The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) is proud to announce its collaboration with global apparel retailer Gap Inc. to foster sustainable development of the industry. Our shared mission is to develop eco-friendly production processes and technology solutions that enable the industry to move from a linear model to a circular model across the life- cycle of textiles. Two initial research areas have been identified: separation of spandex from used garments and denim decolourisation for recycling.

Spandex is a common material used to improve the stretch and comfort of fabric. However, the textile industry is currently unable to separate spandex in a eco-friendly and circular way from blended fabrics, such as cotton-spandex blend. A research project, which sees HKRITA partnering with creative textile manufacturer Artistic Milliners, is being designed to develop an eco-friendly separation method that removes spandex using bio-solvents. In this way, the separated materials can be re-used by the textile industry.

The second research area will tackle denim decolourisation, a long-standing problem in the textile industry. Currently, common industry practice involves chemical treatment, but this method can harm fabric properties and create negative environmental impacts. This project will also join hands with leading denim manufacturer Arvind Limited to develop a physical method to decolour the denim, so that the cotton can be more easily reused or re-dyed.

The timeline of the two research projects will be 24 months and the technologies developed from them will be open for licensing.