Global warming has become a significant cause for concern with the increasing public awareness of the need for environmental protection. In this context, materials used in everyday merchandise are attracting greater attention, and mainstream fashion and garment companies are gearing up to manufacture environmentally friendly products for "green" consumers. Tiffany International Trading Co., one of the few Hong Kong players engaged in the production of "green" clothing, seized the opportunity and switched to making AZO-free fabrics and clothing using harmless dyestuff about six months ago. HKTDC Business Matching recently introduced to Tiffany a new client for its expansion into overseas markets.

Big potential for AZO-free products
Established in 1987, Tiffany focuses on the manufacturing of textile products, mainly fabrics and garments. Unlike other market players competing on price, Tiffany has been investing in the development and application of high valued-added materials to produce AZO-free clothing. General Manager, Ms Gladnix Chan says: "Our fabrics are produced in a safe, healthy and environmentally conscious manner. Traditional fabrics using ordinary dyes produce substances that can provoke skin irritation, allergies or cancer after chemical reactions with human sweat. For greater safety, we make use of AZO-free dyes from Germany and the United States to prevent another possible cause of cancer." Tiffany has already secured a number of international quality certificates and safety qualifications such as TUV, FDA, CE, ITS, SGS, and Oeko-Tex Standard 100. As "green" clothing is not so popular in Hong Kong, penetrating overseas markets and exploring new customers worldwide were the keys to business growth. Ms Chan says: "Europe and the US are our major markets. Due to a constraint on resources, we did not actively develop other overseas markets." The HKTDC Business Matching service opened up new opportunities for overseas expansion by introducing a business contact interested in sourcing uniforms for medical officers.

Close partnership
Earlier, an Australian garment distributor lodged a request for suppliers of medical officers' uniforms. HKTDC's business matching specialists went through their database carefully and came to the conclusion that Tiffany was the right partner given its strengths in the production of "green" clothing and international quality standards to meet the Australian market's stringent requirements. "Australia has very high standards in the use of environmentally friendly fabrics, especially for the production of medical uniforms. We produce AZO-free, wrinkle-free, oil-free and dirt-proof fabrics as well as anti-bacterial items tailored to customer needs. As advertising is not enough to tap into overseas opportunities, HKTDC really enabled us to widen our sales and enter the Australian market," said Ms Chan.

"This Australian customer is very demanding on quality and is looking for products in small quantities. They had failed to find an appropriate Hong Kong supplier to produce their medical uniforms in extra sizes and with different labels for use in different hospitals. We made the perfect partner in meeting their requirements and we do envisage a long-term partnership with them - this will hopefully raise our profile and draw in more Australian orders. So far, the cooperation works very well as our Australian customer has already settled full payment for the deal prior to product delivery. We expect to see repeat orders very soon."

Gaining popularity
The successful business matching not only opens up the Australian market for Tiffany, but also encourages the company to expand its business development strategy. "We are so happy to see our commitment pay off with the approval of international customers. In view of this overseas success, we are determined to promote our AZO-free clothing locally in Hong Kong with a particular focus on school and medical uniforms," Ms Chan says. "It's just a simple and straightforward registration with HKTDC, and we are amazed at the rich rewards we have reaped through the service. With HKTDC's database providing updated contacts and information, we are ready to meet our next partner any moment."

HKTDC Business Matching helps local and overseas companies look for potential partners for business development. For more information, email businessmatching@tdc.org.hk. You can also call (852) 1830 668, or the Hong Kong Trade Development Council office near you. For reference, click here.

Reprinted from East Magazine, Hong Kong, February 2008.