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Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Puny (Hactl) – Hong Kong’s largest objective handler – has successfully transformed its earlier team uniforms into 5,000 upcycled cups thru its “Zero Extinguish Uniform Upcycling Mission”.

The initiative marks the major zero-atomize upcycling mission for earlier dresses within the historical past of Hong Kong’s aviation industry.

The earlier uniforms were made from sturdy, water-resistant blended fibres, which could maybe be fundamentally tough to recycle and in overall pause up in landfill. By the “Zero Extinguish Uniform Upcycling Mission”, polyester fibres from the earlier uniforms were recycled thru melt-granulation and other processes into uncooked plastic granules that were then aged to assemble recyclable plastic cups. The mission has demonstrated the unlimited possibilities of zero-atomize upcycling of earlier uniforms for the aviation industry and other sectors.

Says Hactl Chief Govt Wilson Kwong: “In Hong Kong, the aviation industry, cherish many industries, affords uniforms for frontline team. Facing earlier uniforms is a essential environmental narrate. We hope that thru this mission, we are succesful of interrupt thru dilapidated boundaries and recycle earlier uniforms to operate ‘zero atomize upcycling’ and lower the burden on landfills, whereas encouraging the industry to make contributions in the direction of a circular financial system and sustainable trend.”

Since launching its “Inexperienced Terminal” programme in 2018, Hactl has been making certain impacts on the neighborhood and ambiance. It has committed to reaching a 75% atomize recycling price by 2030. The “Zero Extinguish Uniform Upcycling Mission” is considered one of Hactl’s main initiatives to wait on realise this purpose.

In accordance with statistics released by the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong’s textile atomize recycling price increased from about 4% in 2018 to almost 11% in 2022. On the different hand, company uniforms are mainly made from blended presents and are no longer frequently ever recycled. Even when recycled, they are handiest aged to ticket recycled textile fibres for manufacturing original dresses. By upcycling earlier uniforms into non-textile merchandise, Hactl’s “Zero Extinguish Uniform Upcycling Mission” has opened the door to original possibilities for uncooked plastics derived from dresses. Most considerably, the indisputable reality that these 5,000 cups, made of upcycled presents, would maybe even be recycled once more in future to ticket other excessive-worth merchandise demonstrates the probability and potential of reaching a circular financial system.

Caitlin DiMare-Oliver