PolyU-nurtured young entrepreneur was named in Forbes 30 Under 30

It may not be easy to throw away your school uniform, which holds cherished memories of your school days. Now, besides keeping the uniform or discarding it, Dress Green provides another option: giving it a new life by upcycling it into apparel and accessories.

		The process emits carbon dioxide equivalent to a car travelling 1,200 times around the world,
		consumes water enough for all Hong Kong citizens to drink for 3 years.

*Source: Dress Green

One of the many PolyU-nurtured startups, Dress Green is co-founded by alumna Emma Yu Sin-wan, a graduate of the Master of Arts in Bilingual Corporate Communication. The designbased social enterprise creatively promotes sustainability through upcycling uniforms, and thus creates job opportunities for the disadvantaged. Its efforts were recently recognised by the esteemed Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 List, earning it a spot in the Social Impact category for its contribution to society and sustainability.

Emma identified a gap in the recycling market where uniforms were often overlooked. “We estimated that about four million pieces of uniforms were being discarded every year. However, recycling bins in the community usually do not accept uniforms.”

With a vision to minimise landfill waste, she founded Dress Green with her husband to upcycle discarded school and business uniforms into trendy, ecofriendly apparel and accessories such as bags, hats, ornaments, cushions and other products, significantly enhancing their sustainability.

Job opportunities for disadvantaged

This startup also provides job opportunities by engaging unemployed textile workers, housewives, and disadvantaged groups. Since its launch in 2021, Dress Green has upcycled 3,000 uniforms into over 4,000 products, providing more than 3,500 working hours. It has partnered with over 20 companies, including Kerry Properties and Veolia, and offers workshops to raise environmental awareness.

“We are also exploring the upcycling of other textiles, such as fabrics from fashion brands, used clothes, and bed sheets, to design diversified products and offer more job opportunities for local workers.”

Success thanks to PolyU’s support

The success of the startup highlights PolyU’s effort in nurturing startups and inspiring future entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality. Dress Green is a perfect example of benefitting from the University’s funding, resources, and mentorship. It began with substantial seed funding from the PolyU Micro Fund and flourished within the workspace at the PolyU InnoHub. The technical support and training offered by the Industrial Centre for the use of machines and software also provided a robust innovation environment. Moreover, Emma gained numerous opportunities to participate in entrepreneurship competitions, exchange ideas, and build connections among the PolyU startup community, eventually growing Dress Green into the successful startup it is today.

PolyU is a breeding ground for aspiring entrepreneurs. Through its PolyVentures initiative, the University has trained more than 7,600 entrepreneurs and established over 500 startups over the years.