How does Hong Kong's upcoming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Charging Scheme affect fashion?
While Redress works to end fashion waste, the MSW scheme aims to reduce waste in general by charging citizens for disposal to landfill, making it a last resort. According to government statistics, the recycling rate of waste textiles was only about 11% in 2022*.
Addressing this urgent need for change, Redress has joined the newly formed Sustainable Retail Collective, spearheaded by Delta Global, to support Hong Kong retailers in the transition.
On 2 May, the Collective launched an informative guidebook titled ‘No Time to Waste’. Ahead of the waste scheme's implementation, brands and retailers can discover in the guidebook industry best practices and insights to enhance sustainability efforts when it comes to sourcing materials, product design, manufacturing, retail operations, packaging, product end-of-life, and more.
To launch the guidebook, Redress' Executive Director, Nissa Cornish, joined a lively panel discussion hosted by Robert Lockyer, Founder & Chief Client Officer of Delta Global. Other distinguished speakers included Harold Yip, Co-founder, Mil Mill; Dr. Fan Di, Assistant Professor and Discipline Leader of Fashion Business, School of Fashion and Textiles, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and Mathilde Bétinas, Head of Business Development & Partnerships, OnTheList.
“Brands have a responsibility to support consumers by offering end-of-life options for the products they create, for example, repair services, secondhand retailing, and partnering with takeback programmes and textile recyclers. To minimise waste and promote a circular economy, it is crucial to rethink our approach, and we’re here to help,” said Nissa Cornish, Executive Director, Redress.