Less than 1% of clothing globally is recycled into new garments, with millions of tonnes landfilled each year. ZALORA, a fashion and lifestyle e-commerce platform, expands its circular economy initiatives through eco-friendly collections, sustainable packaging, low-carbon delivery and clothing take-back programmes. Anthony Fung, CCO of ZALORA, shared with HKTDC Research on how an online fashion platform pursues sustainability goals through distinctive business strategies and consumer programmes.

This year’s CES, the world’s biggest consumer electronics event, welcomed its largest Hong Kong pavilion, with optical tech very much its focus.

On 1 January 2026, two Council Regulations, supporting trade with EU industry, began to apply. Council Regulation (EU) 2025/2614 and Council Regulation (EU) 2025/2605. The first document explains how the EU has updated its system of autonomous tariff quotas. The second document suspends customs duties on a wide range of agricultural and industrial inputs imported into the EU, where production in the EU is insufficient or non-existent. Both documents may give rise to trading opportunities for Hong Kong sellers.

Guidelines for the Flammability Requirements of the Children's Sleepwear Regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) updated by Health Canada.

Following consecutive 18.7 percent and 11.2 percent annual increases and a 9.8 percent annual decline, assessments paid by importers of cotton and cotton-containing products under the Cotton Research and Promotion Order will drop by 6.5 percent under a direct final rule issued by the Agricultural Marketing Service.

The Mexican Congress recently approved a draft decree increasing effective from 1 January 2026 the MFN import duties on a broad range of products, including autos and auto parts, textiles, apparel, toys and games, furniture, tyres, travel goods, plastic products, paper products, glassware, iron and steel and articles thereof, and cosmetic products.

Turbo-charged by the pandemic, online shopping has surged in this Eastern European nation, spurring payment and logistics innovations.

The European Commission has announced that it has fined luxury fashion houses Gucci, Chloé and Loewe more than €157 million for engaging in anticompetitive pricing practices that restricted retailers’ ability to set their own prices. The investigation found that the three companies fixed resale prices across the European Economic Area (EEA), in violation of EU competition rules designed to protect market fairness and consumer choice.

The EU’s revised Waste Framework Directive has officially entered into force, setting the stage for a major overhaul of how Europe manages waste textiles. Hong Kong traders should keep in mind that Member states have until 17 April 2028 to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes that will require clothing, textile, and footwear producers to fund the collection, reuse, and recycling of their products.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) conducted a total of 101 searches earlier this year, of an alleged criminal enterprise which, it is understood, imported goods into the EU market fraudulently from the Chinese Mainland. It is reported that the criminal activity included, among other elements, evading custom duties and VAT. The searches were carried out following a coordinated investigation at the European level with the participation of law enforcement bodies from 14 different European countries.