What happens when you give young people a seat at the table and a real-world system to redesign?

At LIV Golf Hong Kong 2026, Future Green transformed the tournament into a living classroom, hosting a Sustainability Systems Lab that challenged 30 students to rethink how major sporting events can operate more sustainably.

In just 75 minutes, over 50 ideas were generated, proving something we’ve always believed: The next generation isn’t waiting to be told what to do. They’re ready to design what comes next.

A Tournament as a “Mini City”

Rather than treating sustainability as a checklist, the workshop reframed the entire event as an interconnected system. It became a “mini city” powered by food, water, energy, transport and waste.

The central question was simple but powerful: How might we design a tournament that is exciting for fans and athletes and better for the planet?

From there, students mapped out what is working and what is not.

They recognised progress such as EV buggies, refill stations, and recycling infrastructure.

But they also identified the real blockers. Cheap plastic, expensive healthy food, and most importantly, human behaviour.

Because the challenge is not always infrastructure. It is adoption.

From Ideas to Action

What stood out was not just the volume of ideas. It was their clarity and practicality.

Five priority solutions emerged:

• Make sustainable food affordable — If plant-based options cost more, behaviour will not shift
• Eliminate single-use packaging at the source — Do not manage waste, design it out
• Invest in visible renewable energy — Make sustainability something people can see and trust
• Close the loop on waste — From oil recovery to composting, nothing should be thrown away
• Design for behaviour change — Systems must be intuitive, not optional

These are not abstract concepts. They are operational strategies for future-proofing global events.

The Power of Participation

Beyond the insights, something else became clear.

When people are invited into the process, they care more about the outcome.

Students described the experience as both educational and empowering. From engaging with professional athletes to contributing ideas that could influence real decisions, the impact was deeply human.

And that matters.

Because sustainability is not just a technical challenge. It is a cultural one too.

A Blueprint for the Future of Events

What this Systems Lab demonstrated is simple: Sustainability does not limit experience. It enhances it.

When designed well, it improves operations, strengthens brand value, and builds deeper connections with audiences.

For LIV Golf, this is more than a one-off activation. It is a scalable model that can be embedded across tournaments globally.

And for the industry, it is a signal.

The future of events will be participatory, systems-driven, and sustainability-led.

And it is already happening.

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Our community coming together to make access to nutrition a food business priority.

Food sustainability conversations often focus on carbon emissions, food waste, and supply chains. 

But another important question is emerging in the food system: Do people actually have access to healthy, nutritious food and the knowledge to choose it?

That was the focus of our March Future Green Members Monthly Meetup last week, hosted at FEAST, EAST Hotel — the vibrant restaurant space inside EAST Hong Kong that brings together food, community, and conversation.

Gathering at FEAST created the perfect setting for a discussion about the future of dining. Surrounded by chefs, hospitality professionals, and sustainability leaders, members explored how restaurants and food businesses can help make healthier choices easier to understand and access.

The session began with a big-picture look at what “access to nutrition” really means. According to the FAO definition, access to nutrition is not simply about food being available. It includes availability, affordability, and nutrition knowledge, ensuring that people can obtain and understand healthy food choices.

Even in cities like Hong Kong, where food is abundant, there can still be significant gaps in access to nutritious diets. From cost barriers to limited transparency around food composition, many consumers lack the information needed to make informed decisions about what they eat.

🥗Healthy Diets for People and the Planet

The discussion also explored how healthy and sustainable diets shape the future of food systems.

One framework highlighted was the Planetary Health Diet, developed by a global group of scientists (EAT LANCET). It encourages eating more vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, while reducing red meat and highly processed foods.

These dietary shifts benefit both human health and the environment, especially as the global food system contributes roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions.

Participants also learned about Future 50 Foods, a list of nutritious ingredients that grow well in changing climates. Foods like lentils, seaweed, chickpeas, teff and quinoa help diversify diets while supporting more resilient agriculture.

Together, these ideas show that improving access to nutrition is not only a public health issue. It is also a key part of building a more sustainable food system.

Conversations, connections, and new ideas on making nutrition more accessible.

🍽️Nutrition Transparency in Restaurants

Our meetup’s guest speaker, Jojo Kwok Ka Po, Co-founder of Body Nova and Dinewell AI, shared insights into how nutrition transparency could reshape dining experiences.

In Hong Kong, nutrition labelling is mandatory for packaged food products, but most restaurant dishes still do not provide this information.

Body Nova is working to bring nutrition labelling to restaurant menus, providing information such as calories and key macronutrients including carbohydrates, protein, fat, and dietary fibre.

Their work reflects a broader shift in consumer expectations.

Health-conscious diners are increasingly looking for restaurants that support their wellbeing, not just their taste preferences.

Through their platform Dinewell AI, diners can explore nutrition information across restaurant menus and filter dishes based on dietary preferences or allergens.

Jojo Kwok Ka Po, Co-founder of Body Nova, sharing insights on bringing nutrition transparency into real-world dining.

🔄 From Commodity to Performance Fuel

One of the most compelling ideas discussed during the session was how restaurants might rethink the way they position food.

Jojo suggested that many restaurants still treat food as a basic commodity — something comparable to fuel.

In other words, restaurants can shift their messaging from simply serving meals to offering food that supports performance, wellbeing, and mental clarity.

For example, a healthy lunch might not just be a salad. It could be positioned as the fuel that helps someone stay focused during an afternoon meeting.

This approach reflects a growing market of health-conscious diners who are willing to spend more on food that supports their lifestyle and wellbeing.

📊 The Role of Data in Changing Food Choices

During the Q&A session, participants explored how nutrition data might influence both diners and chefs.

Jojo shared that early insights from Body Nova’s work already show shifts in consumer behaviour.

Some chefs have also started adjusting recipes after seeing the nutritional breakdown of their dishes. In some cases, this has led to greater use of seasonal ingredients or healthier cooking methods.

Over time, tools like these could encourage a broader shift toward healthier restaurant menus without compromising flavour or creativity.

 

🎉 Kahoot Quiz: Learning Through Play

We wrapped up the session with a fun Kahoot quiz, covering topics like access to nutrition, the Planetary Health Diet, Future 50 Foods, and Jojo’s work on nutrition transparency.

Congratulations to Eddie Pang from EAST Hotel, who won the Nutrition Labelling Trial Service for six dishes, valued at HK$8,280.

 

💚 What’s Next?

If this conversation on Access to Nutrition resonated with you:

• Explore how nutrition labelling and transparency could enhance the dining experience and customer trust
  • Connect with Body Nova to learn how their nutrition labelling and wellness consultancy can support your restaurant or hospitality business

👉 Join the Future Green Membership for practical tools, expert insights, and a community driving real change in food and hospitality
📅 Book a discovery call to explore how we can support your sustainability journey

Because sustainability is not only about the planet. It’s also about people’s health and wellbeing.

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At SAVOUR by LIV Golf Hong Kong, food took centre stage alongside world-class golf. Curated by Future Green, the programme brought together leading chefs to explore a simple but powerful idea: sustainable food can be delicious, creative and commercially viable. 

Across three days of live chef demonstrations, audiences experienced how sustainability comes to life in the kitchen – from plant-forward innovation to colourful seasonal cooking and neighbourhood-inspired cuisine.

Each chef approached the challenge differently. Together, they showed how hospitality can play a major role in redesigning our food system.

Day 1: Reconnecting Food with Nature – Chef Christian Mongendre

 

The series opened with Chef Christian Mongendre, founder of TREEHOUSE, known for pushing plant-based cuisine beyond expectations.

His signature dish — The Forest Burger — was a perfect example of how creativity can transform humble ingredients into something memorable. Built around mushrooms, beetroot, oats and aromatic herbs, the burger delivered deep umami flavour while keeping its environmental footprint low. 

Christian’s philosophy is simple but powerful: food should reconnect people with nature. Even the name “Forest Burger” reflects this idea — reminding diners that what we eat comes from ecosystems we depend on.

During the demo, audiences saw how techniques like zero-waste cooking and thoughtful ingredient combinations can elevate plant-based food from niche to mainstream.

The message was clear: the future of food may look greener, but it will still taste incredible.

Day 2: Colour, Nutrition and Balance – Chef Shane Osborn

 

On day two, the stage welcomed Michelin-starred Chef Shane Osborn, the chef behind Arcane.

His demonstration centred on a vibrant concept: “Eat the Rainbow.”

Rather than focusing on restriction, Shane emphasised abundance – encouraging people to cook with a wide range of colourful vegetables and seasonal ingredients.

The dish he showcased celebrated natural colours, textures and flavours while highlighting an important principle of sustainable food systems: diversity on the plate supports diversity in agriculture.

By choosing varied ingredients and seasonal produce, chefs can help drive demand for more resilient food supply chains.

Shane’s approach demonstrated that sustainability in high-end dining doesn’t mean sacrificing elegance or sophistication. In fact, it can inspire entirely new culinary possibilities.

Day 3: Neighbourhood Flavours and Cultural Identity – Chef Gavin Chin

The final day brought audiences into the world of Chef Gavin Chin, founder of House of Culture.

His cooking philosophy centres on “neighbourhood-to-table” cuisine – food inspired by the everyday flavours, markets and communities that shape local culinary identity.

Through his demo, Gavin showed how sustainable food isn’t just about ingredients; it’s also about culture, connection and storytelling.

By celebrating regional flavours and local traditions, chefs can strengthen the relationship between communities and the food they eat.

In a globalised food industry, this approach reminds us that sustainability also means protecting culinary heritage and supporting local food ecosystems.

A Bigger Picture: Sustainability at Global Events

 

SAVOUR by LIV Golf demonstrates how major sporting events can become platforms for culinary education and sustainable innovation.

Food is responsible for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making hospitality an important lever for change. Events like this help bring the conversation out of policy rooms and into everyday experiences.

When audiences taste sustainable dishes, speak directly with chefs and see how food is prepared, the ideas become real – not theoretical.

Across the three days, one theme emerged repeatedly:

Sustainability does not limit creativity.

It expands it.

Looking Ahead

From plant-based innovation to colourful seasonal cooking and neighbourhood storytelling, the chefs at SAVOUR by LIV Golf showed that the future of food is already being built in kitchens today.

And if the reaction from the crowd was any indication, people are ready for it.

Because the next chapter of food isn’t just about what we eat – it’s about how we grow it, cook it, and share it together.

 

 

📸 Captured moments from attendees

Want to embed sustainability into your events? Let’s talk

Day 2 at the Savour by LIV Golf

Welcome back to an unforgettable Day 2 at the Savour by LIV Golf stage in Hong Kong. If you missed today’s action, you missed an inspiring culinary masterclass.

Set against the lively backdrop of the tournament, we had the honour of hosting Michelin-starred Chef Shane Osborn for a live chef demonstration. Shane is known globally as a finalist on Netflix’s The Final Table and locally for his acclaimed restaurant Arcane, which has held a Michelin star for eight years.

Together with his talented team member Zoe, Chef Shane shared his passion for sustainability, health, and plant-forward eating during an engaging live cooking session.

Food is not just Fuel: Rethinking Why We Eat

Eat the Rainbow with Shane Osborn Arcane Hong Kong Restaurant

Chef Shane encouraged the audience to rethink their daily food choices. After more than 40 years in the culinary industry, his philosophy has shifted strongly toward longevity and wellness.

“Why do we eat? The primary focus of food should not just be about taste. It should also be about nutrition.”

To illustrate his point, he shared a simple analogy that resonated with the audience.

“You wouldn’t put poor quality fuel into your car. You’d always choose good petrol. You have to do the same thing for your body.”

Rather than relying on expensive creams or external products to look younger, Shane believes in healing from the inside out.

He recommends eating around 30 different plant species each week. This diversity supports a healthy gut microbiome, strengthens the immune system, and improves mental clarity.

Fun times at LIV GOLF with our Day 2 Chef Demo with Shane Osborn

Sustainability at the Forefront

Beyond personal health, Chef Shane also highlighted the environmental reasons for shifting toward plant-based diets.

He shared a powerful example of how climate change is already affecting global food supply chains.

“We were getting a fantastic salmon product from New Zealand for the last 10 years… We haven’t been able to get it in Hong Kong for about 18 months now because the seas around New Zealand have risen two degrees.”

This example reminded the audience that our food choices are closely connected to the health of the planet.

Eat the Rainbow Tartelet

Eat the Rainbow – By Chef Shane Osborn

To show that healthy food can also be exciting and delicious, Chef Shane prepared a spectacular dish called “Eat the Rainbow Tartelet.”

This vibrant plant-based plate included 15 different plant species, covering almost half of the recommended weekly diversity in just one serving.

The dish was a masterclass in texture, flavour, and local sourcing.

It featured:

• a rich pesto made from local dau mu (Chinese green leafy vegetables)

• a creamy dairy-free “cheese” made from macadamia nuts

• fresh local greens and crunchy baby corn

• lightly pickled Chinese lily bulbs

• peppery fresh watercress

To finish the dish, Shane added a delicate nori rice cracker and grated roasted macadamia that beautifully mimicked parmesan.

The result was a visually striking and nutrient-dense dish that demonstrated the power of plant-forward cuisine.

Day 2 at Savour by LIV Golf with Chef Shane

Shane’s Top Tips for Everyday Eating

Thinking about changing your diet can feel overwhelming. However, Chef Shane shared simple advice that anyone can follow.

Start small

“If you’re going to change your diet, it doesn’t have to be radical. You can simply start with one day a week.”

Keep it real

“If you can’t pronounce the ingredients on the packet, don’t buy it.”

These small changes can help people build healthier eating habits over time.

Don’t Miss Day 3

The energy at LIV Golf Hong Kong continues to build, and the culinary inspiration doesn’t stop here.

Tomorrow marks Day 3 and the final day of this incredible weekend. Join us at the Savour stage to catch Gavin Chin from House of Culture at 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM.

Want to join the action?

Use the promo code FGREEN20 for a special ticket discount. Come enjoy the golf, taste incredible food, and be part of the movement toward a healthier and more sustainable future.

See you tomorrow!

Welcome back to an unforgettable Day 3 at the Savour by LIV Golf stage here in Hong Kong! If you missed the action today, you missed a truly enlightening culinary masterclass.

Set against the lively backdrop of the golf tournament, we had the absolute honour of hosting a chef demonstration with none other than Chef Gavin Chin. Known for his incredible work at Brut! and his gorgeous Sai Ying Pun restaurant, House of Culture, Chef Gavin brought his unique multicultural perspective to the stage.

Alongside his engaging live cooking session, Chef Gavin shared his profound passion for community, heritage ingredients, and sustainable cooking…

Neighbourhood to Table: Rethinking Local Flavours

Chef Gavin challenged the audience to look closer at the ingredients in their own communities. Born in Perth with Malaysian heritage, Gavin identifies as a “third culture kid” and designed House of Culture to be “a home for many cultures to come together”.

To showcase this, he highlighted incredible local ingredients from the traditional shops in Sai Ying Pun. He spoke passionately about preserving these local businesses: “If these dishes are slowly eroding or fading away… how can we as the next generation create new innovative dishes that can still utilise these traditional ingredients in a contemporary format so that we can sustain these shops”.

Highlighting Heritage Ingredients: Chinese Olives and Soy

Chef Gavin brought this philosophy to life by incorporating unique local elements into his cooking. He introduced the audience to lam gok, or Chinese olives. Unlike western olives, these are marinated in licorice and soy, giving them a “unique earthy umami flavour”. He even shared a fantastic piece of history, explaining how vendors used to throw bags of these “flying olives” up to apartment buildings in exchange for cash thrown down by residents.

He also demonstrated the power of soy, using both light soy for “foundational flavour” and dark soy for a rich “caramel colour tone”. To naturally bind and thicken his dish without corn flour, he utilized white miso – a great sustainable product born from soy fermentation.

The Humble Onion Pie: A Multicultural Masterpiece

To prove that traditional ingredients can shine in contemporary ways, Chef Gavin prepared a spectacular “Humble Onion Pie”. Inspired by the classic Australian pub Guinness pie, Gavin created a completely vegetarian version.

He substituted heavy meat with local fermented vegetables, such as chai poh (salted, aged white radish that provides a “chewy meaty texture”), the umami-rich Chinese olives, and onions deglazed with dark beer. As a special nod to the LIV Golf event, he playfully plated the dish with “grass” made of chives and a brilliant edible “golf ball” made from coconut milk infused with kaffir lime!

Zero Waste and Accessible Advice

Sustainability was also at the forefront of the demo. Chef Gavin shared an innovative zero-waste initiative from his restaurant: instead of throwing away excess lamb fat, they render it down to create a “lamb fat wash old fashioned” cocktail, constantly exchanging ingredients between the bar and kitchen.

Feeling inspired to recreate his pie at home? Chef Gavin offered some incredibly accessible advice: Make it Your Own: “You can definitely use olive oil [instead of butter]… we can actually use soy [milk], which is not a problem at all. That’s also delicious. Or coconut milk”. Don’t Stress the Measurements: “A lot of home cooking and that comfort food comes from a dash of this and a dash of that. And you can always adjust at the end, so it’s never an issue”.

Here’s to sustainability at large scale events like golf tournaments, we hope that through food we can be part of the movement toward a healthier, more sustainable future.

(P.S. Chef Gavin is giving away four free drinks at House of Culture for the best social media post tagging his restaurant and the event today!).

 

Interested in more?

7th March 2026

🌱 Day 2 at Savour by LIV Golf: Fueling the Body with Michelin-Starred Chef Shane Osborn at our Chef Demo – Eat the Rainbow! 🌱

 

6th March 2026

🌱 Day 1 A Taste of Nature: Chef Christian’s Sustainable ‘Forest Burger‘ Demo at SAVOUR by LIV Golf 🌱

Want to embed sustainability into your events? Let’s have a coffee chat!

SAVOUR by LIV Golf 2026 Day 1 with Chef Christian Mongendre

Today, we are bringing you straight to the action from the cooking demos at Savour by LIV Golf, proudly supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. We had the absolute pleasure of watching Chef Christian Mongendre, the visionary founder of TREEHOUSE, take the stage to show us exactly how delicious and accessible plant-based eating can be.

Sustainability Beyond the Plate

Christian has been pioneering sustainable restaurants in Hong Kong for 15 years, and his approach goes far beyond simply serving vegetables. During the demo, he highlighted that true sustainable dining involves a deep awareness of a meal’s entire carbon footprint-including the water, energy, and transport required to bring it to the table.

He meticulously sources high-quality ingredients as close to home as possible, utilises eco-friendly packaging, and diverts massive amounts of waste from local landfills. Christian passionately believes that businesses, rather than everyday consumers, should be the primary drivers of this environmental change.

Chef Christian Mongendre and Heidi Sprurrell at SAVOUR by LIV Golf

The Ecosystem on a Bun: The Forest Burger

The star of today’s live demonstration was TREEHOUSE’s famous “Forest Burger.” Christian intentionally names his dishes after natural ecosystems-like forests, tundras, and reefs-to raise awareness that we are all an integral part of nature. His ultimate goal is to healthfully reconnect people with the natural world through simple, wholesome food.

A Masterclass in Plant-Based Ingredients

Watching the Forest Burger come together was a masterclass in maximising texture and embracing zero-waste cooking.

• The Meaty Base: The patty relies on three types of locally available mushrooms-shiitake, button, and oyster-which together provide an incredible, meaty bite.
• Colour and Crunch: To mimic the colour and fibrous texture of a traditional burger, Christian shaves in fresh beetroot alongside chopped onions.
• Zero-Waste Binding: One of the biggest challenges with plant-based burgers is keeping them from falling apart. Instead of letting the leftover beetroot juice go to waste, Christian brilliantly mixes it with gluten-free oats and oat flour. This acts as the perfect binding agent, giving the patty an ideal bounce.
• Rich Seasonings: The mix is elevated with a nutrition-packed blend of smoked paprika, fresh rosemary, cumin, and garlic powder.

The Forest Burger – Big taste, low carbon impact.

The Perfect Build

A great burger demands a great bun. Christian serves his creations on house-made sourdough, a process that pre-digests the wheat, making it highly digestible and nutrient-dense. While he always strives to source locally, taste is paramount; for instance, he uses high-quality flour from France to ensure the perfect bake.

The burger is then generously layered with a dairy-free signature garlic sauce made from soy milk and Dijon mustard. Next comes a rich, lightly smoked eggplant caviar, followed by bell peppers roasted in a complex 24-spice mix. A sharp bite of red onion finishes it off perfectly.

Join Us Tomorrow!

We are thrilled to be part of Savour by LIV Golf. Join us tomorrow for more inspiring chef demos as we continue to explore incredible journeys into culinary sustainability. We’ve got Chef Shane Osborn cooking tomorrow and Gavin on Sunday, joining us at 12:30 and 2:30 daily.

Want to experience it yourself? We are back tomorrow, and you can use the special discount code FGREEN20 for a discount on your tickets! See you there!

Heidi Spurrell facilitating a sustainability workshop at TASIS, bringing together students, catering teams and school stakeholders to explore sustainable diets.

 

Put chefs, students, operators and leadership in one room and ask a simple question:

What does a sustainable, healthy diet actually mean here?

You get divergence. Fast.

Local vs seasonal.
Plant-forward vs balanced.
Cost vs quality.
Nutrition vs carbon.

Everyone has a lens.
Everyone is right – partially.

And that’s exactly why innovation workshops matter.

At TASIS, we brought together catering teams, senior students, sustainability leads and school stakeholders – not to debate theory, but to converge on action.

And we did.

Workshop participants exchanging perspectives on communication, transparency and sustainability within the TASIS food system.

 

Despite differing perspectives, we aligned on three clear priority shifts:

1️⃣ Clearer Communication

Students didn’t fully understand sourcing decisions, waste data or menu logic.

Yet strong sustainability work was already happening behind the scenes.

The challenge?
Invisible impact changes nothing.

When students can’t see the reasoning behind decisions, engagement drops.
When information becomes visible, behaviour shifts.

Communication isn’t an add-on to sustainability strategy – it’s the delivery mechanism.

2️⃣ Greater Transparency in Ingredients

Where food comes from.
What’s in it.
How it’s produced.

These questions matter more than ever.

When ingredient sourcing and production methods are transparent:

• Trust increases
• Students feel included in the process
• Waste drops
• Accountability strengthens

Transparency turns food from a transaction into a learning moment.

3️⃣ Education on Food Systems Sustainability

Not abstract climate theory.

But practical understanding of how food connects to:

🌍 Biodiversity
❤️ Health
📉 Emissions
💰 Cost
🌱 Long-term resilience

When students understand how the system works, they engage with it differently.

They ask better questions.
They make more conscious choices.
They become participants – not just consumers.

The TASIS community collaborating on sustainable food solutions, turning diverse viewpoints into shared priorities for a healthier and more resilient food system.

The Power of a Well-Designed Workshop

A structured workshop does something powerful:

It surfaces friction.
It makes blind spots visible.
It moves stakeholders from opinion to shared priorities.

Knowledge alone doesn’t change systems.

Structured convergence does.

If we want sustainable food strategies to land – in schools, hospitality, or large-scale events – we have to design the room as carefully as we design the menu.

Because sustainable change isn’t about having the “right” answer.

It’s about aligning the people responsible for delivering it.

We’re looking forward to progressing these priority areas in the months ahead.

And a huge thank you to the teachers, students, parents, and our catering partner Thomas Franks  for supporting and engaging so openly in this workshop.

📩 Book a coffee chat with Heidi

 

Our global community coming together to make fair labour a food business priority.

At our February Future Green Members Meetup, sustainability leaders, chefs, suppliers, and food businesses gathered to tackle a topic that still surprises people when we call it “sustainability”: Fair labour. 👩🏽‍🍳🧑🏻‍🌾

Because sustainability isn’t only about water, biodiversity, and emissions. It’s also about the people working across the food system, from seed to service to waste. If they’re not treated fairly, the system isn’t sustainable. 

We turned the spotlight onto the human side of sustainability, exploring equitable employment, dignity at work, and how food can become a pathway to opportunity.

Our guest speakers, Jo Soo Tang and Chris Lo from r é n Hong Kong, shared how their social enterprise is creating real employment pathways for disadvantaged youths, people with Down syndrome, and refugees in Hong Kong — showing what fair labour looks like in practice, not just in theory.

This wasn’t about guilt. It was about clarity, real stories, and practical ways to build a more humane industry.

 

👥 Fair Labour: What are we really talking about?

When we zoom in on hospitality and food supply chains, the challenges are well known, but still far from solved:

• Long working hours (often 12+ hours) and physically demanding conditions
  
• Job insecurity, high churn, and limited benefits
  
• Low wages and unfair pay structures
  
• Discrimination, including gender discrimination (in both developing and wealthy economies)
  
• Mental health impacts, with higher risk of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, plus stigma around seeking help
  

We also touched on the difference between minimum wage and living wage 💡. Minimum wage is the legal baseline. A living wage is what someone needs to live with dignity in their local context. In Hong Kong, we discussed a living wage benchmark of HKD $62.80/hour as a reference point.

And importantly, fair labour connects to global frameworks too. If you’re aligning your work to the SDGs, labour is not optional, it’s central. 🌍

Empowering youth through Humanity, uplifting wellbeing through Goodness, and driving positive change through Food.

🤝 Introducing r é n: Humanity, Goodness, Food

Founded in 2023, r é n Hong Kong is a pro bono employment agency focused on supporting disadvantaged youths and people with Down syndrome into meaningful roles, many within F&B and hospitality.

r é n’s work is built around three simple anchors:

• Humanity 🤝
• Goodness 🌟
• Food 🍳

At the heart of their model is “The Thread,” a support system built around:

• Internships and employment placement
  
• Vocational training
  
• Ongoing family and community support
  
• Workshops and real-world exposure

r é n does not simply place candidates. They walk alongside them, working with families, employers, and partners to ensure long-term success.

 

🔁 Breaking The “Lackluster Cycle”

Chris described the cycle many beneficiaries face:

• Lack of awareness of opportunities
  
• Limited exposure to industry networks
  
• Insufficient training or support
  
• Resulting in difficulty accessing stable employment
  

Only around 10% of individuals with Down syndrome in Hong Kong are in full-time employment. Many work in sheltered workshops earning significantly below living wage levels.

r é n’s model reverses that cycle — creating visibility, training pathways, and employer partnerships

Brian’s journey from internship to full-time chef shows what fair labour looks like in practice.

👨‍🍳 Brian’s Story: From Kitchen Assistant To Sous Chef

One of the most powerful moments of the session was hearing about Brian, r é n’s first beneficiary.

Brian joined a six-week internship at Moxie, part of the Arcane Collective. At the start, he didn’t know how to hold a knife. Over three years, with consistent mentorship and structured support, he progressed from kitchen assistant to sous chef-level responsibilities.

His hourly wage increased to HKD $80 per hour, well above minimum wage.

Today, Brian works full-time at a school canteen and has become r é n’s first “alumni” — voluntarily stepping away from scholarship support so it can be passed on to someone else.

As Jo shared:

That is fair labour in practice.

 

From kitchens to community spaces, r é n creates pathways to fair work and belonging.

 

💼 Corporate Partnerships That Make It Work

r é n’s model thrives through collaboration. They partner with restaurant groups, hospitality brands, corporates, and school caterers to create structured employment pathways. Their revenue model combines:

• Corporate sponsorship
  
• Product sales, including their branded eggs and plush mascots Renny & Jenny
  
• Workshops and pop-ups
  
• Bespoke CSR collaborations
  

Importantly, 75% of funds raised go directly back to beneficiaries as wages, ensuring real economic impact.

For corporates looking to move beyond one-off volunteering days, r é n offers a tangible way to embed fair labour into CSR strategy. From sponsored internships to workplace placements and co-branded initiatives, businesses can actively create dignified employment opportunities while strengthening their social impact commitments.

🏆 Learning through play

We wrapped up with our classic Future Green Kahoot quiz 🎉 covering fair labour basics, wage concepts, and r é n’s mission.

Congrats again to Warton Chieng from Hakkobako for taking the win and snagging the renny and jenny plushie prize 🧸

💚 What’s Next?

If this conversation resonated with you:

• Explore partnerships with r é n Hong Kong

• Review your own hiring pathways and wage structures

• Consider how your business can move beyond compliance toward dignity

👉 Join the Future Green Membership for practical tools, expert insights, and a community driving real change
📅 Book a discovery call to explore how we can support your sustainability journey

Because sustainability is not only about the planet. It’s also about people.

 

When sustainability becomes part of everyone’s job, real change happens.
That belief sits at the heart of Santosh Salunkhe’s work at Dunsters Farm, and it’s exactly what came through in his conversation on this Future Bites podcast episode .

🎧 Listen and watch our full podcast interview here

 

Santosh is the Transformation and Social Value Manager at Dunsters Farm, a wholesale food supplier serving around 2,000 schools across the north of England, with growing reach into hospitality, care, and events. Despite the name, Dunsters Farm is no longer a farm. What it has retained is a deep connection to food systems and their environmental impact.

Starting Without a Sustainability Playbook

Santosh did not begin his role with formal sustainability qualifications. He started as a researcher, examining different parts of the business and identifying gaps where sustainability thinking was missing. As those gaps became clearer, so did the need for shared understanding across teams.

That’s what led him to join Future Green’s first Carbon Literacy Training for the Food and Drink Sector in early 2024.

Santosh and the rest of Cohort 1 during Future Green’s Carbon Literacy Training for the Food & Drink Sector

He was looking for something practical, focused, and immediately applicable. A short, certified programme that went beyond theory and helped translate climate knowledge into day-to-day decisions.

Turning Knowledge into Action Across Teams

Since completing the training, Santosh has delivered five internal carbon literacy cohorts, training around 20 colleagues across the business. Importantly, this wasn’t limited to sustainability or leadership roles.

Transport, warehouse teams, HR, procurement, sales and drivers were all included. Each session was adapted to the audience, with examples and data relevant to their daily work.

One standout example came from driver training. By combining emissions data with the drivers’ own expertise, Santosh created collaborative action plans focused on real operational change.

Simple shifts such as reducing engine idling and adjusting freezer usage helped teams see the link between behaviour, emissions, and cost.

 

Empowering teams across operations to lead on sustainability.

Tangible Results That Matter to Business

The impact of this approach has been significant.

Dunsters Farm has achieved:

• 70% reduction in plastic consumption
• 40% cost savings linked to plastic reduction
• 17% reduction in carbon emissions intensity across Scope 1 and 2

These changes did not come from a single large investment, but from systems thinking and small, coordinated actions across the organisation.

Santosh was clear that challenges still exist. Time pressure, operational demands, and funding can all slow progress. But early wins helped build momentum and trust.

Turning commitment into action. Waste reduction in practice at Dunsters Farm. (Image: Dunsters Farm)

Why Carbon Literacy Matters

For Santosh, carbon literacy is about more than awareness. It’s about equipping people to make informed decisions and future-proof the business.

Instead of focusing only on visible actions like recycling, teams learn to look upstream, question assumptions, and prioritise changes that deliver real impact.

Recognition Beyond Dunsters Farm

Santosh’s work has not gone unnoticed. In the past two years, he, and his team have received multiple national recognitions for leadership, innovation, and social value, including:

• Winner – Emerging Talent Gold Medal, Federation of Wholesale Distributors Gold Awards 2025
  One of the most prestigious awards in the UK food and drink sector, recognising leadership in research, sustainability, and social value at Dunsters Farm.
• Winner – Future Leader Award, Innovate UK KTP Awards 2024
  Selected from over 800 eligible research projects across more than 100 UK universities.
• Winner – “Changing the World” Award and Finalist – “Business Transformation” Award, Innovate UK KTP Awards 2025
  Again selected from over 800 projects nationwide.
• Highly Commended (2024) and Finalist (2025), Private Sector Leadership – Social Value Awards
  Competing alongside organisations with £1bn+ turnover and over 4,000 employees.

These recognitions reflect not only individual leadership, but what’s possible when sustainability is embedded across an organisation.

Santosh at the KTP Awards 2025 – “Changing the World” Award 🏆

Looking Ahead

Next for Dunsters Farm is fleet renewal, alternative fuel exploration, and continued focus on driver behaviour, which Santosh estimates can influence 10–15% of fleet emissions. It’s another example of systems thinking in action.

For businesses unsure where to start, Santosh’s advice is simple: begin with carbon literacy.

If your organisation is ready to take the next step…

Carbon literacy is a powerful place to begin. It builds shared understanding,

supports better decision-making, and turns sustainability from a concept into everyday action. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen impact across teams, training can help unlock practical change where it matters most.

 

Get the know-how with us

• Carbon Literacy Training for Food and Drink Businesses
• CPD Certified Food Sustainability Foundations

 

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