HKRITA’s new hub for industry-wide collaboration aims to drive climate action through advanced research and development. Instead of keeping ongoing research in closed laboratories, the Open Lab aims to showcase solutions and ongoing research to industry stakeholders, to be able to quickly adjust, iterate, pilot and scale faster.
The focus of the Open Lab is threefold:
- Contribute to problem-solving
- Showcasing solutions
- Providing a platform for industry-wide collaboration
The overall aim is to provide agile and scalable solutions for the textile and fashion industry to address climate change. The Open Lab is part of the Planet First programme (2020-2024), the second collaboration between H&M Foundation and HKRITA. H&M Foundation has provided funding over a five-year period beginning in 2020.
“When designing the Open Lab, we thought of it as a kitchen, not a dining room. This means that at the Open Lab you will find ongoing research and needs, as well as different needs from the industry, which different partners can come together to solve together. You will not come here to be served only ready-to-go solutions,” says Edwin Keh, CEO of the HKRITA.
The physical space is 20,000-square-foot, equivalent to 1.5 Olympic swimming pools. Here, visitors can take a tour to see several ground-breaking projects in action, such as:
- Green Machine 2.0, a technology that can separate post-consumer polyester and cotton blends through hydrothermal treatment, enabling much-needed recycling of blend textiles.
- Smart Garment Sorting System, enables efficient management of post-consumer textile waste in the garment recycling industry by integrating artificial intelligence in conjunction with image analysis techniques that mainly focus on hyperspectral spectroscopy.
- Acousweep, a new treatment method to separate microplastics from water through sweeping acoustic waves in the water.
In total, more than 80 R&D projects are showcased at the Open Lab as well as in its digital database.
“The Open Lab aims to bring research and technology out of closed spaces into the open, to showcase solutions to the textile industry and beyond, and get instant feedback, iterate, improve and scale faster.”
— Christiane Dolva, Strategy Lead, H&M Foundation
Collaboration at its core
At the heart of Open Lab’s mission is collaboration. The lab brings together stakeholders from across the textile value chain, including manufacturers, brands, and innovators, to co-create and test sustainable solutions. Supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong government and major industry players like C&A, GAP, Puma, H&M Group, Esquel, Crystal and Fashion for Good, Open Lab is a place where the industry can unite to tackle its most pressing challenges.
The facility also houses a Fashion Future Lab, which focuses on early-stage innovations, including the pioneering “Farm-to-Garment” project. This modular research space allows for quick adaptation and scaling of new solutions, further fostering industry-wide collaboration.
Open Lab is open to anyone
The Open Lab primarily operates as a business-to-business platform, addressing the needs of textile users from a business perspective. Yet the Open lab also welcomes the public to participate in its activities. HKRITA will arrange regular visiting activities, collaborate with interested parties to conduct trials, organise sharing sessions, workshops, and conferences to disseminate research findings. The Open Lab will also initiate a residency programme to support startups with know-how and testing facilities.
For more information and to plan your visit, please go to the Open Lab website.
About Open Lab
Open Lab, a joint initiative by HKRITA and the H&M Foundation, is a dynamic hub in Hong Kong dedicated to driving sustainable innovation in the textile and fashion industries. With a focus on climate action and collaboration, Open Lab is set to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable future.
About HKRITA
Established in 2006, HKRITA is funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government and is hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. HKRITA contributes to the competitiveness of the textile and apparel industry by providing one-stop services in applied research, technology transfer and commercialisation. HKRITA also plays a vital and expanding role in driving sustainable improvements in the industry and thus bringing benefits to society as a whole.
About Planet First
The Planet First programme is a scale-up from our previous collaboration with HKRITA, named Recycling Revolution (2016-2019). Planet First seeks technologies that not only minimise fashion’s negative environmental impact but actively contribute to the planet’s well-being. All solutions and learnings are shared openly with the industry, to maximize collective progress.
