Why
The
Open
Lab

In 2020, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and the H&M Foundation committed to a five-year collaboration plan under the theme "Planet First" to further drive the sustainable developments for the textile and fashion industry. The Open Lab is one of the initiatives of "Planet First", it does not only support the industry to be more planet positive, but also to facilitate industry collaborations to scale solutions and impact.

We invite collaborations with partners having the same ambitions.

We dedicate in inventing and designing the solutions.

We strive to implement these solutions broadly and as quickly as possible.

We also encourage more ideas and solutions towards the same goals.

Open Lab What We Do 1
Openlab Main
The Open Lab invites partners to work together to develop technologies driving the forefront sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles industry

What we do

The Open Lab is a shared vision to create a physical space and a digital platform for industry partners across the supply chain to come together to explore the unknown, and to encourage broad industry-wide collaborations.

Whatwedo 2
The Open Lab invites partners to work together to develop technologies driving the forefront sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles industry
Whatwedo 1

We invite partners to work together to develop technologies driving the forefront sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles industry, to fund projects and scale outcomes quickly with the intention to make resources broadly available.

We invite partners to work together to develop technologies driving the forefront sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles industry, to fund projects and scale outcomes quickly with the intention to make resources broadly available.

About
Physical Lab

The Open Lab invites partners to work together to develop technologies driving the forefront sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles industry
Physicallab

It is an integrated space for demonstrating the industrial scale-up of technologies and systems developed by HKRITA, as well as for conducting research and trial. The space is divided into two main sections - Pilot Plant and Fashion Future Lab.

Pilot Plant

A recycling facility for demonstration and trial to scale up technologies. It features Green Machine 2.0, the pioneer blend separation system for yarn re-spinning and post-consumer textiles waste recycling.

Pilotplant Hydrothermal
Pilotplant Decolour
Pilotplant Yarn
  • Hydrothermal separation
  • Material decolouring
  • Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) wastewater treatment 
  • rPET yarn processing
  • Garment knitting



Fashion
Future Lab

Laboratory space for early-stage solutions with focus on textile material and system development. Flexible modular units to accommodate different experiments and equipment.

Pilotplant Spinning
Future Cotton
Future Garment
  • Farm-to-Garment: a production line from hydroponic cotton cultivation to yarn processing and garment knitting


Sustainability

Projects

Research Area
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