CHUN HUI

SHUJUAN XIAO
INGRID PIPER

REDRESS: CREATING A SUSTAINABLE

S
MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE IN FAST FASHION

E S 4
I N 0 2
Recycling is not the ultimate solution. It is about educating fashion consumers

S 2
and industry in order to reduce waste in the first place by shifting to more

U
circular solutions.

B N
- Nissa Cornish, Executive Director, Redress

U T I O
Redress described itself as an environmental not-for-profit organization based in Sham Shui

K I E
Po, a former garment and textile-manufacturing district in Hong Kong. Founded in 2007, the

H T S
charity was Asia’s first environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) to address the

/ E A
problem of waste and pollution created by the fashion industry. The environmental charity also

C P
wanted to change the way HongKongers consumed fashion through education, events, a

B M C
clothing collection and recirculation programme, and pop-up stores that sold second-hand

S E
clothes.

H C O IC
Redress worked with clothing brands, designers, sponsors, partners, corporations, schools,

E T
higher-education institutions, and the general public to highlight the need to find sustainable

C
solutions to garment and textile waste. A government survey revealed that 39% of

S A
HongKongers threw away clothing after wearing it just once.1 Most of these items ended up in

A R
the city’s landfill.

C P
As a densely populated city with 7.5 million residents and only limited flat land, Hong Kong
had a shortage of suitable sites for landfill, and tonnes of unwanted garments and textiles added
to the city’s waste disposal problem. Additionally, fast-fashion trends encouraged
HongKongers to buy more items, as the fashion industry moved away from the production of

1 YouGov, “Fast fashion; 39% of Hong Kongers have thrown away clothing after wearing it just once,”
https://hk.yougov.com/en-hk/news/2017/12/06/fast-fashion/, accessed 31 August 2020.

Ingrid Piper prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Chun Hui and Dr. Shujuan Xiao for class discussion. This case
is not intended to show effective or ineffective handling of decision or business processes. The authors might have disguised certain
information to protect confidentiality. Cases are written in the past tense, this is not meant to imply that all practices, organizations,
people, places or fact mentioned in the case no longer occur, exist or apply.

© 2021 by The Asia Case Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong. No part of this publication may be digitized, photocopied
or otherwise reproduced, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission of The University of Hong
Kong.
Ref. 21/683C

Last edited: 21 February 2022

21/683C Redress: Creating a Sustainable Movement for Change in Fast Fashion

four seasonal collections of clothing each year to a shorter cycle of up to 24 collections a year.2
As more collections emerged, the average Hong Kong shopper increased their clothing
purchases by 60% in 15 years.3

As an environmental charity, Redress relied on government support, donations, and fund-

raising events for its operations. Volunteers sorted donated clothes mostly collected through its
annual October event, Get Redressed Month. Disposal of clothing not suitable to be upcycled
or repurposed added to the charity’s costs. Not all clothing was recyclable, e.g., clothing made
from synthetic material degraded in landfills, and the chemicals it released contaminated soil
and water.

A local economic downturn presented Redress with a number of challenges and changed
corporate partnerships and sponsors, an issue compounded by the high rent charged for

S
warehousing stored garments. When the environmental NGO’s key fund-raising events and
volunteering drives were disrupted in 2020, its executive team wondered if it needed to change

S 4
its focus, address short-term issues, and broaden its source of funds, or focus on long-term

E
challenges that would create real and measurable transformation of textile waste?

S I N 2 0 2
Fashion and the Environment

B U N
Globally, the fashion industry employed around 60 million people, and 67% of the world’s

O
clothing exports4 were derived from developing countries. Cheap labor and less stringent

U I
environmental guidelines resulted in most of the world’s textile production, manufacturing, and

K I T E
shipment of fast fashion being focused within Asia. Fast fashion consisted of cheap clothing

H T S
produced at speed, in styles that followed and copied high-fashion trends.5

C / P E A
As worldwide concerns about waste and environmental damaged increased, many multinational

B C
corporations involved in industry changed tack.

H S O M E
In 2019, Inditex, the parent company of the Spanish fast-fashion label Zara, which had more

C
C I
than 2,000 stores globally,6 announced that it intended to source 100% of its cotton, linen, and

T
polyester from organic, sustainable, or recycled7 sources by 2025. As one of the world’s largest

E C
fashion clothing retailers (in terms of the number of stores it operated worldwide), Zara’s

S A
decision highlighted the fashion industry’s own concern about the global impact of fast fashion.

C A R
Around 10% of global carbon emissions—more than those created by international shipping

P
and flights combined—were created by the fashion industry,8 and this was predicted to increase
by 50% by 2030.9 The industry also created large amounts of water pollution; for example,
2 “Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula,” McKinsey & Company, 20 October 2016,
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-
formula#:~:text=Apparel%20sales%20have%20risen%20dramatically,that%20appear%20likely%20to%20continue.&text=Zara
%20offers%2024%20new%20clothing,16%20and%20refreshes%20them%20weekly, accessed 20 June 2020.
3 Redress, “Our Work,” https://www.redress.com.hk/about/story, accessed 20 June 2020.
4 Redress, “Our Work,” https://www.redress.com.hk/about/story, accessed 20 June 2020.
5 A. Stanton, “What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway?” The Good Trade, https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion,

accessed 1 August 2020.

6 J. Goodwin, “Zara wants all its clothes to be made from sustainable fabrics by 2025,” CNN, 19 July 2019,

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/19/business/zara-sustainable-fashion-trnd/index.html, accessed 20 June 2020.

7 “Pablo Isla sets out Inditex’s global sustainability commitments,” Inditex, 16 July 2019,

https://www.inditex.com/en/article?articleId=630055&title=Pablo+Isla+sets+out+Inditex%27s+global+sustainability+commitm
ents, accessed 1 August 2020.
8 M. McFall-Johnsen, “These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is,” World Economic Forum, 31 January 2020,

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/, accessed 20 June

2020.
9 “UN launches drive to highlight environmental cost of staying fashionable,” United Nations, 25 March 2019,

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035161, accessed 1 August 2020.

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textile dyeing was responsible for 20% of global industrial water contamination.10 Vast amounts
of water were used in clothing production—around 79 trillion liters annually.11

Global clothing manufacture skyrocketed, almost doubling production in just one decade,12 and
resulted in enormous amounts of unwanted clothing and textiles being dumped annually. A
World Economic Forum report found that 85% of textiles manufactured every year were
dumped into landfills,13 while over production of textiles resulted in 92 million tonnes of textiles
being wasted every year.14

The global brand Levi Strauss estimated that a single pair of jeans produced 33.4kg of carbon
dioxide across its lifespan, equivalent to driving 111km in a car. One-third of this was created
in fiber and fabric production, 8% in manufacturing, 16% in packaging and transport, and 40%
from washing and later discarding the item in landfill.15

S
In order to maintain exclusivity, many luxury brands were also reluctant to lower prices, as they

S 4
feared losing brand identity. “A lot of these brands actually pay to destroy their products before

E
they go to landfill,” Nissa said. Another reason for massive global oversupply was caused by

I N 2
the long and fragmented nature of supply chains. “Hong Kong is unique in the sense that space

S 0
is so expensive here and rentals are high, so people would rather dump than store or find a

2
suitable buyer,” Nissa said.

B U N
However, the global climate change movement and increased interest in sustainable sourced

U I O
products supported by the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), together

T
with increased consumer awareness about the environmental problems created by the fashion

K I E
industry, helped to create change. Redress directly supported the United Nation’s SDG goals,

/ H T S
in particular, SDG 12—Responsible production and consumption.16

B C P E C A Redress Hong Kong

H S O M E
Redress’s founder Christina Dean, a former dentist and journalist, created the environmental

C
C I
charity to educate the community and fashion designers and industry about waste created by

T
the fashion industry and to encourage them to design, produce and consume fashion in a more

E C
sustainable way. Her efforts to encourage greater awareness about circular fashion and

S A
sustainability resulted in her being voted one of UK Vogue’s Top 30 Inspirational Women.17

C A R
Circular fashion occurred when garments and accessories were made in an ethical and

P
sustainable way (nontoxic and biodegradable), were designed with longevity in mind, and could

10 Ibid.
11 K. Niinimaki, G. Peters, H. Dahibo, P. Perry, T. Rissanen, and A. Gwilt, “The environmental price of fashion,” Nature, 7 April
2020, https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-020-0039-9, accessed 20 June 2020.
12 M. McFall-Johnsen, “These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is.” World Economic Forum, 31 January 2020,

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/, accessed 20 June

2020.
13 Ibid.
14 The R Collective, “Our Story,” https://thercollective.com/pages/about-us, accessed 16 September 2020.
15 C. Ro, “Can fashion ever be sustainable,” BBC, 11 March 2020, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-

fashion-how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate, accessed 20 June 2020.

16 UN, “About the Sustainable Development Goals,” https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/,

accessed 20 June 2020.

17 Redress, “Our Work,” https://www.redress.com.hk/about/story, accessed 20 June 2020.

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be repurposed, or recycled18 and hereafter returned safely to the biosphere19 through recycling.
The ambition was a system involving the whole life cycle of the garment. It entailed no wastage
or leakage of resources, mimicking nature in the sense that all input materials were recovered
and incorporated back into the system by the end of a given life cycle, and repeatedly, without
losing value.

Christina Dean wanted consumers and brands to take a more sustainable approach to fashion,
which would help to reduce the massive waste of energy and resources throughout the industry.
She also wanted to raise awareness of the pollution created by the industry and to guide
consumers and the industry toward more sustainable options via circular fashion to reduce the
industry’s carbon footprint.20

The environmental charity’s work included the Redress Design Award, the world’s largest

S
sustainable fashion design competition; consumer and industry campaigns such as its annual
Get Redressed Month clothing drive; a public-facing clothing Take Back Program; and

S 4
corporate social responsibility engagement, e.g., its 24-Hour Sort-A-Thon by teams of

E
corporate volunteers. It also supported a circular fashion education program for schools.

S I N 0 2
Before they joined Redress, the organization’s Executive Director, Nissa Cornish, and its

2
Circular Fashion Program Director, Kay Liu, both worked in different facets of the fashion

U N
industry. Kay, who obtained a master’s degree in ethical fashion, initially trained as a textile

B
designer. Both directors joined Redress after they became disillusioned with the fashion

U I O
industry. Kay had worked for a fair-trade organization for several years before she moved to

T
Redress. “When I turned my focus to sustainability, I met our founder Christina Dean—it

K I E
changed my life and where I live,” Liu said.

/ H E T A S
Cornish began her career as a model but felt unfulfilled by the role. “I was very much inside a

C P C
marketing machine. The fashion and marketing industries had no regard for the well-being of

B M
customers, or any of the stakeholders along the way—like the people who made the clothes.

S O E
The goal was to sell, sell, sell,” she said. After she ended her modeling career, Cornish edited

H C
a sustainable lifestyle magazine and spent a decade working in the sustainability field, focused

C I
on raising awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastic.

S E C T
Both Redress executives were part of a small team responsible for the environmental charity’s

A
day-to-day operations and its growth in Hong Kong. “We do have different skills, but our

A R
passion for the mission and for the environment is a common thread that nicely interweaves our

C P
different skills and makes us a better team,” Nissa said.

A More Sustainable Approach

The charity’s mission aimed to reduce and transform textile waste21 through its work with
consumers, designers, and industry, supported by programs that promoted the concept of a
circular economy that helped to reduce environmental harm created by fashion’s use of
resources such as water and chemical processes and its carbon footprint. The founder’s vision
was to change the current behavior of the industry and consumers, and to reduce textile waste
by working with the fashion industry and consumers.

18 “Moving Towards a Circular Fashion Economy,” Motif, https://motif.org/news/circular-fashion-economy/, accessed 20 June

2020.
19 “Origin and definition of circular fashion,” https://www.greenstrategy.se/circular-fashion-

definition/#:~:text='Circular%20fashion'%20can%20be%20defined,biosphere%20when%20no%20longer%20of, accessed 20
June 2020.
20
Ibid.
21 Ibid.

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Kay noted that globally, one garbage truck worth of textile waste, including clothing, was sent
to landfill or incinerated every second. “That includes clothes that have been made and not even
worn or actually sold, and also fabrics. Closer to home in Hong Kong, in 2018 we threw away
392 tonnes a day. When I joined Redress seven years ago, the figure was 217.” she said. Just
over half of this amount—196 tonnes was attributed solely to clothes.22

Redress’s programs aimed to reduce this excessive environmental waste; to encourage Hong
Kong’s consumers to change the way they shopped, purchased clothing, and recycled unwanted
items; and to encourage the fashion industry to change its approach to production and
consumption.

Not all garments or textiles could be recycled. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of
world’s most widely produced plastics, was used to manufacture waterproof outdoor clothing,

S
some prints, and garments with plastic embellishments. When disposed in landfills, the material
released environmentally damaging chemicals, including dioxins. Because of this problem,

S 4
Redress experimented with a 2.5 tonne shipment of garments that contained PVC and other

E
non-recyclable materials to Japan, to be turned into biofuel (solid recovery fuel that is

I N 2
considered an alternative to coal and fossil fuel).23 However, shipment of shredded garments to

S 0
Japan posed an added cost to the charity.

U N 2
Kay viewed this method of disposal as a viable alternative to landfill: “From our understanding,

B
refuse derived fuel (RDF) has 33% less carbon emissions than coal. But we are only trialing

U I O
this and continue to look for a more circular solution that will bring the materials back in the

T
fashion loop or become feedstock for other industries,” she said.

/ H K T I S E
Redress also aimed to encourage a more sustainable approach to textile manufacturing and

E A
garment creation. “We want fashion to be a creative force for good and for us to enable that.

C P
Our programs promote the concept of a circular economy,” Nissa said.

S B M E C
O
A Force for Good

H C T IC
The most sustainable piece of clothing you’ll ever find is the one already in

E C
your wardrobe.

S A
- Kay Liu, Circular Fashion Program Director, Redress

C A P R
To encourage change, the environmental charity targeted both the fashion industry and
consumers. Ultimately, it wanted to encourage textile makers, manufacturers, and retailers to
become more sustainable and environmentally responsible in their manufacturing processes
and production, and to address serious overproduction issues rather than simply recycling
garments and textiles, as the NGO regarded recycling as a last resort. “Both of our programs,
the Redress Design Award and the Circular Fashion program, aim to address the issues right at
the start,” Kay said.

As the world's largest sustainable fashion competition, the Redress Design Award had operated
successfully for more than a decade. “Its purpose is to educate the future generation of
designers, as well as fashion professionals, to become the change makers of the industry,” Kay
said.

22
Ibid.
23 “For the future of the earth,” Japan RPF Association, http://www.jrpf.gr.jp/en, accessed 20 June 2020.

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The annual awards helped raise awareness among young designers worldwide about circular
fashion and the social and environmental damage created by conventional practices. The award
program encouraged this target group to work toward a more sustainable fashion industry model
with an emphasis on upcycling and zero waste. Designers from more than 120 partner
universities worldwide participated in these awards.

Every October, the Redress team in Hong Kong also carried out a month-long circular-fashion
awareness and education campaign for consumers. Corporate partners either provided
collection locations for the clothing drive or volunteered to sort items collected during the
clothing drive. Instead of throwing away unwanted garments, the campaign asked people to
place them in collection boxes strategically located in malls, shops, restaurants, and lobbies of
major office complexes across the city. In 2019, 130 companies, clubs, and schools participated
in the event. Around 15.4 tonnes of clothing and accessories were collected during that month

S
with items being sorted by 419 corporate volunteers from 20 companies in a 24-hour sort-a-
thon [see Exhibit 2].

E S 4
Garments in exceptional condition (7%) were earmarked for resale at Redress’s popular pop-

I N 2
up stores, while nearly 78% of items collected were sorted and sent for reuse by 19 charity

S 0
partners including Crossroads, Christian Action Centre for Refugees, Friends of the Earth,

2
Green Ladies, Oxfam, the Salvation Army, and ImpactHK in addition to a number of religious

U N
charities. Other items were sorted for alternative purposes (i.e., upcycled for artworks) or

B
recycled [see Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 3].

K U I T I O Essential Partnerships

/ H E T S E
Redress differs from other social enterprises that raised awareness about sustainable lifestyles,

C P A
conscious consumerism, and the environment, as it defined itself as an environmental charity

B C
and not a social enterprise or social venture. As a not-for-profit organization, it needed to

S M E
partner with sponsors and donors to carry out industry and corporate circular-fashion awareness

H O
programs and events. It also needed to train volunteers and raise funds through sales of

C IC
secondhand clothing to maintain its operations. Over the long term, it also partnered with the

T
Hong Kong government to fund the Redress Design Award as well as provide education

E C
programs in schools and learning institutions.

A S A
Direct Income

C P R
High-quality, readily resalable clothing collected during Get Redressed Month were sold at its
twice-yearly up-market Get Redressed Second-Hand Pop-Up Shops, which were designed to
look like shops that sold exclusive high-end labels in order to encourage acceptance of second-
hand clothing among Hong Kong consumers and combat negative perceptions of dusty or
unhygienic charity thrift shops selling second-hand clothing. According to Nissa, these sales
were the main source of unrestricted funding (funds not attached to government grants or
related to sponsorships).

Redress also partnered with second-hand clothing recycler Green Ladies to sell Redress’s
clothing in two of its stores in Sai Ying Pun and Wan Chai districts. Profits from these sales
went to Redress (30%), with the remaining profit going to another local charity, St James’
Settlement, a community service social enterprise supported by Green Ladies.24 “One key
difference between the two organizations is not just our way of selling second-hand clothes.

24 Redress, “Green Ladies X Gets Redressed Secondhand Clothing Sale,” 11 September 2020,
https://www.redress.com.hk/updates/2020/9/11/green-ladies-x-get-redressed-secondhand-clothing-sale, accessed16 September
2020.

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It’s that we are driven by an environmental mission, and Green Ladies is more socially driven,”
Nissa said.

However, the largest source of funds for Redress’s operation was provided by government
grants, donations, and sponsorship [see Exhibit 4].

Sponsorship and Donations

The charity partnered with more than 30 individual organizations that supported sustainability;
these included Hong Kong-based multinational clothing manufacturer TAL, Friends of the
Earth, property developer Nan Fung Group, global shipping company UPS, food and beverage
outlets, and Japanese garment machinery manufacturer Juki. Previous sponsors included the
World Wildlife Fund, Uber, and UBS.

S
Industry Outreach and Education

S 4
Redress participated in industry events that encouraged businesses to support circular fashion,

E
for example, Rethink 2020; and joint industry-consumer education programs, for example,

I N 2
Redress’ own Take Back program which partnered with various retail brands. It also partnered

0
with the Hong Kong government to provide a bilingual circular-fashion education program for

S 2
schools.

B U N
O
Challenging Times

K U I T I
Although it had been successfully established for more than a decade, Redress faced a number

E
H T
of challenges. One cultural challenge was related to Hong Kong consumers and their attitude

/ E S
to consumption. Traditionally, HongKongers did not wear second-hand or pre-owned garments,

C P A
and with cheap fast fashion readily available, the city’s younger generations quickly adapted to

B C
fast fashion’s increased seasonal clothing ranges. Additionally, the younger generations

S M
regarded shopping as a recreational activity.

H C O IC E
A government survey found that 86% of adults had thrown away clothing in the past 12 months,

T
and nearly 30% had thrown away more than 10 items during that year. Around 30% of

E C
millennials (those aged between 16 and 34) threw out half of the clothing they purchased over

S
the past year, compared to 8% of baby boomers (aged over 55).25

C A R A
The charity relied heavily on government funding, which provided nearly half of its financial

P
support for the past decade. Income generated by its clothing sales, sponsorship, and donations
made up the rest of its annual finances [see Exhibit 4]. The salaries of the enterprise’s 16
employees were either fully or partly funded by government grants.

Like other NGO organizations, Nissa said staff retention remained a challenge: “We all work
far more than full-time and get paid far less than private sector; that’s just a fact of life. We’re
driven by passion.” To overcome this issue, Nissa said Redress selected individuals who were
open to new ideas and who valued the environmental charity’s mission. “Being part of
something mission-driven delivers social capital; that’s also appealing to the kind of individual
who applies to work in an environmental charity. We have a really strong sense of family at
Redress and we try to nurture a sense of being part of a team. We are flexible to personal needs,
for example, mothers balancing family needs, and we encourage working from home one day
a week.”

25 YouGov, “Fast fashion; 39% of Hong Kongers have thrown away clothing after wearing it just once,”
https://hk.yougov.com/en-hk/news/2017/12/06/fast-fashion/, accessed 31 August 2020.

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Nissa believed exceptional teamwork was essential for staff retention. Under the executive
team’s leadership, employees were encouraged to participate in social activities. An open,
respectful, and understanding attitude was nurtured within the organization. Staff retention was
regarded as vital for building leadership, as those employees understood the charity’s mission
and vision. “A lot of our senior positions are filled by people who have been promoted from
within to those positions. This area isn’t awash with people with this type of expertise; you
want to keep them and make them leaders in the organization, and nurture leadership from
within,” Nissa said.

She admitted the organization faced a number of challenges. “One of our challenges is the
desire to do everything that can be done to move us closer to our vision, but that hampers our
impact. We need to focus on being the driver for change,” she said. “I think a lot of the big
challenges we face are not exclusive to us. Funding and capacity are constant challenges across

S
most of the NGO sector,” Nissa said.

S 4
Although Redress has operated successfully for more than a decade, financial considerations

E
continued to be one of its top challenges. Capacity, either to take on new projects or undertake

I N 2
existing programs, was another key issue. Nissa said this was partially addressed by choosing

S 0
to support a young and agile team, who were receptive to new ideas and learned new skills

2
quickly.

B U N
One of the environmental charity’s major costs was its capacity to store garments before resale

U I O
or redistribution. In order to sort through the tonnes of clothing collected year round, and

T
particularly during its annual Get Redressed Month, and to help staff its pop-up stores, the

K I E
charity needed to recruit and train volunteers. These were sourced via corporate social

/ H T S
responsibility programs. Since these events were staged many months apart, the charity was not

C E A
able to retain many of these trained volunteers, so it needed to train a new batch of volunteers

P C
before each event. This added to costs in time and labor. Redress also needed to train a sponsor’s

B M
staff, i.e., Gap stores, where collection boxes were placed, as these store employees needed to

S O E
understand the charity’s aims because they were the first point of contact for those who donated

H C
items.

E C T I
Clothing collected in clothing drives and the year-round Takeback programme for

S C
redistribution to charities and pop-up store sales were stored before and after it was sorted.

A A
Storage costs in Hong Kong were high, since leased space in that city was limited. Although

R
Redress needed a warehouse, it needed to rent lockers to store donated garments, which added

C P
to its annual costs.

Around 10–15% of clothing donated to the charity was also unsuitable for upcycling or
donations to local community services. Some of these garments were worn, but many were in
pristine condition because they were made for a particular event or were a company uniform
that bore company logos. “No one would want to wear those clothes, therefore many charities
would not accept them for selling or use by beneficiaries, so that’s what we call the bottom
layer. There’s no recycling industry in Hong Kong for this type of product, and it is very
difficult to export waste. So this is a huge challenge. We’re still looking for possible options to
dispose of these in a sustainable way, environmentally, as well as economically,” Kay said.
Since those who donated these items to Redress expected them to be repurposed, the charity
was obliged to accept them, but was then obliged to pay for their storage and disposal [see
Exhibit 1].

The charity’s flagship event—its internationally recognized Redress Design Award , aimed
to create long-term industry change through education, but Kay admitted that young designers
who participated in the environmental charity’s training programs faced challenges once they

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found jobs within the industry. “As an NGO, we see constraints as opportunities, but the
designers we trained are constrained when they go into the real world and work for a big fashion
brand. They discover, inevitably, that they’re restricted by the manufacturer, the buyer, the
brand, and people who work in that brand,” she said.

Toward a More Sustainable Industry

To fulfill Christina Dean’s mission and vision, Redress focused on two main goals—increased
awareness within the fashion industry of the need to become more sustainable; and
environmentally responsible manufacturing and consumption through interacting with
corporations, forums, events, and its flagship event, the Redress Design Award held in
partnership with 121 universities and teaching institutions.

S
As a Hong Kong charity, its second goal was to engage with the local community and encourage

S 4
a more sustainable approach to consumption through its annual Get Redressed Month clothing

E
drive, pop-up shops, event sponsorship, and education programs. While these events generated

N 2
income, they also placed a financial burden on the charity in terms of logistics, cost of storage,

I 0
and training of volunteers.

U S 2
A large percentage of the charity’s funding was provided through government grants and

B N
sponsorship. With only one quarter of its income generated by sales, Redress’s financial

O
position was likely to be seriously impacted by changes to government policy and any local

U I
economic downturn that could also impact the number of garments it collected through its

K I T E
clothing drives.

/ H E T S
With no significant garment recycling available in Hong Kong, ongoing storage and disposal

C P A
of unrecyclable clothing continued to be an ongoing cost. To avoid this financial burden, should

B C
Redress reconsider its garment acceptance policies at point of collection? Alternatively should

S M E
the charity focus on owning its own warehouse handling facilities?

H C O IC
Should Redress’s executive team consider alternative ways of partnering with corporations and

T
donors? For example, should it lock in sponsorship over a fixed number of years to avoid

E C
economic booms and busts? Finally, could a single environmental charity make a sustainable

S A
difference to the environmental harm being created by fast fashion through pollution,

A
greenhouse gases, and waste of human resources?

C P R

9
21/683C Redress: Creating a Sustainable Movement for Change in Fast Fashion

EXHIBIT 1

S
S 4
I N E 2
U S 2 0
B I O N
K U I T E
C / H E T A S
B M P C
EXHIBIT 2

H S C O IC E
S E C T
C A R A
P

10
21/683C Redress: Creating a Sustainable Movement for Change in Fast Fashion

EXHIBIT 3

S
S 4
I N E 2
U S 2 0
B I O N
K U I T E
C / H E T A S
P
EXHIBIT 4: REVENUE

S B M E C
H C O IC
S E C T
C A R A
P

Source: Redress, “Our Work,” https://www.redress.com.hk/about/story

11