Fostering Communities of Change, One Repair at a Time

In the vibrant city-state of Singapore, a transformative initiative known as Repair Kopitiam has been quietly revolutionizing the way residents approach their belongings.

Introduction

In the vibrant city-state of Singapore, a transformative initiative known as Repair Kopitiam has been quietly revolutionizing the way residents approach their belongings. Founded in 2014 by Veerappan Swaminathan and Farah Sanwari and currently run by SL2 Impact, the non-profit arm of Sustainable Living Lab, Repair Kopitiam has evolved into a force combating the prevalent “Buy and Throw Away” culture. By encouraging residents to repair rather than discard, the initiative aims to create a sustainable society that redefines the lifecycle of products.

Monthly Repair Meetups

The heartbeat of Repair Kopitiam is its community-driven approach, evident in the monthly repair meetups held on the last Sunday of each month. At these events, diverse groups of people converge, bringing with them malfunctioning or broken household items in need of repair. The initiative not only addresses the immediate issue of item repair but also fosters a collective responsibility towards a circular economy.

Volunteer Repair Coaches

Central to the success of Repair Kopitiam is the passionate volunteer Repair Coaches who guide participants through the repair process. The transfer of knowledge from those proficient in repairs to eager learners forms the backbone of a sustainable community model. Beyond one-off repair events, Repair Kopitiam offers workshops where participants delve into the intricacies of tinkering, gaining technical prowess and the mindset of a lifelong learner.

Community Impacts

With a cumulative impact of training approximately 4,500 volunteer Repair Coaches since its inception, Repair Kopitiam currently operates with over 100 Repair Coaches across nine event locations. The initiative serves as a filter for recycling, focusing on the importance of repairing items before resorting to recycling. By promoting pre-repair maintenance, replacing broken parts, and salvaging functional components, Repair Kopitiam seeks to lower the barrier for the general public to engage in repair activities.

A Vision for the Future

Repair Kopitiam recognizes the pivotal role that the youth play in shaping the future, and as such, the initiative actively engages this demographic through collaborations with educational and youth organisations in Singapore. Extending beyond the monthly repair meetups, these programmes emphasize the importance of pre-repair maintenance, instilling in the youth a proactive mindset regarding the maintenance and repair of everyday items.

Conclusion

photo: Repair Kopitiam

In the hands of Repair Kopitiam, discarded items find new life, and communities are woven together through shared experiences of repair and resilience. Repair Kopitiam stands as a powerful exemplar of grassroots initiatives, showcasing that by addressing the specific needs of individuals within communities, a ripple effect of positive change can be sparked, fostering a collective ethos of responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Oceanx: Coming Soon to a Berth Near You!

The most advanced exploration, research, and media vessel ever built, OceanX, is going to be based in Singapore for half the year of 2024. She will explore our Pacific and Indian oceans and engage with scientists, educators, and students in Singapore.

Oceanx: Coming Soon to a Berth Near You!

Written and Videographed by Mahboob Mahmood

Oceanx is a one-of-a-kind vessel: an innovation-packed platform to discover and engage with our incredible oceans and their inhabitants!

Oceanx and her crew — including marine scientists, biologists, data engineers, divers, filmmakers, and ocean discovery technicians — are dedicated to exploring the oceans and sharing their findings with everyone.

Starting in 2024, Oceanx will be based half the year in Singapore from where she will explore our Pacific and Indian oceans.

During the COP 28 summit in Dubai, I had the privilege of meeting Mark Dalio (Founder and Creative Director), Nicole Thomson (VP of Partnerships), Amy Freeland (VP of Communications), and other Oceanx team members. They invited me to explore Oceanx and I gladly took up their offer.

Neptune and Nadir

Colin Wollerman (Pilot and Technician) showed me around the two manned Triton submarines.

Neptune dives down to 1,000 meters to collect samples using both a vacuum tube and a robotic arm.

Nadir dives with a 2-person film crew who operate high-resolution cameras and powerful lights to film the ocean depths.

The Scuba Centre

Mark Ward next took me to the ship’s incredibly well-stocked scuba centre, complete with a dive boat and dive suits for most kinds of temperatures!

The Decompression Chamber

Oceanx has its own decompression chamber. This chamber, and other medical facilities, enables Oceanx to travel far and wide while safeguarding her crew.

The CTD Profiling System

Mark then showed me the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) Profiling System. This is an unmanned system that can go down as deep as needed to collect samples of ocean water and tiny life forms.

The Remote Operated Vehicle

Andrew Craig (ROV Team Leader) showed me the ship’s 6,000-metre ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle). Capable of reaching 98% of the ocean, the ROV is tethered to the ship; it collects samples, takes videos, and gathers all kinds of information.

The Remote Control Centre

We then visited the space-age mission control centre, which acts as the brain and control centre for the ROV.

Who said playing immersive video games doesn’t build science skills?!

Other discovery vessels include an Otter Autonomous Surface Vehicle and a helicopter.

Data Collection

Underneath the ship’s hull is a gondola which contains equipment that maps the ocean floor!

Think about the many ways in which Oceanx can collect data on the shallows and depths of our oceans!

The Wet Lab

Mark then took us to the wet lab. In the wet lab, there are three tanks that can create different environments (salinity, temperature, etc.) to keep alive coral and other sea animals for further studies. A dark, cold tank room can recreate environments for creatures that live in the cold, dark, depths of the ocean. And freezers enable the preservation of specimens for later studies.

The Dry Labs

I then met Mattie Rodrigue (Science Program Lead), who introduced me to two of the ship’s three dry labs. The first lab we visited focuses on imaging and microscopy. Among many very cool things, Oceanx is making 3D images of sea life and will share these globally with scientists, educators, students, and people around the world!

The second dry lab — the Molecular Sequencing Facility — is even cooler! It sequences the DNA of specimens. Because the oceans are so underexplored, Oceanx has already started discovering specimens with new DNA structures!

Through the combination of information-gathering tools and labs, Oceanx is able to collect and analyse the oceans and her inhabitants on an almost real-time basis!!

And this is just the beginning: as the ship’s data streaming and community features get going, Oceanx will be sharing real-time information with and obtaining real-time inputs from scientists, educators, students, and observers around the world.

Stay tuned for the many ways Singapore’s scientists, educators, and students can engage with Oceanx — and through Oceanx with the incredible oceans and life around us!

To follow Oceanx, visit their website or follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Features

Our Feature Articles highlight the inspiring work of community-based partners, green organisations, activists, and thought leaders. Explore their stories, initiatives, and the impact they’ve had on shaping a sustainable future for Kenya. These features celebrate the contributions of those who are at the forefront of positive change in our communities and beyond.

Close the Loop for Fashion for Good

—An Exclusive Interview with Yinling Tan

Featuring Singapore’s environmental advocacy and innovation, Singapore Green Guardians (SGG) had the privilege of having an insightful conversation with Yinling Tan, the co-founder of Cloop. In this interview, Yinling shared her journey to circular fashion and the origin story of Cloop, a circular fashion enterprise focused on reducing fashion overconsumption and helping consumers close the textile loop with solutions for unwanted textiles and sustainable shopping alternatives.

SGG: How did it all start for you, Yinling?

Yinling: During my time studying in the UK, I found myself ensnared in the world of online shopping, accumulating a room full of unworn clothes I didn’t need.

In 2019, upon completing my degree in Environmental Science and returning to Singapore, I enrolled in a two-month zero-waste boot camp run by Secondsguru. Our final project, coincidentally, delved into the waste produced by the clothing industry, and the findings were shocking:

The fashion industry consumes a staggering 93 million litres of water. For perspective, the water used to produce a simple pair of jeans (3,781 litres) could sustain an individual for five and a half years.
The industry also contributes to 8% of the global carbon emissions every year, which is almost as much as all the international flights and shipping combined.
Fabric manufacturing accounts for 20% of worldwide wastewater.
87% of the total fibre used to make clothes ends up incinerated or in landfills. (Quantis, 2018)

These eye-opening facts led me to reflect on my shopping habits, sparking a personal redemption arc and a commitment to champion sustainable fashion.

SGG: What did you do?

Yinling: I started to run swap events and eco-conscious campaigns. In 2020, I met my now business partner Jasmine Tuan, and we founded Cloop. Our mission is to close the loop for fashion for good. Yet, we soon realised clothes swapping had limitations—80% of donated clothes we received couldn’t be resold or swapped. Since Singapore doesn’t have its own textile recycling facility, it is difficult to track the actual textile recycling rate.

To address this, in March 2022, we collaborated with Life Line Clothing, a Malaysia-based textile recycler. Their facility collects, sorts, upcycles, and downcycles textile materials, providing a second life for textile waste.

Photo: Life Line Clothing

In July 2022, the first textile recycling bin in Singapore was launched, and a year later, we have more than 370 bins citywide and counting.

Locate Cloop Life Line Recycling Bin Near You

SGG: How much textile waste do you collect?

Yinling: Weekly, we collect up to 50 tonnes of textile waste, yet this represents only 1% of the total waste generated. Our goal is to install 600 bins across Singapore, doubling our textile waste recycling capacity.

SGG: What other initiatives does Cloop have?

Yinling: Recognizing recycling as a last resort, we stress the importance of rethinking clothing purchases, advocating for waste reduction through swapping, second-hand shopping, and upcycling old textiles.

To foster awareness and behavioural change, we conduct upcycling workshops and deliver talks to corporates and schools. With six pop-up thrift stores and regular swap events, we provide avenues for those aiming to embrace sustainable fashion. To stay updated on our events, you can follow us @cloop.sg on Instagram.

Photo: Cloop

SGG: What’s the next step for Cloop?

Yinling: Another initiative is to assist corporates in reducing textile waste through Life Line Clothing’s Upcycle4Better programme. By upcycling old textiles like company uniforms and bed linens into new products—tote bags, pouches, and cleaning cloths—we aim to help organizations achieve their sustainability goals while creating community-based job opportunities for designers and sewers.

Photo: Cloop

Close the Loop for Fashion for Good

In this interview, Yinling, the co-founder of Cloop, shared her journey to circular fashion and the origin story of Cloop, a circular fashion enterprise focused on reducing fashion overconsumption and helping consumers close the textile loop with solutions for unwanted textiles and sustainable shopping alternatives.

Close the Loop for Fashion for Good

—An Exclusive Interview with Yinling Tan

SGG: How did it all start for you, Yinling?

Yinling: During my time studying in the UK, I found myself ensnared in the world of online shopping, accumulating a room full of unworn clothes I didn’t need.

The fashion industry consumes a staggering 93 million litres of water. For perspective, the water used to produce a simple pair of jeans (3,781 litres) could sustain an individual for five and a half years.
The industry also contributes to 8% of the global carbon emissions every year, which is almost as much as all the international flights and shipping combined.
Fabric manufacturing accounts for 20% of worldwide wastewater.
87% of the total fibre used to make clothes ends up incinerated or in landfills. (Quantis, 2018)