Food waste accounts for 30% of waste sent to landfills in Hong Kong’s New Territories, which are already being extended to cope with projected demand.
Now thanks to a technology from Hong Kong start-up Lacess, food scraps and other kinds of waste can be put to good use by upcycling them into footwear.
The shoemakers collect apple pulp from fruit juice factories and combine it with other upcycled materials, such as leather, plastic and cork to form different parts of the shoe.
The resulting eco-friendly shoes have 85% less carbon emissions than cow leather and three times less than synthetic alternatives, according to Lacess Co-Founder Natalie Chow.
Now being used around the world, apple leather has excellent environmental credentials, says Ms Chow. The US Department of Agriculture and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have both approved apple leather as an environmentally friendly bio-based alternative to traditional leathers.
Ms Chow had the idea to launch her own range of sustainable footwear after many years of working in high-end fashion and becoming disillusioned at the industry’s lack of urgency in tackling climate change. Seeking the help of Simon Chow, whose family has been designing and exporting footwear for generations, together the two founded Lacess in 2020 as one of the first eco-friendly footwear businesses in Hong Kong.
Partnerships with factories in Dongguan, Putian and Shandong allow Lacess to produce competitively priced, environmentally friendly shoes in small batches.
The company also works with small textile factories in the mainland to re-weave discarded fishing nets, plastic fibres and organic cotton into shoe fabric.
Lacess currently has two brands: Light Treads and KIBO, which means ‘hope’ in Japanese. Every component and its relevant certifications are listed on a blockchain, enabling customers to view the product’s traceability.
Hong Kong’s fiercely competitive fashion market has prompted Lacess to offer personalisation services, so that consumers and organisations can have their own name, designs or logos printed onto their shoes.
The company is also exploring children’s shoes, functional shoes with slip and oil resistance and aluminium-capped safety shoes for logistics and construction workers.
In recognition of its innovation, the start-up was recently named one of the 10 winners of HKTDC’s Start-Up Express 2024, which Mr Chow said has helped raise brand awareness and draw attention from customers and investors.
Through HKTDC’s support, Lacess displayed its products at the Eco Expo Asia in Hong Kong and the China International Consumer Products Expo in Ningbo.
Looking ahead, the company will continue to base itself in Hong Kong, while exploring overseas markets.
“Hong Kong remains the ideal market for us to grow,” Mr Chow said. “It’s concentration of international brands provides unique opportunities, and we are now setting our sights on Singapore and Southeast Asia while increasing our B2B offerings.”