(Hong Kong, 19 July 2024) The United Nations has warned that the current relationship between humans and plastics is driving nature loss, creating health risks and fuelling the climate crisis.1 It is working with member countries to complete negotiations on the The Global Plastics Treaty by 2024. In line with Nestlé’s vision for none of its product packaging to end up in landfills, it has been an active supporter of this treaty.2
In Hong Kong, Nestle’s "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" organized jointly with the Hong Chi Association has made significant contributions in this asepct since 2020. Over the past four years, the campaign has become deeply rooted in the community and has achieved fruitful results. It has collected a total of more than 8,600kg of Type 5 PP plastic, equivalent to more than 262,000 food packaging containers. As the campaign enters its fifth year, it will continue to strengthen its links with the community through school talks, more public recycling points, handcraft workshops to provide an engaging and educational experience, and charity sales of upcycled items. Nestlé Hong Kong will also work with the green lifestyle reward platform, Carbon Wallet, to encourage citizens to participate in recycling through incentives. The recycling points of the program will be listed on the Carbon Wallet mobile application, making it convenient for the public to access.
Accolades Testify Four Years of Performance
1.Campaign Well Received by the Public
The "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" was incepted to target the collection of plastics, complementing the existing recycling network in the community which focused on Type 1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (“PET”) and Type 2 High-Density Polyethylene (“HDPE”) plastics at that time. Launched as a pilot project in 2020, the campaign expanded to 30 recycling points within a year. With active support and participation from the public, it quickly gained recognition and won the Bronze Award at the "UNSDG Achievement Awards Hong Kong " from The Green Council in 2021.
2.Continuous Expansion of Recycling Points to Up the Game
Four years on, the recycling network has expanded from covering just the Yuen Long district to across Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, making it convenient for residents in different districts to recycle various Type 5 Polypropylene (“PP”) plastics in their daily use. It included the packaging of some Nestlé Hong Kong products and other food containers. In the 2023- 2024 period, the number of recycling points increased to 80, exceeding the target by 5. Apart from residential buildings, recycling points were also set up in shopping malls and office towers. The total recycling volume in the period exceeded the target by as much as 183%. Over 5,600kg of Type 5 PP plastics were collected3 , the highest of the four years of the campaign. Over 8,600kg of Type 5 PP plastics in total were collected for the four years, equivalent to more than 262,000 food packaging boxes.
To improve the quality of recycling, the campaign promotes clean recycling to participating organizations. It has also formulated operational guidelines and increased publicity. Through these efforts, it encourages better hygiene management. The campaign also conducts reviews of the recycling network periodically, to close inactive recycling points and reallocates resources to new ones to maximize efficiency. As a result, the recycling quality is significantly improved.
3.Dedicated to Community Education
Nestlé Hong Kong and the Hong Chi Association understand that it is crucial for the "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" to reach all corners of the community. In the 2022-2023 period, a community carnival was organized to promote plastic recycling. To plant the seed of environmental protection in the next generation, school talks were arranged in the 2023- 2024 period to demonstrate how waste plastic can be upcycled. The initiative helped cultivate an awareness of resource conservation and waste reduction from an early age.
4.Upcycling to Give Waste a Second Life
The significance of the "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" goes beyond recycling. The campaign actively explores upcycling of the collected Type 5 PP plastics into daily necessities. Over the past four years, materials gathered by the campaign have been upcycled into eco-friendly clothes hangers, cooler bags, storage boxes, coasters, and other products, transforming the waste into resources, and enabling a circular lifecycle for the plastic. Particularly, the upcycled storage boxes have been used in the daily operations of Nestlé Hong Kong’s factory. Some of the collected Type 5 PP plastics were sold, with the proceeds fully reinvested in the programme to strengthen promotional and educational efforts.
Entering the Fifth Year: Growing Deeper in the Community and Moving Forward
As the fifth year of the campaign kick start in July 2024, it will continue to optimize the recycling network by iterating its recycling points. We will maintain the number of high-efficient recycling points at 80 city-wide, which will include at least 4 new public recycling points. To enhance the promotion of information and transparency, the campaign will collaborate with the green lifestyle reward platform, Carbon Wallet. In addition to listing recycling points on the Carbon Wallet mobile application for the convenience of the public, the collaboration will also launch an online mini-game to increase public participation through reward incentives and to deepen citizens' understanding of recycling and this program.
The ongoing development of the "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" shows that Nestlé Hong Kong is committed to embedding its green philosophy in the wider community and building a sustainable community. Mr. Simon Cheung, Managing Director of Nestlé Hong Kong Limited, said, "Nestlé Hong Kong has always been committed to promoting environmental protection and supporting sustainable development. We have put this into practice in our business operations. By integrating various environmental protection measures, we are working conscientiously towards our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Seeing the outstanding results of the 'Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign', the support from the public, and the recognition of environmental awards, we feel extremely proud and would like to thank Hong Chi Association for their contributions. In the days to come, Nestlé Hong Kong will continue its efforts to protect the environment by rooting itself in the community, collaborating with various sectors, and nurturing environmental awareness in our children at an early age for a greener future for the community and Hong Kong."
Ms. Zuie Lin, General Secretary, Hong Chi Association, said, "The Hong Chi Association has been dedicated to community environmental protection for many years. The "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" co-organized with Nestlé is one of our key projects. Over the past four years, while working together to build a green community, we have also provided vocational training and employment opportunities for our Hong Chi trainees. It enables the community to better understand the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities. This not only promotes environmental protection, but also fosters social inclusion - a win-win situation. We are truly grateful for Nestlé Hong Kong's continuous support and trust."
1 https://www.undp.org/plastics-101, accessed on July 5, 2024
2 https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/waste-reduction/global-treaty-plastic-pollution, accessed on July 5, 2024
3 Data as of 20 June 2024.
Photo Captions
Image 1: The recycling bins of the Nestlé Hong Kong x Hong Chi Association's "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign” located in the participating residential estates.
Image 2: To improve the recycling quality, clean recycling promotion campaigns were conducted in the participating residential estates. Handcraft workshops and educational workshops were organized in a fun and engaging way to promote environmental protection.
Image 3: In order to plant the seed of environmental protection in the minds of the next generation early, several school lectures were held in 2023-2024 to demonstrate how waste plastic can be upcycled, thus cultivating an awareness of resource conservation and waste reduction from an early age.
Image 4: In addition to recycling, the "Type 5 PP Plastic Recycling Campaign" has actively explored the possibility of upcycling the collected Type 5 PP plastics into other products. The upcycled items in the fourth-year plan are coasters. By transforming waste into materials, a second life cycle of plastics can be regenerated.