Inside Hong Kong's Fashion Recycling Revolution with HKRITA

Hello everyone, I'm your host, Hoiki Liu, and welcome back to The Conscious Cut.

A quick note on today's episode: we'll be conducting it primarily in Cantonese. A big part of sustainability is engaging our local community, and this episode is very much directed at our audience who live, study, and work right here in Hong Kong, to show them how they can get involved in the important work our guests are doing.

For our listeners who are here but don't understand Cantonese—welcome! This summary is for you. We'd also love for you to reach out if this topic sparks your interest and you'd like to know more.

What is HKRITA?

Established in 2006 and funded by the Hong Kong government's Innovation and Technology Fund, HKRITA focuses on research that delivers industry advantage, sustainability, and social benefits. To date, they have completed over 300 projects.

Key Projects Discussed

The conversation delves into several of HKRITA's groundbreaking technologies:

1. The Garment-to-Garment (G2G) Recycling System

• What it is: A miniaturized, waterless recycling system that fits inside a 40-foot shipping container. It physically breaks down old garments and transforms the fibers into new yarn, which is then knitted directly into a new garment on a whole-garment machine, producing zero cutting waste.
• The Reality & Challenges:
  • Scale: It's a small-batch, "boutique" system, producing only 1-2 garments per day. It is not designed for mass production.
  • Complexity: Each garment is unique, making the process incredibly difficult. The team must expertly assess the condition of incoming garments, decide how much new fiber to blend in for strength, and account for variable properties like shrinkage—all with virtually zero room for error, as they often have only one chance to get the final product right with the limited material.
  • Primary Value: Its main strength is education and awareness. Publicly displayed at The Mills, it has educated thousands of visitors on the tangible possibility of recycling, serving as a powerful customer-facing "interface" for the circular economy.

2. The Billie Recycling System (in partnership with Novetex)

• What it is: This is the large-scale, industrial counterpart to the G2G system.
• The Process: The initial processing happens at a facility in Tai Po, Hong Kong, which can handle up to 3 tonnes of textile waste per day. The final spinning of the recycled yarn is done at a partner facility in Zhuhai.
• Business Model: This system is more commercially viable and often works with large volumes of uniform waste, such as used uniforms from hotels, where the material and color are consistent.

3. AI Smart Garment Sorting

• HKRITA is developing an AI-powered system to automate the sorting of used garments.
• The technology can already identify garment type, colour, fabric, and structure.
  They are now training it to recognize quality—detecting pilling, stains, and holes—to assess an item's resale value and determine its best end-of-life pathway (resale vs. recycling).

4. Hydrothermal Separation (a.k.a. "The Green Machine")

• This technology uses only heat, water, and a small amount of biodegradable chemical to separate cotton and polyester blends.
• The cotton is broken down into a powder, leaving the polyester fibers intact. Both materials can then be recycled into new yarn.
• This is highlighted as one of the most promising and scalable technologies for handling mixed fabrics.

The Bigger Picture: Challenges & Opportunities in Hong Kong

The discussion moves beyond technology to the systemic issues facing textile waste in Hong Kong:

• The Public's Dilemma: Many people have clothes that are too worn to donate but feel wrong throwing them away. Currently, there isn't a convenient, widespread recycling solution for individual consumers.
• The Scale Problem: While HKRITA develops the technology, scaling it requires a massive, coordinated effort involving collection, logistics, and policy. The hosts note that even with partners like REDRESS (a second-hand organization that sends its unsellable items to HKRITA), the volume of clothing they process is a tiny fraction of Hong Kong's total waste.
• The Cost of "Free": A key insight is the public's misconception that disposing of or donating clothing is "free." The significant cost of sorting, recycling, or landfilling is hidden, often absorbed by taxes or not covered at all. For a true circular system to work, this cost must be acknowledged and funded.
• Policy & Cross-Border Collaboration: The guests suggest that government policy, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or funding for recyclers, is crucial. They also mention the potential for using land in the Greater Bay Area (like the Huizhou area) for recycling facilities to overcome Hong Kong's space constraints, though current regulations on "waste" imports into Mainland China are a barrier.

Call to Action: How to Get Involved

Leo and Ryan emphasize that HKRITA is an open resource:

• Visit the Open Lab: The public and industry professionals are encouraged to visit their facility to see the technologies in action.
• Bring Your Ideas: If you have an idea for a sustainable textile project, you don't need a perfect proposal. Reach out to them via email or phone. HKRITA can help determine if the technology already exists, if it's a candidate for new R&D, or how to secure funding. Their goal is to collaborate and enable innovation.

Conclusion

This episode pulls back the curtain on the exciting yet complex world of textile recycling. It reveals that while futuristic solutions like turning an old t-shirt into a new one in a day are possible, building a system that can handle the sheer volume of fashion waste requires a combination of cutting-edge technology, smart policy, business innovation, and a shift in public mindset. HKRITA is firmly focused on creating the technological building blocks for that future.

Listen now: [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube]