Earth Day 2024: 12 local eco-friendly brands to support in Hong Kong

Kitdo is an aluminium accessory, equipped with powerful magnets, designed to be effortlessly looped onto clothes. It transforms the look and feel of them, opening up endless possibilities for styling your favourite outfits—from simple white Ts to extravagant gowns. For something that will maximise the potential of your existing wardrobe and in turn minimise clothing waste, look no further.

Angus Tsui, winner of the Redress Design Awards 2020, prioritises sustainability in every aspect of his fashion designs. Fashionistas with a knack for sustainability flock to his eponymous brand, which offers a futuristic and avant-garde aesthetic while also breaking the stereotype that sustainability equals monotony. In addition to his brand, the designer has worked with renowned labels, always with sustainability in mind: think a 15-piece upcycled denim collection with American Eagle and a collaboration with H&M to upcycle the brand's past season items, which resulted in new items such as zero-waste bracelets and denim bags.

Driven by a desire for simplicity and transparency, Bathe to Basics offers a range of home, hair and body products, handcrafted without paraben, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances. The products, which are made in Hong Kong, are also created with an emphasis on quality rather than glamorous packaging.

After becoming fathers to two girls with long and often tangled hair, Sebastien Morin and Thierry Mandonnaud realised the need for an efficient and respectful hair routine for girls. This led them to create Abyssian, a haircare brand that puts sustainability at the forefront of its product mission. Launched in Hong Kong in 2020, Abyssian offers products that soothe daily aggressions to hair and the scalp. Its products, which include shampoo, hair serums and hair masks, contain pure and safe components, like fermented rice water, without compromising on beauty needs.

Hong Kong-born biochemist Chrystal Leung founded BYOB with the goal of offering easy-to-use products that have effective solutions to skin problems—without the consumer having to go through multi-step routines. The products are made with vegan and eco-certified ingredients, and without petrochemicals; they are manufactured in a GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Practices) laboratory in Hong Kong, which Leung created and runs herself, to ensure the quality of her products.

Michelle Chen, the founder of Rare SkinFuel, believes that her customers can gain confidence and empowerment with natural, bare skin at any stage of life. Since its launch in 2019, the brand has been offering a diverse selection of skin products, like cleansers and lip care; they are made with raw, organic ingredients, like aloe vera juice and coconut water, and with no synthetic materials.

Bamboa, an award-winning Hong Kong brand that operates a store at PMQ, offers a collection of bedding, towels and lifestyle products made of 100 per cent bamboo fibre. Unlike cotton, bamboo can grow without water or pesticides, making it a sustainable alternative to the commonly used material. Not only does bamboo products have a soft and silky texture, but it is also hypoallergenic, making it ideal for those with sensitive skin.

For nearly two decades, Tree has been a go-to destination for those in search of stylish, sustainable homeware in Hong Kong. Its products are made with reclaimed solid wood with responsibly sourced materials, such as certified European oak and American walnut. Take your pick from a wide range of modern and contemporary designs.

Permanent Resident, a Hong Kong brand founded this year by designer Lucia Tait Tolani, offers new, pre-owned and upcycled home furniture. With a focus on craftsmanship, its ultimate goal is to reduce waste by shifting our attention to home decor items from landfills, though never losing sight of providing stylish options.

Calling all chocolate lovers: not only does Conspiracy Chocolate offer incredibly delicious products, it is also committed to creating greener ways of working in the food industry. Breaking away from typical industry practices, the local brand sources its chocolate from Vietnam instead of South America—a bold move that reduces the brand's environmental impact. It is also dedicated to zero organic waste—unused scraps of chocolate during the production process are collected and sold on sustainable food platforms like Chomp and Phenix.

Beers made from surplus bread sounds like something that's too good to be true, but that's what Breer, the brainchild of Gen.T honouree Anushka Purohit, offers. According to the Environnemental Protection Department, 3,300 tonnes of food waste was sent to landfill every day in 2022, with almost 47 per cent of this being leftover bread from bakeries and supermarkets. At Breer, the surplus of bread is used as an alternative to the malt used in beer production. The brand partners with over 20 bakeries citywide, including Maxim's, one of the city's oldest bread manufacturers.

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