About 360° Embracing Circular Economy
Part I: Revolutionising Food Waste Management
Food waste is one of the most pressing environmental challenges in Hong Kong. In 2022, the city generated over 3,300 tonnes of food waste daily, accounting for approximately 30% of its municipal solid waste (MSW). Alarmingly, less than 10% of the food waste is collected and delivered to recycling facilities, while the majority is sent to landfills, resulting in significant environmental impacts.
This session focused on policies and strategies for managing food waste in line with the waste management hierarchy. We discussed various approaches, including reducing waste at the source, redistributing surplus food, and repurposing and recovering food waste. Attendees gained insights into Hong Kong's food waste policies, explored business-led initiatives for food waste reduction and surplus redistribution, and learned about innovative technologies that transformed food waste into other products and energy.
Park II: Eco-Design for Trade and Businesses
Implementing eco-design principles is vital for the success of the circular economy, as design plays a critical role in its three core principles: eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials, and regenerating nature. Overall, eco-design aims to minimise the environmental impact of products by considering their entire life cycle.
attendees gained insights into the latest EU Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation. Additionally, the panellists shared their expertise on eco-design practices across various product categories, including textiles, construction materials, packaging, and I&T products, and discussed the related costs and benefits.
Event Details
Date: 1 November 2024 (Friday)
Time: 2:15pm – 4:25pm
Venue: Seminar Room, Hall 3, AsiaWorld-Expo
Language: English (with simultaneous interpretation in Cantonese and Mandarin)
Fee: Free of charge but registration through TDC is required
*Please register/login your HKTDC account before getting FREE buyer badges for Eco Expo )
Rundown
| Time | Activity |
| Part I: Revolutionising Food Waste Management | |
|
2:15pm - 2:30pm |
Sharing Session: Challenges of Managing Food Waste in Hong Kong Mr Benjamin Kwong, Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Waste Reduction & Community Recycling) Environmental Protection Department, HKSARG |
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2:30pm - 3:20pm |
Panel of Discussion
Moderator • Mr Merlin Lao Panellists • Ms Phoebe Leung Expected Speaking Area: Initiatives for food waste reduction (i.e. Green Kitchen Initiatives), partnerships with tenants for food waste management and approaches to repurpose and recover food waste (i.e. turning used cooking oil to biodiesel)
Expected Speaking Area: Best practices for repurposing food waste (i.e. turning discarded oyster shells to cement) and preventing food waste by technological innovation "surplus food app"
Expected Speaking Area: Effective strategies for collecting food waste and turning them into resources
Expected Speaking Area: Challenges and opportunities of food waste (i.e. tools for food waste reduction) |
| Part II: Eco-Design for Trade and Businesses | |
|
3:20pm - 3:35pm |
Sharing Session: New EU Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation and Implications for Asian Supply Chain Mr Rakesh VAZIRANI, Director – Decarbonization Solutions & Supply Chain Sustainability Bureau Veritas |
|
3:35pm - 4:25pm |
Panel of Discussion
Moderator • Mr Rakesh VAZIRANI Panellists • Ms Stephanie Chan Expected Speaking Area: Eco-design for textile, footwear, etc …
Expected Speaking Area: Eco-design and Eco-labelling in the construction area
Expected Speaking Area: Sustainability certification and eco-design for IT products
• Mr Shashank Singh Expected Speaking Area: Eco-design for packaging |
Speakers *arranged in order of appearance
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Mr Benjamin Kwong Mr Benjamin Kwong serves as a Senior Environmental Protection Officer at the Waste Reduction and Resources Circulation Office in the Environmental Protection Department. His responsibilities include the expansion of the food waste recycling network in both the domestic and commercial & industrial sectors in the territory. He also plays a key role in the publicity and promotion of food waste recycling. In particular, Mr. Kwong focuses on supporting residential buildings in setting up smart food waste recycling bins and oversees the government's food waste collection services.
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Mr Merlin Lao Mr Merlin Lao is the Head - Policy & Research at Building Environment Council Limited (BEC). He is leading a team to share clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector. He is keen on net-zero transition that not only looks at decarbonisation, but also a more equal and liveable built environment. Mr Lao is a programme management professional with multiple years of climate change and environment career experience across private, public and non-profit sectors in East Asia, with major exposure in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and South Korea. Prior to joining BEC, he was the senior programme manager at an international non-governmental organisation driving sustainable cities agenda in China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea, covering topics of air quality, low-emission development, urban resilience, circular economy and nature-based solutions. He also led the environmental protection planning at the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau and worked in a technical consultancy dedicated in carbon accounting and management in his earlier career.
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Ms Phoebe Leung Ms Phoebe Leung is the Senior Sustainable Development Manager of Swire Properties. Her work involves supporting the Company’s Sustainable Development (SD) 2030 Strategy as well as action plans and programmes to improve the company’s overall SD performance. She leads the planning and execution of Swire Properties’ SD tenant engagement strategy and bespoke tenant programmes, such as the Green Performance Pledge and Green Kitchen Initiative, fostering landlord-tenant partnerships to incorporate sustainability throughout the design, fit-out and occupancy stages. In addition, she drives the Company’s Resource and Circularity Taskforce, made up of representatives from portfolio teams and hotels, to regularly analyse waste performance and facilitate new initiatives. She leads the development of new partnerships and innovations to design out waste, encourage reuse and enhance resource recovery.
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Dr Amie Lai Dr Amie Lai, General Manager, Sustainability at Great Eagle, leads the design and implementation of long-term decarbonisation and net-zero road map, climate, and sustainability strategies for the Group’s global operations. By engaging stakeholders, setting targets, and developing corresponding action plans, Dr Lai leads a team that manages the full spectrum of the company’s environmental, social, and economic impacts. She strives to further ingrain sustainability into Great Eagle’s corporate culture and business practices.
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Mr Ron Chow Ron Chow is a Subject Matter Expert specializing in circular economy, recycling, corporate strategy, innovation, M&A/investment/partnerships, and government policies related to ESG and sustainability. He holds both the CFA and CESGA qualifications and is currently pursuing a Master of Sustainability Leadership degree at the University of Cambridge, UK. Ron has successfully led numerous pioneering circular economy and innovative sustainability projects for the Hong Kong Government. His notable contributions include the development of the Smart Recycling Machine & Big-Data Platform, the Smart Food Waste Machine, and bioconversion technology to address chicken waste issues. Additionally, he has spearheaded the Smart Toilet with AI initiatives and provided advisory to HKSAR Government on various circular economy and waste management initiatives in Hong Kong.
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Ms Heidi Yu Spurrel Ms Heidi Spurrell is a passionate advocate for food systems sustainability and a seasoned expert in Food Visioning as a tool to transition businesses to sustainable practices. With a Masters in Food Policy from City University of London and a Post Graduate Diploma in Research Methods from University College London (UCL) , she has dedicated her career to promoting sustainability in the food and drinks industry. As the founder of Future Green, Heidi consults with food businesses and runs a successful membership program. Her expertise is further bolstered by over 5,000 hours of training and workshopping experience (AJ&Smart Sprint Method). Her impactful work has been recognised as her company was a semi-finalist in the Rockefeller Foundation Food Systems Vision Awards in 2020. In 2021 she was a Tatler Asia Tastemaker, and in 2024, she was awarded a BEM on the UK Honours List for her contributions to sustainability in the food and beverage industry.
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Mr Rakesh VAZIRANI
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Ms Stephanie Chan Ms Stephanie Chan leads DETERMINANT’s global brand, marketing, and business development & partnerships. She is a noteworthy practitioner in the sustainability space. Prior to this role, she led sustainability for Esquel Group; worked at Edelman where she consulted brands on their sustainability strategy and practices, and was shortlisted by PR Week Asia as top 5 Young Professional in Asia 2015. Stephanie also worked for the United Nations in New York. Stephanie holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in International Affairs, and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan in Flute Performance and Sustainable Development.
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Dr Tony IP Ar. Dr. Tony Ip is a community-centric, sustainable design architect and urban designer. He founded Tony Ip Green Architects Ltd "TiP" with a vision to advocate the paradigm shift towards green architecture and biophilic urban-scape in response to climate change. His passion and contributions to green architecture and the creative industry have been recognized by receiving the HKSAR Medal of Honour in 2022, the Australia China Alumni Award for Arts and Creative Industries in 2018, and the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in 2016. Tony has showcased his expertise in multi-disciplinary practices and academic studies in the field of building design. He holds BEng, MSc(Eng), MArch & MUrbanDesign from HKU, BBE(Arch) from QUT, MSt IDBE from the University of Cambridge, and PhD from PolyU. With qualifications such as AP(Architect), RA(HK), FHKIA, MHKIUD, MPIA, BEAM Pro, LEED AP, WELL AP, Living Future AP, GRI Certified Sustainability Professional, and Certified Carbon Auditor, Tony is an expert in green building design. Tony actively serves the community in various voluntary capacities. He is the Vice Chairman of Professional Green Building Council, Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council, Director of Zero Carbon Building, Past Chairman of Hong Kong Architecture Centre, and Director of YMCA of Hong Kong. He also contributes his expertise to Town Planning Board, Antiquities Advisory Board, Environmental Campaign Committee, Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Lantau Conservation Fund Advisory Committee, and Community Involvement Committee on Greening of HKSAR.
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Mr Nick Liu Nick Liu oversees purchaser engagement and collaborations in Asia for TCO Development and is an advisory board member of the International Green Purchasing Network. With more than 15 years in manufacturing-related fields across electronics, automotive and textile, he has recently focused on the sustainability front for about a decade. His dynamic background in various functional areas and industries has helped mitigate the communication gap and the barriers to driving changes. Nick holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (the Netherlands) and is a long-term advocate for sustainability in actions.
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Mr Shashank Singh Shashank is a seasoned sustainability professional with over 13 years of diverse experience spanning manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, and consulting. His expertise enables him to effectively drive sustainability within key business functions. He currently leads the Sustainability function at Colgate-Palmolive for the APAC division, collaborating with various markets and stakeholders on a wide array of sustainability topics and ensuring the achievement of global commitments. Before joining Colgate-Palmolive, Shashank served as an Associate Director at PwC and a Manager at EY, where he was part of their sustainability advisory teams. During his consulting career, he worked with a broad spectrum of clients, including government agencies, multinational corporations, and NGOs across Asia and Europe, addressing various sustainability challenges. Shashank holds a full-time MBA degree in Sustainability from IIM Lucknow, a leading Business School in India. As a sustainability leader, he is a strong advocate for fostering relationships and collaborations both within and outside the organization to achieve business sustainability goals |