The French Chamber in Hong Kong organized an engaging event titled “Impact Now! Reducing Your Brand’s Environmental Impact and the MSW Charging Scheme”. This event gathered industry experts, thought leaders, and professionals to discuss and develop strategies for enhancing sustainability in the fashion and retail industry, with a particular focus on the upcoming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging scheme in Hong Kong.
The event featured presentations from notable speakers including Robert Lockyer, the Founder & Chief Client Officer of Delta Global, a forefront company in luxury sustainable packaging; Harold Yip, Co-founder of Mil Mill, a leading recycling firm in Hong Kong; Dr. Fan Di, Assistant Professor and Discipline Leader of Fashion Business, School of Fashion and Textiles at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Mathilde Bétinas, Head of Business Development & Partners at OnTheList, a company pioneering in the circular economy; and Nissa Cornish, Executive Director at Redress, a non-profit organization (NGO) promoting circular fashion.
Key Takeaways
· Brands should regroup with their recycling partner to get a clear picture of the recycling practices. Understand what % of your recycled waste is getting recycled and ask for their advice on how to improve this.
· Brands should take this information and make sure it’s communicated to all department heads. Sustainability initiatives will only be successful if brands have buy-in from all departments.
· Businesses should also review strategies on how their excess inventory is being handled and look at how this can be used as an opportunity: staff sales, raising funds for charity, upcycling, garments for education purposes, and flash-sales to acquire new consumers.
· It is important to bring customers along on the sustainability journey and make sure that initiatives are in place to support the customers. Seek external support and benefit from other industry players’ knowledge and best practices sharing.
The event also highlighted the announcement of a new partnership by Delta Global with key stakeholders in Hong Kong’s fashion and retail sustainability sector, leading to the formation of the Sustainable Retail Collective. This alliance includes Secure Information Disposal Services Limited, a local recycling company; OnTheList, a pioneer in the circular fashion economy; The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, offering the Master Programme in Sustainable Fashion and Innovation; and Redress, a circular fashion NGO. The collective aims to guide and support fashion retail brands in addressing the challenges posed by the MSW charging scheme and in advancing their sustainability efforts.
Additionally, the Sustainable Retail Collective released a guidebook titled “No Time To Waste,” offering further insights and guidance on sustainability practices. The guidebook is available for download here: No Time to Waste_Informative Guidebook.
