In recent years, food loss isn't the only major form of waste that the world is dealing with. There is now growing concern over "clothing waste." Not only are fashion trends hard to predict, they can also change quickly. This means that the apparel industry is constantly over producing across a wide range of products in order to ensure that it can keep up with demand. Of the 2.9 billion clothing items imported to or produced in Japan every year, nearly half end up getting thrown away. This week's episode shows how some apparel companies are trying to overcome "clothing waste" by using IT technology and innovative recycling techniques to reduce waste and cut costs while still remaining competitive.

Plastic waste from all around the world is ending up in Southeast Asia. After China stopped accepting the trash in 2018, Malaysia became the top importer. It receives hundreds of thousands of tons from Japan and other wealthy nations, and the results have been shocking. Shipments of plastic waste are piling up in ports and illegal recyclers are dumping mountains of scrap in rural areas, risking the health of local people. In Indonesia, pristine beach resorts are polluted by plastic garbage as authorities struggle to cope with the influx. In this special edition of BIZ STREAM, we send an investigation team to the region to find out how the situation developed, and what local people are doing to tackle the problem.