Closing the Loop on Fashion in Hong Kong
Redress works closely with local stakeholders in a mission to reduce clothing waste to landfill by increasing the reuse, resale and recycling of clothing.
We all wear clothes, yet the production and maintenance of our garments is one of the planet’s biggest pollutants. Can we reduce our impact and still enjoy fashion? In Hong Kong, Redress reaches consumers of all ages to educate them on the environmental impact of fashion and empower them to make better choices.
YOUTH: For primary and secondary students, Redress hosts school talks and workshops, with 150 educational activities organised in 2021. An online Circular Fashion Education Toolkit full of fun and free interactive resources, created in partnership with the Environment and Conservation Fund, also serves to bring sustainability to the classroom and empower young minds.
CORPORATES: Working with corporations, Redress offers ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions, highlighting the facts of fashion waste and encouraging the move towards sustainable consumption. Adults also have the opportunity to see the realities of clothing waste through volunteering with Redress to carefully sort unwanted clothing for redistribution to over 20 charity partners as well as for resale, recycling, or landfill.
PUBLIC: To ensure that clothing stays in use and out of landfills as long as possible, Redress provides recycling solutions for consumers, with 25+ collection points across Hong Kong through partnerships with leading retailers like Zara and Tommy Hilfiger. Through this Takeback Programme, in 2021 Redress collected 49 tonnes of clothing — equivalent to approximately 345,000 T-shirts! In addition, a citywide ‘Get Redressed Month’ campaign invites the public to examine their consumption habits each October.
CONSUMERS: Of the clothing collected through our programmes, the very best are offered for sale through Redress’ permanent secondhand store The Redress Closet in Sham Shui Po, as well as semi-annual secondhand pop-ups. With a thoughtful purchase, a quality garment can find a new home for as little as HK$50.
INDUSTRY: Partnering with both local and international retail brands, Redress is working towards increasing the number of options for Hong Kongers to shop secondhand, the number of local retailers offering takeback and/or secondhand services, and the amount of post-consumer clothing collected for reuse or recycling.
