HKRITA creates new lab for sustainable development of textiles

The 20,000-sq. ft. R&D space aims to showcase innovative solutions.

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles & Apparel (HKRITA) and a non-profit organisation established Open Lab for the sustainable development of textiles.

The 20,000-square feet research and development space aims to develop solutions for the textile industry by showcasing innovative solutions, providing a collaborative platform, and contributing to problem-solving and resource optimisation.

The first project presented in the lab "Farm-to-Garment" is a location-independent production line consisting of a hydroponics cotton farming system.

As traditional cotton farming is a soil-based cultivation method, the lab utilises soilless vertical hydroponic techniques. This significantly reduces water consumption, by up to 90%.

Additionally, the method provides controlled environments for continuous cropping and can be located near cities, thus reducing carbon emissions from transportation.

Moreover, the Pilot Plant is an upcycling line featuring a smart garment sorting system for recycling, and the Green Machine 2.0, which separates mixed fibres.

HKRITA director for business development Katherine Chan, explained that cotton and polyester blended material is the most commonly used material in textile products.

“We created Green Machine, using hydrothermal technology, to recover the polyester fibres in textiles and do fibre-to-fibre recycling,” Chan said. The system can recycle around a tonne of material daily.