Our highlights from the student-led biodiversity summit at Chinese International School, Hong Kong.

Igniting Young Minds for a Greener World

This past Saturday, 5th April, the Chinese International School (CIS) in Hong Kong had the foresight to host a remarkable student-led summit dedicated to biodiversity in school food systems. As the first of its kind in the region, this inspiring event brought together young minds, educators, and sustainability champions to explore how biodiversity connects to daily school life — especially through the food we eat. Future Green Member CIS took the lead in organising this crucial summit for students across Hong Kong. We were excited to be part of this pivotal event, contributing a dynamic two-part workshop focused on the vital concept of biodiversity in our food.

Beyond Recycling Bins: Shining a Crucial Spotlight on Biodiversity and Our Food

Often, school sustainability initiatives tend to focus on climate change and recycling. This summit, however, commendably shone a well-deserved spotlight on the intricate relationship between biodiversity, food and the health of our planet. CIS, recognised as a leading international school with a strong commitment to sustainability through their “Vision 33” plan, provided the perfect setting for this essential conversation. Their ambitious goal to achieve ‘carbon neutrality’ by 2033 underscores their deep dedication to environmental responsibility. A significant highlight for those passionate about food sustainability was the “Biodiversity on Your Plate” workshop.

This 90-minute deep dive designed by Future Green explored the crucial connection between the variety of life on Earth and our food systems. Designed for students and school sustainability teams, the workshop aimed to foster an understanding of biodiversity’s fundamental role in our food, the profound impact of our daily food choices on biodiversity, and practical ways to support it through informed procurement, thoughtful menu design, and responsible sourcing.

From “Mystery Meals” to Menu Makeovers: Engaging Students in Biodiversity Action

Kicking off with “What’s in Your Meal?”—a fun yet eye-opening activity connecting our plates to biodiversity loss.

Our first session began with an engaging icebreaker called “What’s in Your Meal?”. Participants shared their last meal and identified its key ingredients, sparking a quick yet insightful discussion about where these foods came from and how many species were involved. The key takeaway was clear: our diets rely on a surprisingly narrow range of crops and animals, which has a major impact on global biodiversity. This led into a brief presentation, “The Biodiversity Crisis & Our Food System,” highlighting the critical link between what we eat and the alarming loss of biodiversity. Talking points included the harmful effects of deforestation, monocultures, overfishing, and soil degradation.

Why Diversity Matters: From Soil to Staple Crops

The session also underscored the vital roles of pollinators, healthy soil, and thriving ecosystems in supporting food production. Furthermore, it addressed the far-reaching impact of industrial agriculture — including the loss of native crop varieties, the decline of marine biodiversity, and our growing dependence on just a few staple foods like wheat, rice, soy, and corn. Altogether, these insights reinforced the powerful message that diverse diets are essential to building resilient, future-proof ecosystems.

Restaurant or school canteen dish?

Reimagining School Meals: The Biodiversity Menu Challenge

Following lunch, the second session immersed participants in an engaging Interactive Activity — The Biodiversity Menu Challenge. During this segment, students were divided into small groups and tasked with redesigning a sample catering menu using biodiversity-friendly principles to encourage greater biodiversity in school food systems.

This hands-on exercise sparked creative thinking across several key areas. First, groups explored how to increase the diversity of grains and legumes by incorporating lesser-used options like millet, amaranth, and heritage wheat. Teams also looked into sourcing ingredients from regenerative farms or agroforestry systems — and into how alternative plant-based proteins could help reduce reliance on industrially produced soy.

Beyond ingredient selection, groups also examined procurement strategies that prioritise suppliers committed to regenerative practices. They reflected on how to design menus that highlight underutilised crops, how to engage suppliers around shared sustainability goals, and how to educate consumers through storytelling and informative menu content.

Finally, the session culminated with each group presenting their revised menus and explaining the rationale behind their biodiversity-conscious choices — a testament to the creativity and critical thinking these students brought to the table.

Hands-on with the Biodiversity Menu Challenge—students reimagining catering menus for a more sustainable, diverse, and regenerative food future.

Planting the Seeds of Change: Key Lessons and School’s Role in Food Sustainability

The CIS Biodiversity Summit served as a powerful reminder of the direct and significant impact our food production and consumption have on the planet’s biodiversity. The overall takeaway message encouraged everyone to experiment with incorporating one new biodiversity-friendly ingredient in their school’s next procurement cycle. By empowering students with knowledge and practical tools, the summit has undoubtedly sown seeds for a more sustainable future — one where biodiversity in school food systems is both valued and protected.

 

Thanks to everyone involved! Sodexo, TASS, CIS, and Klimato.

Students put their climate hats on, estimating the carbon footprint of three dishes from their redesigned menus.

Interested in bringing similar conversations to your school? Explore the workshop questions we used to inspire your own biodiversity initiatives.

Planet For All has established a commendable presence in advocating for farm animal welfare in Hong Kong, focusing particularly on chickens and fish—animals often overlooked despite their significant suffering. Founded during the challenging times of the pandemic, the organisation has been a voice for these animals, driven by a team deeply rooted in animal rights.

Corporate Partnership and Campaign Manager, Wendy Chan 

Animal Welfare with Planet For All!

One of the driving forces behind Planet For All is the deep commitment of its members to animal welfare. Their work is not just about advocacy from afar; it’s about engaging directly and compassionately with the issues. This hands-on approach is evident in every interaction and campaign they undertake, reflecting their dedication to making a meaningful impact on the lives of farm animals.

Planet For All focuses on reducing the suffering of farm animals, especially chickens and fish. These animals often find themselves at the bottom of the welfare pyramid, enduring significant hardship. The organization works tirelessly to promote more compassionate treatment through public education, corporate partnerships, and government lobbying. Their goal is simple but profound: to re-establish harmony between mankind, planet and animals via advocating a plant-based lifestyle and animal welfare through corporate partnerships, public engagement, and policy reform.

Improved nutrition with healthier chicken breeds: more protein, less fat.

 

Cage-Free initiatives at Planet For All

Understanding the complexities of supply chains and the importance of ethical sourcing, Planet For All actively seeks partnerships with corporates and educational institutions. By working with suppliers in China—the main provider of eggs to Hong Kong—they strive to ensure that even basic food items like eggs are sourced responsibly. Their cage-free initiatives are a testament to their commitment to ethical practices.

Advocating for animal welfare in Hong Kong is no easy feat. The city’s fast-paced, efficiency-driven culture often leaves little room for ethical considerations. But Planet For All is undeterred. They navigate the logistical and regulatory challenges with determination, aiming to instill a sense of responsibility towards animal welfare in the community.

In 2024, Planet For All is set to launch an ambitious campaign titled ‘Cage-Free Hong Kong’. This year-long initiative aims to end the cruel use of battery cages, transform a more ethical supply chain among businesses, and foster high animal welfare standards in Hong Kong, starting with cage-free laying hens. Through petitions and strategic advocacy, they hope to gather public and corporate support, establishing a precedent that could inspire similar movements across Asia.

Wendy Chan at our February Members Monthly Meetup discussing cage-free commitments.

To conclude….

Planet For All’s journey is not just about facts and figures. It’s about impactful advocacy and strategic initiatives that lead to real transformation. Their efforts are making tangible changes in the welfare of farm animals and setting a benchmark for similar campaigns in the region. This transformation means creating a more compassionate world where animals are treated with the respect they deserve. It answers the question of why this matters: it shows that through dedicated advocacy, we can significantly improve the lives of animals, influence public and corporate practices, and inspire broader societal change.

At Future Green Global, we believe in the power of transformation and sustainability, and Planet For All exemplifies this vision.

For more information about Planet For All and to support their transformative initiatives, visit their website.

Connect with Us:

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Contact Us: Got questions or ideas? Email us at hello@futuregreen.global.

Together, we’re not just talking about a sustainable future; we’re building it. Let’s make every meal a story worth telling.

Stay green, stay inspired.

Future Green Team

Are you curious about your food’s impact?

Adopting a plant-forward approach, reducing meat consumption, and ensuring access to nutritious foods are key to healthy and sustainable diets!

Following the festive Chinese New Year, the Future Green community got together on a sunny February afternoon for the second Members Monthly Meetup of 2024 to discuss “Plant-Forward and Less and Better Meat” at the Swire Archive Centre. 

Before the meetup began, our kind hosts gave us a special Swire Archive Tour sharing Swire’s rich history and connection with Hong Kong. Curious about the namesake Taikoo Sugar, Heidi was curious about fair-trade sugar – that’s a question for another time! Wherever we are, food sustainability is all around us!

Group picture at the Swire Archive Centre!

We kicked off with a brief intro cage free and higher welfare chicken. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization production of meat accounts for approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, Hong Kong is the largest consumer of pork. However, as Heidi shares, it’s not necessarily about eliminating animal protein, it is about making more informed and responsible choices including high-welfare meat, cage-free eggs, and plant-forward meals, including plant-based meat. 

Sharing how this is possible we were joined by Wendy Chan from Planet for All, dialing in from New Zealand Marianne Macdonald from Animals Aotearoa, and Derek Lee from KARANA also dialing in, from Singapore as our esteemed speakers for this afternoon. 

Not cagey about cage-free eggs!

Wendy shared that her organisation is driving impact by encouraging responsible consumption and supporting food companies to source cage-free eggs.

 

Wendy from Planet for All delivering a presentation on cage-free eggs

Further, Wendy calls cage-free eggs a “low-hanging fruit”, as they not only reduce chicken suffering and call for improved animal welfare but have many health and nutritional benefits, such as higher protein content and lower salmonella risk. Quoting that 40% are willing to pay extra for cage-free eggs, Wendy assures us that Asia is stepping up with numerous cage-free egg commitments across Hong Kong. She finishes off with a galvanising message for civilised societies, like Hong Kong, to banish battery eggs.

Healthier chicken, healthier us! 

Marianne joined us next to discuss the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), and Animals Aotearoa’s efforts in improving chicken welfare as a charity and Open Wing Alliance (OWA) member. The BCC requirements call for a switch to healthier breeds, more space, environmental enrichment, better air quality, and less suffering at slaughter, which Marianne clarifies are global and the minimum. Marianne is positive that the future fares well for chicken welfare with more than 600 and increasing BCC sign-ups.

Marianne from Animals Aotearoa presenting on the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) 

Through the BCC commitment, chickens have better living standards, including places to perch, less routine use of antibiotics, and outdoor space to roam which results in higher protein, and lower waste (due to lower mortality).  overall quality of chicken is improved for human consumption with slower growing breeds – this makes a lot of sense!

It’s shocking to hear Marianne dive into the unpleasant details of quality issues of fast-growing breeds such as woody meat, white striping, and green muscle disease – we all agree that signing up for the BCC is a good solution for higher animal welfare, it is a “win-win” for the chickens, consumers, food businesses, and producers. After a few questions from Members we …

Step forward to plant-forward meat!

We shifted our focus to plant-forward meals with Derek Lee from KARANA, a Hong Kong born brand creating delicious plant-based meat from fallen jackfruit, that supports biodiversity, healthy soil, and meeting consumer needs.

Sourced from Sri Lankan smallholder farming communities, the high-yielding, low-input jackfruit is KARANA’s optimum and no-brainer choice as it meets their aim of incorporating underutilised and overlooked ingredients for biodiverse, bioavailable, nutritious, and tasty products.

Derek Lee from KARANA

KARANA stands apart as the jackfruit’s well-suited dense and fibrous texture does not require denaturing, and the high nutritional value and low-fat content keeps the ingredient list short. 

With a chef in the audience concerned with the lack of variety in textures, Derek shares KARANA’s plans to introduce shredded meat this year allowing for even more diversified dishes! Our audience was ready to get their hands on KARANA’s products which are available in the U.S. Singapore, and Hong Kong!

February wrap-up!

We winded up the afternoon with a fun, energising Kahoot! quiz with the winner receiving a voucher from our Member La Cabane and ending our fruitful event with everyone catching up on the latest sustainability stories!

Catching up!

We will continue to discuss a wide array of food sustainability-related topics for our Member Monthly Meetup as 2024 progresses guided by our framework. Save the date for 12th of March, where we’ll be focusing on “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”, at our next meetup, stay tuned for more information!

👉 Looking to be part of the change? Join our community of changemakers by booking a discovery call with us, we’d love to chat!  Or learn more by clicking the link below ⬇️

https://futuregreen.global/become-a-member/

 

Thank you to our wonderful hosts at Swire Archive and sponsors: InvestHK and Fresh Accounting as well as our speakers from Karana, Animals Aotearoa and Planet for All.

The Members Monthly Meetup Series is a monthly gathering designed to educate and empower the Hong Kong foodservice community — chefs, restaurateurs, FOH, BOH, suppliers and sustainability leads as well as everyone and anyone interested in food sustainability including schools, businesses, consultants and NGOs.

Are you curious about your food’s impact?

TITLE: General Virtual Assistant for Future Green

The Future Green team is looking for an exceptional General Virtual Assistant to support the team with day-to-day admin tasks to provide our clients with world-class support and service.  

As a virtual assistant for Future Green, you will assist the team with various admin tasks across operations and account management. We’re looking for a team player who is VERY detail-oriented, organised and efficient. Someone who enjoys working across a team and has demonstrated great collaboration and communication skills. 

The VA tasks include but are not limited to data entry, research, reporting, organising files, inbox management, drafting documents, etc.

Our ideal candidate is… 

Community-centric

You are willing to become familiar with who we are and what we strive to do. More importantly, you are excited about our company’s mission: to enable any company to make its businesses greener, less polluting and more restorative by implementing best sustainability practices. We believe that transitioning to a genuinely sustainable business model is both good for the planet and profitability.

Detail-oriented

You’re meticulous with detail, organised, process-oriented, and have a great hold with project management. You will be responsible for managing important data and files so you must have experience paying extreme attention to detail.

Strong Written English

You will be in charge of managing the inbox, drafting documents and proposals, conducting market research, and communicating information back to the team. A strong command of English will be vital in this role to ensure our team has a great collaborative relationship and we maintain good relationships with our customers.

Native with technology

You’re computer savvy and both able and willing to learn new software tools as we adopt them. Experience with CRM, email marketing platforms, landing page platforms and knowledge of the Google Workspace tools is necessary for this role.

Reliable

You have good time management skills and deliver tasks on time. Daily, weekly and monthly tasks will be clearly defined but it will be your responsibility to manage your time effectively to complete your tasks. A can-do attitude is a quality we are looking for in this role.

Other software skills that are a plus:

• Go High Level CRM, Thrivecart, Loom, Slack, Notion
• Google Workspace
• WordPress
• Xero
• Social Media (Linkedin, Instagram)
• Canva (basic graphic design, editing, and branding)
• Email Marketing Tools (ConvertKit)

 

Job Details: 

• Part-time role with a two-month trial period; NO MOONLIGHTING.
• 20 hours per week 
• 4 hours a day; Monday to Friday
• Hours:  TBD 

Job Requirements:

• Must have daily access to high-speed internet access, a smartphone, and a computer.
• Comfortable learning new online software (if not familiar with some of the above)
• Highly organised and task-oriented.
• Extremely timely with the delivery of tasks. 
• Ability to gain familiarity with our programmes and philosophy is a must. 
• The ability to communicate and work with our team members.
• The ability to grow with our team and the dynamic nature of our work.

Your Compensation and Perks: 

• Competitive pay (hourly wage work). 
• Increase and build your skill set in operations, customer service and marketing.
• Be part of a dynamic team and a growing company!

How To Apply:

Send an email with the subject line “Future Green Virtual Assistant” to hello@futuregreen.global with your resume/CV and a short video introducing yourself. To be considered, send your application no later than Friday 1 June 2025.

In the video, include your background and tell us why you think you’d be a good addition to this team.

Next Steps:

If you’re a fit, we’ll send you a few related tasks to perform. Please complete it accordingly. If we like what you’ve submitted, we’ll follow up with a Zoom video interview.

 

Bi-weekly food sustainability news – sign up below.

The Future Green team with the International Culinary Institute’s students and staff at the Sustainable Gastronomy Forum held on the 2nd of February 2024.

Sustainability is not a far-fetched idea, instead, it is more achievable than you think! We at Future Green believe that this is possible. Everyone has the power to shift towards a sustainable future, and it starts with our youth. We kicked off our February by delivering an exciting Sustainability 101 training workshop for the International Culinary Institute’s Sustainable Gastronomy Forum. It was a bright, sunny morning, and the mood here at ICI was alike! 

The future of Hong Kong’s culinary scene did a quick mood check-in before we began our two-hour-long workshop, consisting of an informative training session followed by an engaging Ideation Matrix activity – our classic! Warming up for the productive morning, the students and staff at ICI shared their thoughts on what food sustainability means to them. One of them highlighted a root problem area, and a preventable one, in food sustainability: portion control. Incredible insight! Portion control is one of the most effective strategies to combat the numerous issues the food sector faces and a solution to one of our workshop’s categories: food loss and food waste.

Quick mood check ahead of the workshop!

Training for solutions!

What food sustainability meant to the ICI community before the Sustainability Training 101 workshop

For this very workshop, we tailored Future Green’s framework to ICI’s more pressing concerns in food sustainability. We focused on five of our fifteen categories, including food loss and food waste, and plant-forward and less and better meat (by the way, the latter is this month’s Future Green’s focus and topic for our upcoming Members Monthly Meetup).  

Heidi conducting the Sustainability Training 101 workshop!

As part of our training, we delved deeper into why the category “plant-forward and less and better meat” is the path to be on. Did you know that 80% of the carbon footprint for most foods comes from land use and land use change? The community at ICI was surprised to find that out, alongside that Hong Kong is one of the largest consumers of meat in the world. That’s alarming. Whilst meat is a great source of protein, its production has a huge carbon footprint. One of the teachers at ICI explained why beef has one of the highest carbon footprints than any other food. Do not worry, there is a growing number of delicious, healthier plant-forward protein and meat alternatives that you can opt. Just like Heidi, the founder and CEO of Future Green, puts it as “a win-win situation”. A win for health, a win for the environment! What’s better than that?

 

Learning is good… Doing is better!

One of the four groups ideating on our tailored ideation matrix for ICI’s Sustainability Training 101 workshop!

What is training without a productive outcome? After the informative training, the workshop participants got to ideating and roadmapping a possible food sustainability initiative! With the ICI’s community locked in on the five target areas, exciting ideas started pouring in and filling the charts with post-it notes. 

For the many amazing ideas that emerged from the workshop, we later charted them by the impact they bring and the effort they require. Towards the end of our workshop, the participants in four groups, sorted the more than 50 ideas they had come up with into practical solutions that are feasible to follow through!

So many takeaway ideas, not boxes! 

At the end of our workshop, the students at the ICI headed out with many, innovative takeaway ideas and not boxes! Just our aim for any workshop!

Students can now take their 2×2 map to their decision makers and show off their team aligned ideas to kick off conversations and get the buy-in they need for change to happen!

Heidi with ICI teachers Raymond and Wallace

The top four key takeaways from our innovative workshop provided feasible solutions for the five focused areas, such as creating portion controlled plastic models (similar to what you see in Japan) at the point of purchase to address one of food waste’s root problems (over ordering) which we highlighted earlier on in the morning. One of the groups came up with an approach to phasing out single-use plastics by collaborating with retailers and businesses. The participants further explained how incentivising plant-forward diets on a designated “Green Monday”, and starting a social media campaign to purchase only grown seafood (rather than spawning season seafood) would encourage sustainable diets and procurement. Impressive!

Thank you everyone at the ICI for spending their morning with us localising and resolving their food sustainability challenges! 

–

Ready to convert your challenges into growth? Involve us for a productive, tailored workshop by clicking below!

https://futuregreen.global/contact-us/ 

Interested in learning more about “Plant-forward and Less and Better Meat” and more food sustainability topics? 

Join us for our upcoming Member’s Monthly meetup on 20th February at the Swire Archive Centre! 

https://futuregreen.global/become-a-member/ 

Connect with Us:

• Join our Skool Community
• Future Green Website
• Follow us on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Contact Us: Got questions or ideas? Email us at hello@futuregreen.global.

Together, we’re not just talking about a sustainable future; we’re building it. Let’s make every meal a story worth telling.

Stay green, stay inspired.

Future Green Team

 

MARKETING COORDINATOR FOR FUTURE GREEN GLOBAL

This is a fantastic opportunity for a results-driven and hands-on individual to join our team at Future Green.

We are Asia’s go-to food sustainability consultancy for sustainability professionals working with the food and beverage industry. At Future Green, we give our Members and Partners a platform to deliver sustainability projects in a credible and engaging manner and to create a knowledge-first experience for their audiences.

This role is remote, with company headquarters in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong.  This position is on a contract basis for 1 year with an option to renew.

This position is suited for someone familiar with a fast-paced startup work environment with a lot of opportunities for learning and mentoring.

As the Marketing Coordinator, you will work closely with a small, agile team and report directly to the founder, Heidi Yu Spurrell. We are looking for a talented person who is interested in going above and beyond to take our marketing to the next level.

You will do this by coordinating, planning, and executing marketing campaigns across multiple media channels to generate leads, acquire new customers, and retain existing customers.

Your job will be to take the strategic guidance and make it a reality with tactical implementation and execution.

The ability to organise, plan, and structure your workload in an autonomous fashion will be absolutely key to your success in this role. You’ll have a lot of freedom in this role, but also a lot of responsibility. We expect you to take 100% ownership of the results you produce.

THE SIX NON-NEGOTIABLES OF THIS ROLE ARE

• Copywriting. You’ll be crafting direct marketing campaigns across email, direct mail, web and social media. Your written skills need to be excellent, and we will expect to see samples of your previous work.
• Being tech-savvy. You don’t need to be a technical expert, but you must be tech-savvy and be able to quickly learn how to use new marketing tools and technologies. While we don’t expect you to know all of the tools we use, we do expect you to be comfortable with them and able to pick up the concepts. Your daily tools of the trade will be CRM/CMS (Zoho), email marketing (ConvertKit), editing tools (Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva), Slack and Zoom for communications, etc.
• Leadership potential. Initially, you’ll be our only in-house marketing person, but as you hit goals, we fully expect this role to morph into a marketing team leader role where you will manage a team of marketing assistants.
• Project management. Ideally, you’ve had experience in project management. A large part of this role is creating and adhering to deadlines, drafting budgets, and moving simultaneous projects forward to completion.
• Being teachable and coachable. There will be a LOT of learning on the job as we do marketing very differently. There is no place here for know-it-alls. We hire based primarily on attitude.
• Being a self-starter. Goals will be clearly defined from the outset. Often, it will be your job to determine what needs to happen, when, and how. The attitude of continually starting things on your own is very important.

PERKS & DETAILS OF THE JOB

• This is a completely remote position, so you’ll have the ability to create your own schedule.
• Flexible work hours (though irregular hours may be expected based on working with different time zones). We require a minimum overlap of 4 hours with Hong Kong time.
• Gain management and marketing experience through trainings and coaching.
• This role starts at 20 hours per week with the potential for full-time after an initial period.
• This role requires English at a native proficiency.
• No sustainability experience required.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Developing and executing email marketing campaigns and managing a CRM platform: Write, schedule, and manage emails, automations, and workflows. Build out email marketing campaigns, sequences, and newsletters. These channels include but are not limited to social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube), email, affiliate partners, and video.
• Create and manage content calendar: Develop a content plan, create, schedule, and analyse content. Build high-value content assets and repurpose them across media channels. Manage the company’s social media presence, including creating and posting content, responding to comments, and monitoring metrics.
• Coordinating with other departments, sponsors, and partners: Coordinate marketing activities with other departments, such as sales, product development, and customer service, to ensure that marketing initiatives align with overall business objectives. Coordinate sponsorships and partnerships with other organisations to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences.
• Optimise marketing systems and processes from top-of-funnel awareness through to customer acquisition. Optimise the customer experience and increase customer lifetime value.
• Writing and editing marketing copy for various channels such as social media, email, and website content. These channels include but are not limited to SEO-optimised blog content, social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube), email, affiliate partners, and video.
• Tracking KPIs and campaign performance: Weekly tracking of key metrics related to marketing activities, performance of marketing campaigns and initiatives, including monitoring metrics such as website traffic, leads generated, and customer engagement.
• Creating and managing project timelines to ensure that campaigns and initiatives are completed on time.
• Coordinating and executing offline and online events, such as trade shows, conferences, webinars, and product launches for lead generation.
• Video production: Coordinating and managing video content and production pipeline, managing videographer, and scheduling video content. Basic video editing skills a plus!
• Graphic design and developing marketing materials: Designing lead magnets, resources, content, brochures, and landing pages.

The application deadline is the 8th March 2024.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered for this position, send your CV to Heidi Spurrell at hello@futuregreen.global  along with approximately 400 words on why Future Green and why this role interests you.

Get our Newsletter stories on food sustainability!

 

Our Members, including attendees from Compass Group and Sodexo, gathered to learn more about biodiversity and food sustainability.

A great turnout! 

Adzuki beans, finger millet, and pumpkin leaves: the rising stars of today’s culinary scene. In Future Green’s first meetup of 2024, guests take a break from the bustle of the city to discuss the link between food and biodiversity and learn about some interesting new foods. 

Heidi with the team at Swire Properties and our speaker Gigi Lau from Compass Group HK

Today, our global food system is the primary driver of global biodiversity loss. 75% of the world’s food comes from just 12 plant species and 5 animal species. Caffeine addicts and avocado toast lovers should be worried: coffee, chocolate and avocado are among the foods that may disappear in 20 years. This is why biodiversity— defined as the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms— is key to achieving a more sustainable food system. 

The planetary boundaries represent the limits within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come

As of 2023, we have surpassed 6 of the 9 planetary boundaries that define Earth’s natural system limits. In a world where habitat destruction, climate change, and intensive farming practices threaten the global food system, conservation efforts are crucial to ensuring global food security. 

For insight on how one company is embracing biodiversity, we invite Gigi Lau, Head of marketing and sustainability at Compass Group HK, to share Compass Group’s approach to sustainability. 

Gigi from Compass!

Gigi Lau representing Compass Group HK

With over 70 client locations across HK, Compass Group HK has a huge impact. The group is committed to reaching climate net zero by 2050 and has adopted the EAT-Lancet Commission’s Planetary Health Diet as a guide for plant-forward meals. Currently, its approach to menu design involves including at least one vegetarian dish daily (in every location, some small locations only offer 2 main dishes) and ensuring a 70-30 split between plant-based and animal protein.

On the education front, Gigi points to Compass Group HK’s “Know Your Food” campaign, which highlights seasonal ingredients. The campaign, which is developed by Compass Group HK’s growing team of nutritionists, aims to inform customers on the health and environmental benefits of seasonal foods. “Educating customers is more important than just offering a seasonal dish on the menu,” says Gigi. Communication is key, and customer engagement is critical to driving long-term change.

Participants asking super questions and engaging in a vibrant discussion at the Monthly Meet up!

How cost-sensitive are clients becoming?

When one participant asks how Compass Groups is coping with the higher associated costs of sustainable meals, Gigi shares a story about eggs. Locals in HK know that ham and egg sandwiches are a breakfast staple. Yet while trying to introduce cage-free eggs, Compass Group HK found that customers were unwilling to pay a $5 dollar premium. This is why it set up two counters: the first offering cage-free eggs, and the second offering ordinary eggs. Providing this option turns customers’ attention to the importance of animal welfare and encourages them to reconsider their food choices. At the end of the day, sustainability is a journey, and associated costs mean that the transition to more sustainable diets may happen gradually.

Following up on Compass Group HK’s goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, one participant enquires about the group’s food waste reduction efforts. Gigi shares that, in addition to installing a food waste machine that measures and analyses food waste, the group ensures that waste in the preparation kitchen is categorised. This enables chefs to recognise where the most of the waste is generated and target their operations accordingly. At one location, a lot of plain rice was wasted and Gigi began brainstorming. Fried rice? Donations? The possibilities were endless, and the kitchen ended up donating leftover rice to Foodlink. 

Plate waste is the next big challenge, and customers have started to notice it too. At some schools, teachers step in to reduce food waste and encourage students to finish their plates. Through incentives (colourful stickers which, according to Gigi, work very well), teachers have been changing student behaviours. Some students ask for smaller portions, whilst others take the chance to explore new, unfamiliar foods. Working with adults on plate waste is a bigger challenge.

Wrapping up!

Guests from Sodexo, Swire, Spicebox Organics, InvestHK and more competed for a sustainable wine voucher from La Cabane in a fierce round of Kahoot! A winner emerged, discussions ensued and the first Meetup of 2024 concluded with a bang!

Thanks to ESG Innovation Lab for hosting! A great turnout, including reps from Sodexo Hong Kong, Swire Group, Spicebox Organics, InvestHK, AIA

See you next month for our meet up on ‘Plant Forward and Less Meat’.

 

The Members Monthly Meetup Series is a monthly gathering designed to educate and empower the Hong Kong foodservice community — chefs, restaurateurs, FOH, BOH, suppliers and sustainability leads as well as everyone and anyone interested in food sustainability including schools, businesses, consultants and NGOs.

Connect with Us:

• Join our Skool Community
• Future Green Website
• Follow us on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Contact Us: Got questions or ideas? Email us at hello@futuregreen.global.

Together, we’re not just talking about a sustainable future; we’re building it. Let’s make every meal a story worth telling.

Stay green, stay inspired.

Future Green Team

 

Are you curious about your food’s impact?