The Vital Role of Food Systems in Sustainability

Most of our food and other products derived from nature are imported. While it is to be expected that most of our impacts on biodiversity will occur outside Hong Kong’s boundaries, these impacts are disproportionately high even for a city-dominated region. According to the most recent WWF Hong Kong Ecological Footprint report data (2021), we would need 4.4 Earths if everyone adopted our lifestyle. Food production accounts for nearly 40% of this total, and per capita animal protein consumption is one of Asia’s highest. While a handful of sustainable food topics have received widespread attention, the importance of food systems in their full breadth has been underplayed. This session will unpack the main issues and provide guidance on how to get started on a universally important topic.

Learnings

• The breadth of food issues related to sustainability
• The depth of Hong Kong’s love for animal protein
• Untangling food systems at a company level
• How industry works through the complexities around seafood

Post-Event Actions

• Take a fresh look at food in relation to sustainability, from both a corporate and individual level
• Use the session insights to identify some entry points for your company to expand its work on food systems