Welcome to another issue of FSI Digest. Since we published our two-part Brace for Impact series, Go Circular for a Sustainable Future, here is what we have been reading about the circular economy.
With Christmas just around the corner, consider making the festive season additionally meaningful by supporting the work of social impact organizations, so that they can better serve the people who depend on their services. Read on and learn how you can create positive social and environmental impact by giving to our portfolio companies!
What We’re Reading on Circular Economy
- The circular economic model is by no means a one-size-fits-all model, so how can cities, each with different practical needs, go circular? Circle Economy has designed the “Circle City Scan Tool” to help governments and policymakers identify and prioritize circular opportunities, based on their region’s or city’s socioeconomic and material flow data.
- To build back better, the transition towards circular economy must also include social-ecological resilience thinking to ensure that the new economic model will create value for both society and the planet.
- The financial services sector has an important role to play in scaling circular opportunities, and there is already a market for financing the circular economy. Read this report to learn more about this multi-trillion-dollar economic opportunity.
- For those who are interested in circular fashion, H&M has launched a new collection made with recycled materials such as food crop waste, and Redress’s newly launched bilingual educational toolkit on circular fashion is a great tool for teachers and students in Hong Kong.
- Circular economy is the future, and it is never too late to sign up for an online course to increase your knowledge and engage with circular economy practitioners, whether your focus is on circular fashion, sustainable finance, or plant-based diet. Until your course starts, revisit Part I and Part II of our latest issue of Brace for Impact on circular economy.
Feeling more optimistic about our planet now? Head over to the first closed-loop bar in Hong Kong for a drink!
FSI Happenings
(Top) Cameron van Breda and Ajit Krishna N.R., co-founders of Hollo, at the mentoring session; (Middle) GreenFest Virtual 2020; (Bottom) Sanjukta Mukherjee and representatives of Hollo, FSI, Weava, Migrasia, G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality, EmpowerU, and LIVIN Farms at the mentoring session on 27 November.
- Community Connections
We are delighted for Box of Hope for having found a director through the September Connection Session. Stay tuned for updates on the next Connection Session. - GreenFest
FSI and G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality are proud to be the supporting partners of GreenFest, the largest youth sustainability festival in Hong Kong, themed on circular economy this year. The event went virtual on 28-29 November, with no less than 730 registrations from 41countries across five continents! - Box of Hope
To help Box of Hope achieve operational excellence, aggregate and disseminate key information, and further scale its team and operations, FSI is helping it to build a scalable database and automation solutions, and incorporate them into a coherent information management system. We would like to thank the Impact Lab students for their great work and commitment! - Multi-company Mentoring Session
Measuring program and project effectiveness is beneficial to the growth of social impact organizations and their fundraising endeavors. And on 27 November, with the help of Sanjukta Mukherjee, a director of FSI and an internationally experienced economist, we held a mentoring session on impact assessment and the importance of data-driven solutions for the portfolio companies of FSI. - Impact Circles x HeartChat – Mental Health Virtual Conference 2020
As a supporting partner, we would like to invite you to this virtual mental health conference themed on “The Next Paradigm Shift: Workplace Resilience under the New Normal”. The conference will be held on 11 December 2020 (7:30pm – 9:30pm) and 12 December 2020 (10:00am – 12:00pm), starting with a panel discussion, followed by breakout sessions led by experts on topics ranging from wellness in the corporate workplace, developing a growth mindset, helping children cope in challenging times, to leveraging technology for physical and mental wellness. You may have a look at the event rundown here, and register for free for the event here.
From Our Portfolio
Soap Cycling’s social impact footprint is all over Hong Kong this month. In addition to its continuous donation of hygiene resources to the communities in need, including the Refugee Union, it has also held the “Green Tourism, Green Lives” exhibition to educate the public on the waste issue in the hospitality industry and solicit public feedback on better sustainability practices for the industry. If by any chance you will be around the Wan Chai area this month, check out the upcycled art piece made by Agnes Pang, founder of Agnes Recycles, with hotel amenity bottles provided by Soap Cycling! The upcycled art piece is currently on display at Lee Tung Avenue until early January.
As an extension to the successful G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Conference, the G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Hackathon & Innovation Night concluded on 21 November with a total of 25 participants forming into six teams, who came up with innovative ideas to help the hospitality industry tackle the issues of waste segregation, waste reduction and circularity, and food waste. Re-watch the live-streaming of the first and second pitching rounds, and read the great things that people are saying about the event here!
Twopresents, like many social impact organizations, has been unable to raise money for great causes due to physical distancing measures and the closure of schools and venues. But Twopresents is gearing up for the festive season and it is asking people to set up and contribute to a Christmas gift/charity fund for its charity partners on its platform. Watch this episode in ViuTV’s Changemakers series where Twopresents was featured as one of the social impact organizations doing good in the community.
In light of limited overseas travel and shipping, Box of Hope has taken a new approach this year. Instead of collecting boxes, it is asking people to donate money so that it can pack hand sanitizers and face masks along with gifts for children living in poverty in Hong Kong – some of the boxes have already reached the children at the Refugee Union! You can also support Box of Hope through its donation campaign, held in partnership with Elements shopping mall.
Bakbamboo has released the research report, Future Sustainability Trends in the Hospitality industry – Bakbamboo’s Customer Insight Survey 2021, to highlight consumer habits and the urgency of building a sustainable future post-COVID. Download a copy of the report here. If you’re looking for zero-waste gifts this Christmas, check out the reusable bamboo cutlery set co-launched by Bakbamboo and Liz Fry Design.
Carbonbase, a partner alongside FSI at the G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Hackathon & Innovation Night, has recently won first place at the Microsoft AI for Good Challenge 2020. Visit Carbonbase’s website and become part of the world’s first carbon-neutral community today.
If you’re looking for educational gifts on creating a circular food system and sustainable living, consider LIVIN Farms’s award-winning “Hive Explorer” and explore ways to upcycle food waste with mealworms, treat plants with mealworm fertilizers, and grow edible greens with mealworm poop!
Hollo is in the process of developing a female-focused subscription-based wellness project, called Project Blossom, that offers a monthly collection of products to help girls and women alleviate stress and improve their physical and mental well-being. If you are interested in helping Team Blossom better understand life as a woman in the 21st century and enhance their services, fill out this survey. And, Hollo has just won AmCham HK’s 7th session of “HK Startups Meet Multinational Companies Series”! Cameron van Breda, co-founder and CEO, is awarded six months of AmCham HK’s entrepreneurship membership, mentor sessions with corporate innovation judges, and many more!
Let’s give what we can, and generously, to social impact organizations this Christmas! Make a donation to the charities, NGOs, and social enterprises of your choice to support their work in creating a better future for all.
