The sustainable development of Asian fashion needs to form a complete ideology

For most Hong Kong natives, living in one of the most densely populated cities in the world means shoe-sized apartments and sky-high rents, but Christina Dean sees a glimmer of hope.

“The city is small, but it is crowded with influential people,” said the founder and chairman of the board of the NGO Redress, which is committed to reducing textile waste in the fashion industry. Just last week, the company awarded its ninth design award, the world's largest sustainable fashion competition sponsored by local authorities, FedEx (UPS) and China's leading fashion group Jiangnan Cloth JNBY. A sustainable retail collection will be designed with the sponsors.

“Experts in the textiles and raw materials industry, investors, NGOs, carbon emissions, supply chain, logistics, shipping, export, legislative committees, etc... The whole industry is holding a stone, which is ideal The way of cooperation.” But Dean said that this is just one of the reasons why Hong Kong is ready to become the next sustainable fashion center in Asia.

Garment brand factories and processing plants may be scattered throughout the rest of Asia, but many companies are headquartered in Hong Kong – a free port and the world's third largest logistics center – to avoid tariffs on imported goods and low logistics costs.

“In the 1950s, Hong Kong was one of the largest garment exporting cities in Asia. (Today) this is not the case, but we retain a lot of manufacturing expertise and know-how,” Dean told BoF. “Local companies are 300 in the world. The location has a factory that is only 5 hours away from the world's 50% of the population, which is a huge competitive advantage."

The city is not lacking in fashion companies that change the rules of the game. For example, Grana, a high-end ethical-based product manufacturer, uses Everlane-style transparency and pricing; while as a third-party of Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger, Esquel, the world's largest shirt manufacturer, is currently in China. Plants in Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Vietnam conduct re-industrialization and automated production of natural dyes.

However, Taiwan, which is adjacent to Hong Kong, is a global leader in the manufacture of functional fabrics and may challenge Hong Kong's position as Asia's eco-fashion capital.

As a neglected hot spot for innovative textiles, processing giants Singtex and Tex-Ray have developed durable and environmentally friendly fabrics made from coffee grounds, coffee beans and bamboo fibers, while the independent brand Weavism will be in the scales. Collagen peptides are combined with rayon fibers to develop functional UV and deodorant products to suit the local humid climate.

According to the National Textile Research Institute (TTRI), about 50% of sportswear fabrics used by global brands such as Under Armour and nearly 80% of fabrics used by outdoor brands such as North Face to Columbia are produced in the region. Therefore, small changes may cause huge waves in the world. “There are a lot of companies here that are experts in functional fabrics, we have automation and manufacturing technology that can drive sustainability on an industrial scale,” said Weavism founder Tony Chen.

Hong Kong has green institutions and companies such as Redress, Grana and Esquel, and has its own green organization and brand here. Industry revolution Fashion Revolution, design agency Renato Lab and Nbt Studio, green beauty and lifestyle brand Greenvines, and independent designers such as Howma Xuxuwear, Project by h and Voome all have loyal followers.

For these two places, the past few months have been full of scientific breakthroughs. In October, textile supplier Far East New Century launched a chemical recovery solution that dissolves polyester and filter polymers. In the same month, the Hong Kong Institute of Textiles and Garments (HKRITA) and the H&H Foundation worked together to develop a chemical process that recycles textiles without causing quality loss – a groundbreaking breakthrough that is expected to expand and scale. In the global fashion industry. The textile company Novetex has taken advantage of this technology in its new recycling mill in Hong Kong.

As the waste in Greater China accumulates, technological breakthroughs are more needed than ever. According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong people discard 340 tons of textile waste every day, and Taiwan News estimates that 438 pieces of clothing were discarded every minute in Taiwan. Although the Chinese government has taken a series of measures to address pollution, coal emissions and encourage more environmentally friendly investments, textile waste is not its primary task. According to data from the strategic consulting firm Collective Responsibility, 45% of the textiles produced in China are wasted.

As China will become the world's largest fashion market by 2019, environmental initiatives are critical and may have an impact in Asia and around the world. “When we say something, the rest of Asia will listen,” Dean stressed. “Japan and South Korea are super cool, but I am not talking about street fashion. I am talking about the leadership and the nature of change in this field.”

Although potential exists, challenges also exist. Although technical expertise and industrial capabilities have raised the potential of Taiwan to become a center of sustainability, Tony Chen believes that there are still many shortcomings in the industrialization approach. “Many factories believe that recycling plastic bottles and nets to produce polyester is purely a good business, so the recycling process has already been industrialized.” He said: “At the end of the day, we are still producing a lot of plastics around the world, and the final result is This product."

Although there are some disruptive companies in Asia, start-ups in this area are dwarfed by mainstream business models. “We are talking about leasing platforms and circular economy, but overall, they are insignificant,” said Shawy Yeh, director of modern communications editor and founder of sustainable development agency Yehyehyeh. Few people are changing old businesses. Mode, which relies on rapid turnaround and mass production.

As is the case worldwide, there is a need to educate the broad masses of people in the region to understand the daily behaviour of sustainability. Dean said: "Many Asian consumers have a deeper understanding of consumption and its impact on the planet, because they see consumption, eat consumption, consume consumption, and drink consumption. But between this awareness and action There is a gap... the educational understanding of it is not in place."

On the positive side, the technological infrastructure of the three sides of the strait can greatly unlock the ecological potential of the region. “We are addicted to mobile phones and spend all of our time on WeChat, but people can also use this app to make donations,” said Ye Xiaowei. “We have a huge potential talent pool in terms of solutions to logistical problems.”

As long as talent, technology and business are in the right place, stakeholders, including consumers, need to push the dialogue forward. “It’s too early to say that a certain area is a sustainable fashion center.” Lu Xiaolei, deputy secretary-general of Shanghai Fashion Week, said to BoF: “But, because of the large number of textile manufacturers and the vast consumer market, if Continuous fashion is accepted by the ecosystem and the region will make a significant contribution to the dialogue."