From reducing fashion waste to tackling plastic pollution, get to know the environment and sustainability advocates on the Gen.T List 2020

Following the unveiling of all 400 honourees on the Gen.T List 2020, we're highlighting some of the eco-heroes protecting the planet that you should know about.

The environment is an issue on many minds, with the field of work rightfully gaining more attention in the last decade for a number of reasons, such as soaring temperatures, rising sea levels and unsustainable levels of single-use plastic waste.

Here are five environment and sustainability leaders leading from the front, from reducing fashion waste to tackling plastic pollution. Here's who you should know.

1. Sarah Garner

Tatler Asia
Above Sarah Garner

Founder, Retykle

Sarah Garner is the founder of Retykle. As Asia's first and largest resale platform for buying and selling pre-loved children's fashion––with more than 2,000 designer brands with 50 to 90 percent off––it allows users not only to save a bundle but also to save the planet.

With more than 10 years in the fashion industry at brands such as Lane Crawford, LVMH and Richemont Group, Garner knows first-hand about fashion and how it contributes to waste production as the world's second-biggest polluter. Garner is taking on the challenge of making fashion more sustainable, while at the same time offering a solution to what to do when your kids outgrow their clothes.

See also: Entrepreneur Peggy Choi On The Struggles She Faced Building Knowledge Sharing Platform, Lynk Global

2. Andy Li

Tatler Asia
Above Andy Li

INITIATOR AND PROJECT MANAGER, MISSING LINK—POLYFOAM RECYCLING SCHEME

Andy Li is tackling plastic pollution head on through the Missing Link—Polyfoam Recycling Scheme. Funded by Hong Kong's Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), the initiative carries out polyfoam recycling and related educational activities for the public.

As initiator and project manager, Li has helped to establish collection points for polyfoam waste in partnership with three organisations. As a result, Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market has been encouraged to set up a polyfoam recycling machine on site.

3. Paula Miquelis

Tatler Asia
Above Paula Miquelis

CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK

Paula Miquelis made green living mainstream, accessible and sexy as the co-founder and creative director of Green is the New Black. The former investment banker––who described herself as "thirsty for power"––now channels her drive and talent into her mission to reduce waste and save the planet. The company she co-founded with fellow Gen.T honouree Stephanie Dickson makes sustainability mainstream through engaging content and experiences that connect brands with people and educate them through actionable "little green steps".

Hosting Conscious Festivals across two continents and promoting 180 conscious fashion, lifestyle, beauty and food brands in 13 countries, Miquelis is definitely channelling her power towards green living. Green is the New Black is also set to release a documentary, The Naked Arctic Adventure, which documents Miquelis and Dickinson's first-hand experience of the effects of climate change. 

See also: 5 Hong Kong Wellness Entrepreneurs To Know From The Gen.T List 2020

4. Walden Lam

Tatler Asia
Above Walden Lam

CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF HUSTLER, UNSPUN

Co-founder and chief hustler of Unspun, Walden Lam is pioneering innovative technologies to address fashion's carbon emissions. His startup not only uses a proprietary body scanner to make a perfectly tailored pair of jeans just for you, but it does so using sustainable fabric and producing minimal waste via a design technology that uses algorithms to digitally design and perfectly fit jeans automatically around a 3D avatar.

This innovative method has led Unspun to be named as one of Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2019. But it doesn't stop there. Lam and his team are constantly seeking new ways to be more sustainable. Last year, they launched the world's first digital-fit jeans that can be infinitely recycled. Now you can easily find jeans that don't just fit well but are also sustainable.

See also: 5 Creatives To Know From The Gen.T List 2020

5. Ng Pei Kang

Tatler Asia
Above Ng Pei Kang

FOUNDER AND CEO, TRIA FOODWARE

Ng Pei Kang's food packaging company Tria Foodware is pioneering an end-to-end solution for sustainable eating. As co-founder and CEO, Ng believes that "switching to green should be an easy, thoughtless decision". To achieve this, his team developed Bio24, the world's first closed-loop solution to the issue of single-use plastics and food waste.

This breakthrough technology turns almost all food-related waste into organic fertiliser in just 24 hours, turning everything on the table, from leftover food to disposable cutlery, into a zero-waste dining experience. A game-changer in the industry, Ng's efforts have made great strides in eco-friendly solutions that target not just consumers but also the food and beverage industry.


See more honourees from the Sustainability category of the Gen.T List 2020. 

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