Gen.T editor Lee Williamson talks to Sissi Chao, Gen.T honouree and the founder of REmakeHub, a social enterprise that addresses textile waste through high-tech recycled materials and creative upcycling
Talking Points is a semi-regular series where we highlight some of the key topics discussed at a Generation T keynote, fireside chat or panel discussion.
Standing for Responsibility, Awareness and Wonder, The R.A.W. Prize, is a collaboration between Gen.T and Luxarity, a social initiative from the Lane Crawford Joyce Group.
Last month, the grant was awarded to Sissi Chao, whose startup, REmakeHub, catalyses responsible consumption and works towards the targets set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.
With her parents owning a number of textile factories in Mainland China, Chao learned first hand the detrimental effects the fashion industry can have on the environment. “I went to Shaoxing city where they produce 70 percent of the fabric in China and you can’t even breathe because the air is so terrible, and sometimes there are even dead fish in the river,” she says. “I told my mum that this was horrible and that I didn’t want to do this; instead I decided to focus on cleaning up all the waste that my parents were creating.”
Chao explained at the prize presentation how the grant will grow her vision for a more environmentally friendly future. Here are the key talking points from fireside chat with Gen. T editor Lee Williamson, hosted by Luxarity.
Waste is a misplaced resource—it’s like gold
REmakeHub focuses on harnessing the power of upcycling: creating a new product or material from waste that can then be sold at a higher value. Notably, Chao has taken coffee grounds, which are often just thrown out or used as fertiliser for plants, and turned the waste into watches that sell for upwards of HK$1,000, rather than the few dollars it would be worth as fertiliser.
The most dramatic way to reduce waste is for industries to shift from using virgin material to renewables, explained Chao, highlighting the importance of changing people’s perception of waste. The current technology available also allows for some items to be recycled multiple times and others infinitely, “So for us, waste is a misplaced resource—it’s like gold.”