How Impact Retail encourages conscious consumption and recycling of plastic waste recycling

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Fabrica X, an impact Retail store to recycle plastic waste and encourage conscious consumption in Hong Kong

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Published: 12:46pm, 8 Aug 2022

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Plastic pollution is set to worsen. A 2022 OECD report estimates that the total amount of global plastic waste will almost triple by 2060 and two-thirds are short-lived items including plastic packaging. Also, plastic leakages are set to double by 2060, furthering concerns about plastic pollution in our marine ecosystem. The latest scientific research also found that microplastics on the deep ocean floor were more abundant than expected and now serve as the “oceans’ garbage dump”.

However, Hong Kong’s latest data provides an optimistic outlook with daily per capita waste decreasing from a high of 1.53kg (2018) to 1.44kg (2020). The amount of plastic recycled locally also increased by around 27% compared to 2019, lowering the chances of plastic pollution when it’s exported to other countries with more lax environmental regulations. Though opportunities still exist for Hongkongers to better recycle plastics as our recycling rate is only 11%, lower than that of China at 17.6%.

Worryingly, scientists also found we have been eating and breathing plastics, and only recently confirmed the existence of plastics inside the human body; in human blood and faeces of babies and adults. The health implications to humans can’t be more real as it may interfere with our endocrine (hormonal) system, increasing the risk of cancer, with smaller nano-plastics potentially entering and disrupting cellular activity. All this means the case to reduce, reuse and recycle has never been stronger.

Nan Fung Group has always placed great emphasis on transforming our society for the better. As part of the organization’s innovation arm, The Mills Fabrica seeks to redefine the meaning of retail by relaunching Fabrica X, our retail space at The Mills Tsuen Wan, into an Impact Retail store, placing education, experiential and sustainable retail as our core pillars – with the ambition of becoming an avenue to educate, inspire and motivate the public to live more sustainability. It’s also a space to showcase innovative brands such that Fabrica X becomes one’s first step towards a lifelong journey of change.

In the coming months, our newly revamped Impact Retail store will focus on the issue of ocean plastic pollution. We have curated a mini-exhibition to reconnect visitors with the current state of our ocean, showing the breadth and depth of plastic’s impact on environmental and human health. Simple tips on how to first and foremost reduce and reuse plastics are also highlighted. Art pieces have also been specially made from salvaged local plastic waste to “bringing the problem closer to reality”.

As part of Fabrica X’s experimental DNA, we have miniaturized a commercial recycling system in partnership with a local social enterprise The Ocean Material and placed it inside our Impact Retail store.