The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) is set to revolutionize clothing recycling through its new Garment to Garment (G2G) recycling system. Climate activist and sustainability content creator Sam Bentley, highlights this innovative system, initiated in 2018 as a mini-scale production line within a retail setting, facilitates an eco-friendly, closed-loop recycling process that avoids the use of water or chemicals.

Bentley elaborates on the process, detailing how old garments are cleaned and transformed into a fibrous web. The machine then converts this web into robust twisted yarns, which are subsequently knitted into brand new clothes. Notably, the system incorporates a 3-D body scanner, allowing for the creation of tailor-fit garments on the spot.

Given the staggering production of 100 billion garments annually, the fashion industry bears responsibility for contributing 2per cent-8per cent of carbon air pollution and 20per cent of global wastewater. Moreover, the industry discards over 100 million tonnes of textile waste into landfills each year. The introduction of this newly launched recycling machine is poised to significantly mitigate such environmental waste, marking a crucial step toward sustainability in the fashion sector.