partners. In this case, we can track the campaign’s effectiveness.

While it may sound like there is a lot of measurement because I keep using that word, it’s really about much more than that. It’s about using data, evidence, and science to make better judgements about whose lives we impact, how we affect them, and how we change and uplift individuals and families.

HL: On the other hand, we also look at the sales figures of the PEACE FOR ALL T-shirts. The more customers support this project by buying the T-shirts, the more we know they are coming on board to help. We also measure the impact through the reports Community Chest provides. These help us track whether the programmes are moving in the direction we intended. It’s a journey we take together: Uniqlo, Community Chest, our community partners and beneficiaries, and our customers, all coming together to create an outcome.

JL: Society is much more resilient and stronger when it is kinder and more caring. Society thrives when we bring different parts of the community together to join hands and be part of the solution. Whether you are a business or a customer, the ability to take action matters a lot.

How can organisations such as Community Chest, social service agencies, and businesses work together to address needs that no single person or organisation can tackle alone?

JL: An individual’s private act of kindness is great, and we strongly encourage it. If somebody wants to give directly to a charity, power to that person. We strongly encourage that. However, when you purchase a T-shirt with a line saying something such as, “Let’s talk together”, it signals what matters to us as a society and the shared values we have as a community. Solidarity, the idea that everyone has a part to play and can make a small difference in somebody else’s life, is really important.

The interview was conducted in a group format, all responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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