4.5 tonnes of clothing were collected via The Get Redressed x Miele Clothing Drive 2017
We're leading the charge in helping the Hong Kong public rethink their wardrobe waste. In partnership with laundry experts, Miele, 4.5 tonnes of clothing were collected this week after a short citywide campaign proving that consumers have no desire to throw away their unwanted clothing – of which almost 100% can be recycled. Engaging consumers on the value of keeping clothing in action for longer through better care, the clothing drive is part of our mission to expand our work to save more clothing from landfills.
The Get Redressed x Miele Clothing Drive 2017 took place over two weeks with more than 30 participating organisations, together with the Hong Kong public who joined forces to donate their unwanted secondhand clothing and accessories at multiple collection points across the city. Diverting valuable resources from going to landfill prematurely, and with the help of 50+ volunteers, we redistributed the collected items to seven local charities including Christian Action, Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong), Green Ladies and Green Little of St James’ Settlement, Lizzie Bee, Pathfinders, Redress and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
We specifically chose local beneficiaries in order to maximise the campaign’s community value and engage with the public around the important environmental and welfare initiatives here in the city, while minimising carbon footprint by redistributing donations within Hong Kong. Teams of corporate and individual volunteers spent four days sorting the donations, carefully checking every single item and ensuring that each charity’s specific needs were met. We believe that greater transparency around clothes recycling is needed to further incentivise the public to donate – safe in the knowledge that their unwanted clothes really will do reach where they are needed most.
‘It's inspiring that so many are utilising their wardrobes to benefit the community. We are witnessing a growth in public interest and motivation around the important issues of clothing care and waste, and the potential to create positive impact. This, combined with a shift towards improved models of consumption - from the minimalism of capsules to quality beating quantity - is positive news for the environment and people, but there is still a lot of critical work to be done’, shared Redress Founder & Chair, Christina Dean.
While recent studies suggest that more than 60% of Hong Kongers now consider recycling their clothes, we are still seeing 111,690 tonnes of textiles being sent into landfills each year, which is the equivalent to around 15,000 garments ending up in our already over-flowing landfills every single hour.
‘We are strategically placed to push this movement forward; driving dialogue, building consumer awareness and developing solid systems that make it second nature to recycle clothes. We are excited to be part of creating a circular fashion system within Hong Kong and giving more power to the consumer.’
LOVING OUR CLOTHES LONGER
Fashion – one of the most polluting industries in the world – impacts everything from our land and water, to the air we breathe. By discarding clothing we waste the valuable resources that went into making them. For example, extending the life of clothing by a further nine months is estimated to reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by around 20 – 30 per cent each.
‘Miele share Redress’ belief that it is imperative to redress consumers’ overall relationship with their wardrobes for a more sustainable future and we are thrilled about our part in enabling more end-of-use options for clothing through this partnership’, shared Marketing Director of Miele Hong Kong, Richard Green. ‘As a company committed to providing technology to ensure clothes live the longest that they can, we see great importance in engaging people around clothing care for longevity’.
The campaign highlighted that with just a few changes in daily habits, we as individuals can all make positive changes to lighten the environmental impact of our fashion habits. Read more on the campaign blog here.
SHOP FOR A CAUSE
High quality clothing and accessories collected during the drive were sold at our secondhand pop-up shop from 22 – 25th November generating funds to support Redress in continuing our 10 year legacy of work to cut waste out of fashion. The Get Redressed Pop-up Shop was sponsored by OnTheList, who organise weekly flash sales of past season inventories in partnership with premium brands. With a shared vision to minimise the waste of fashion surplus, our secondhand pop-up will take place in their showroom to bring greater awareness to their community.