Be the Change Summit - Dr Amy Khor

OPENING ADDRESS BY DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AT BE THE CHANGE SUMMIT ON 15 AUGUST 2024

Ms Sharon Lim, President, Singapore Fashion Council,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1 Good morning! It is my pleasure to join you today as we gather to celebrate and promote circularity in fashion.

2 The idea of circularity is befitting for Asian fashion. In Asian cultures, a circle symbolises infinity and unity. For example, a circle is associated with fullness and reunions in Chinese culture and features prominently during the Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival. The circle motif is also adopted in many traditional clothing, such as the kimono, qipao, and the lehenga skirt.

3 The idea of circularity extends further in today’s fashion industry, making today’s theme of Eternally Circular apt. With our increasing consumption and fast fashion habits contributing to environmental degradation, waste generation and carbon emissions, there is an urgency to create a closed-loop system where materials are continuously cycled back into the economy, reducing the need for resource extraction.

4 I will outline the challenges in upholding circularity in the fashion industry, and how we can overcome them by weaving innovation, sector development, and a sustainable culture into the industry.

Pushing the Boundaries of Textile Recycling with Innovation

5 A key challenge to achieving resource circularity in the fashion industry lies in the low recycling rate of textiles. According to the National Environment Agency’s 2023 Waste and Recycling Statistics, Singapore is recycling only two per cent of our textile or leather waste. Textiles of higher quality would be resold, and textiles not suitable for reuse would be downcycled into other products, such as cleaning rags or filling material. The reason why recycling textiles remains challenging is the combination of multiple materials, different fibre blends and components in our clothes, which make them difficult to recycle. As many of you are aware, pure waste streams are needed for recycling. Whilst more fashion designers and companies are embracing sustainability by using garments made from a single material, there is still some way to go before this practice becomes a norm.

6 Another challenge is the lack of technological solutions to recycle clothing fibers. Sustainable innovation in the fashion industry is therefore critical to develop solutions that can help close our textile resource loop. The establishment of the RGE-NTU Sustainable Textile Research Centre in 2022, which aims to study the chemistry of complex textile materials and develop sustainable solutions in the textile value chain, is a step in the right direction. Recently, the Singapore Fashion Council also worked with fashion technology company Circ to promote the adoption of its upcycling innovation, which uses a hydrothermal process to recover original materials from polycotton blends.

7 I look forward to more Research and Development (R&D) efforts such as these to push the boundaries of textile recycling and establish circularity for our textile resources.

Developing a Fashion Industry that Makes Circularity Second Nature

8 The fashion industry can also do its part to make circularity second nature. I commend the Singapore Fashion Council for its efforts to drive sustainability. Some examples include:
a. the launch of the Fashion Sustainability Programme and the “Zero-Fashion Waste Initiative” framework for the fashion value chain in 2021 to help enterprises in the textile and fashion industry adopt sustainable business practices;
b. the release of the “Towards Zero Fashion Waste Market Study Sector Report”, which covers the post-consumer fashion landscape in Singapore in 2022 is another example. The report focused on the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions and identified potential abatement initiatives in the areas of upstream production, operations, as well as usage and end-of use; and
c. the publication of a Textile Recycling Study in 2023 to analyse the textile recycling market in Singapore alongside other countries, which is yet another commendable initiative. The report included recommendations for various stakeholders to collectively build an ecosystem to facilitate textile recycling in Singapore.

9 Through these efforts, the Singapore Fashion Council continues to support industry players in embarking on their sustainability journey, build knowledge on the textile recycling landscape, and drive innovation and investment in textile recycling technologies.

10 Our youths also play an important role in raising awareness of the importance of circularity within the fashion industry. I am pleased that the Singapore Fashion Council continues to organise the Student Challenge Award to recognise youths who demonstrate creativity and innovation while prioritising sustainable practices in their ideas. I will be presenting the awards to the winners and touring a showcase of their projects later.

11 This year, we mark another milestone in raising the industry’s green capabilities by presenting the inaugural Singapore Fashion Council Scholarships to three students who are pursuing programmes in sustainability, circularity, and material science for the fashion and textile industry. I look forward to their contributions to the industry and the larger sustainability ecosystem.

Nurturing a Culture that Champions Circularity

12 Innovation breakthroughs and industry efforts are important, but they are only one side of the equation. On the other side of the equation, consumers should also mindfully review their needs before buying a new piece of clothing, embrace the idea of secondhand clothing, and be willing to pay a premium on products that are sustainably made.

13 Everyone has a role to play in nurturing a circular culture. Singapore Fashion Council’s Be the Change Summit, which brings together stakeholders across the sustainable fashion ecosystem to discuss the challenges of the fashion industry, demonstrates the importance of collective action. I hope that participants will glean insights from the panel discussions later and be inspired to do your part to build a culture that champions circularity.

14 The Government is also doing its part. My Ministry, MSE, organises the annual Go Green SG, a whole-of-nation movement to rally citizens, organisations and the community to take collective action towards a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore. I thank the Singapore Fashion Council and GINLEE Studio for your support as our Go Green SG partners this year. I also thank Singapore Fashion Council’s members including Sing Lun Holdings and Talking Toes for your participation in Green-House, a retail event in support of Go Green SG that aims to inspire a low-carbon-footprint lifestyle. I look forward to more partners in the fashion industry joining our national sustainability movement next year.

Conclusion

15 Let me conclude. Just as our ethnic cultures celebrate the circle motif, which is often represented in our traditional clothing, we can continue to embrace circularity in today’s fashion industry. Our collective efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle our resources will be crucial in our fight against the existential threat of climate change, and we must all do our part.

Thank you.