Beyond Paper & Plastic: Rethinking Packaging Solutions

Mr Edwin Lau is the Founder of The Green Earth, an environmental organization promoting resource conservation and zero-waste culture. He has been actively engaged in environmental protection work since the late 1980s. He places great concern on several pressing environmental topics, e.g., waste management, climate change, energy conservation, and air pollution.

Mr Lau keeps offering his recommendations and expressing his opinions through media interviews and open letters on several pressing environmental issues confronting humankind. Most of his published letters can be viewed from the following link https://www.scmp.com/author/edwin-lau

Mr Lau is currently a member of the CUHK Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change Expert Committee and a senior advisor of the Hong Kong Solar Industries Association.

In 2009, Mr Lau was awarded the Medal of Honour by the HKSAR Government in recognition of his long-term contribution to the promotion of environmental protection and environmental education. In the same year, he was also awarded an Outstanding Earth Champion by The Earth Champions Foundation.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

• More individuals and businesses will act immediately by adopting genuine measures and practices to tackle the escalating environmental crisis.
• The Government will act fast to roll out the much-needed environmental policies and set a good role model for others to follow suit.

As Senior Global Marketing Manager at BOTEC, I lead sustainable packaging initiatives across financial, utility, government, F&B, and beauty sectors. I specialize in driving adoption of our innovative algae-based materials, which serve multiple applications: biodegradable envelope windows for high-volume institutional mailers (banks, utilities, government), sustainable food packaging solutions, and revolutionary hydrogel facial masks for the beauty industry. At BOTEC, we’re transforming multiple sectors through our seaweed-derived materials that offer a carbon-negative alternative to conventional plastics. Our nature-based innovation delivers both functionality and sustainability – from document windows for bank statements and bills to food-service packaging and premium beauty products.

Our Sustainability Goals for 2025

1. Institutional Document Solutions:

I aim to partner with Hong Kong’s major banks, utility companies, and government departments to replace conventional plastic envelope windows with BOTEC’s biodegradable algae-based films. As these institutions collectively send millions of documents annually, transitioning to our sustainable solution would significantly reduce plastic waste while supporting their ESG objectives.

2. Multi-Industry Sustainable Transition:

My goal is to accelerate adoption of our biodegradable solutions across multiple sectors:

– F&B industry: Implementing sustainable food packaging for restaurants, hotels, and delivery services

– Beauty sector: Expanding the use of our algae-based hydrogel facial masks as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional sheet masks

– Food service: Providing naturally degradable food wraps and containers that maintain quality while meeting environmental standards

3. Innovation Integration:

I hope to demonstrate how one sustainable material source – algae – can revolutionize multiple industries in Hong Kong. By showcasing successful applications from institutional document windows to food packaging to beauty products, we can accelerate the adoption of truly biodegradable solutions that absorb more carbon than they produce while meeting diverse business needs. This cross-sector approach will help Hong Kong businesses transition away from conventional plastics while maintaining or enhancing product functionality.

Karen spearheads the development and execution of strategies that promote sustainable operations within the Cathay group, driving the organization towards its goals of sustainability leadership. She focuses on facilitating resource circularity, reducing waste, and leading Cathay’s sustainability communications and disclosures. Prior to joining Cathay, Karen worked in ESG advisory, serving both corporate and non-profit clients. She is passionate about creating eco-conscious travel experiences and driving systemic changes to enhance sustainability in the industry.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Drive the transition of Cathay to reduce our customer facing single-use plastics to no more than 1.5 pieces per passenger by end-2025.
2. Explore and advance sustainability options that reflect our customers’ expectations and uphold our premium brand experience.

After graduating with a degree in Industrial Design, Keith has worked in retail product technology for nearly 20 years, first in the UK, and for the last 8 years with DFI Retail Group in Hong Kong. Previously embedding responsible sourcing and packaging sustainability into his Technical roles, Keith now leads the execution of the Sustainability strategy for DFI own brand products.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Build on the foundations that have been put in place over the last 4 years.
2. Embed sustainability goals within our brand
3. Challenge and support suppliers to join us on the journey

As Colgate-Palmolive’s Packaging Sustainability Innovation Manager for APAC, Tze leads the development, deployment, and advocacy of Packaging & Plastics Sustainability programs to advance Colgate’s key packaging sustainability goals within APAC. She is also responsible for building external engagement networks for packaging sustainability with NGOs, Government Agencies, Recycling Value Chain and Infrastructure, Packaging Suppliers, and other organizations.

Prior to joining Colgate- Palmolive, Tze was a Circular Packaging Manager at Danone. She was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring projects and partnerships contributing to Danone brands’ sustainability and circularity targets. In addition, Tze was a consultant at the World Bank, where she provided advisory on projects related to the circular economy, private sector competitiveness, and plastic value chain analysis.

Tze is an advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle and volunteers as a speaker for Zero Waste Malaysia. Tze graduated with a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and BSc in Economics from London School of Economics.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Build systems that better embed sustainability into our core business and innovation processes
2. Contribute to shaping a competitive and resilient 2030 plastic and packaging sustainability roadmap
3. Advocate for collaboration both internally and externally to drive change at systems level