Circular by Design: Creating Products Built to Last

Dr. Meike Sauerwein is a faculty in The Division of Environment at The Hong Kong Univeristy of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the academic lead of the HKUST Life Cycle Lab. Her research interests focus on environmental assessment of systems & products and consumption behaviours with focus on of circular systems. She teaches about Sustainable Consumption & Life Cycle Assessment and its applications in business, sustainable finance, and policymaking. Meike also leads the Sustainability Education Working Group across 8 campuses of the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Enhance people’s awareness about life cycle impacts and emissions that happen up and downstream of the products we buy.
2. Open people’s minds about the beauty and utility of circular systems and efficient resource use.
   Inspire people to test out new things and critically question how we can do better in handling human impacts on the environment.

Emmanuel Delplanque is CEO of Be-Cause Consulting, specializing as “The Decarbonization Architect” who helps organizations cut supply chain costs 15% while reducing carbon emissions 90%.

A certified GHG Protocol/ISO 14064 practitioner and Sustainable Supply Chain Professional (ISCEA), he has proven experience optimizing €150+ million budgets. Previously, he led supply chain transformation in AgriFood Industry (€1.5B turnover), managing 2 million tons of logistics and achieving €12M annual savings.

Recent Executive MBA graduate, Emmanuel operates across APAC and European markets. At Be-Cause, he focuses on Scope 3 emissions reduction, climate resilience strategies, and circular economy programs.

His expertise combines technical sustainability measurement with business transformation, ideal for discussing circular design and durable business models.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Moving beyond sustainability “theater” to real action and regeneration
2. Climate urgency, especially from an Asian perspective where sea level rise poses immediate threats
3. Bridging the gap between ESG reporting and actual innovation
4. Supply chain transformation and decarbonization

Growing up in India reusing, repairing, recycling ( basically almost all the R’s of the circularity R ladder ) was a way of life, especially for people from humble backgrounds.

Clothes, furniture, appliances got shared around till the last iota of value was derived, post which a scrap dealer would further cut paste and make something else out of it.

Unfortunately, modern life demands convenience which perpetuates the use and throw culture.

My crusade to promote a more circular mindset began way back in 1998 when I reached out to companies to promote reusable bags instead of plastic bags. Today I work in Cathay, leading many circular initiatives and instilling the importance of circularity for resource efficiency.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. I hope to see the HK government working towards implementing a Right to Repair policy.
2. I hope to NOT see HK on the list of the top transit cities for Illegal Wildlife Trade.
3. I hope that the HK government begins to research into the quantitative benefits of circularity and consequently creates a roadmap to achieve these benefits.

Andy identifies himself as a modular carpet & resilient flooring specialist. He is an Interfacer through & through, having joined the company as Country Manager for the China market since 1994, the very year Interface started its sustainability journey.

Over the years, he has been in different roles in the sales organization, witnessing how the mission & quest for sustainability have united colleagues with different backgrounds & cultures, while at the same time seeing first-hand how clients’ interpretation & prioritization of sustainability have evolved.

In his spare time, Andy enjoys two of the most popular sports in HK: hiking & football.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

While online shopping seems an irreversible trend, demanding the millions of Chinese manufacturers to reduce excessive packaging and use biodegradable or easily recyclable materials is a herculean task. Hong Kong should prioritize in improving its waste sorting/recycling systems and public awareness.

As JEB Group’s Strategy and Growth Director, Andy Russell is a passionate sustainability advocate and drives transformative change in the office interiors and space. Based in the Hong Kong office, he leverages and applies his knowledge and experience of circular practices, data insights and the benefits of circularity over traditional procurement models to drive value-added, purposeful innovation. With executive certifications in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge and Strategic Leadership from INSEAD, his commitment to sustainability and strategic growth enhances client value and furthers JEB’s mission.

Previously, he successfully grew two startups—Bureau Group and Houseology and creating over 200 jobs over an 8-year period in UK. Additionally, he built a bespoke SaaS platform to track the full life cycle and Scope 3 carbon of FF&E assets, further showcasing his dedication to sustainable practices in the industry.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

1. Champion waste reduction through strategic partnerships, product redesign, and operational efficiencies—starting within local communities and scaling regionally.
2. Embed circular design principles across product development to extend asset life and minimise embodied carbon.
3. Lead the expansion of our circular service offerings across APAC, including refurbishing, relocation, and reuse programmes.
4. Collaborate with suppliers and logistics partners to identify and implement low-carbon alternatives, with a focus on decarbonising Scope 3 emissions in our supply chain.