Hong Kong: Green Circular Economy Development Project

Project Features

• Environmental Protection and Economic Development: Upholding the concept of “upcycling and refurbishing”, EarthCare Foundation supported cooperatives and social enterprises that sell eco-friendly organic food and local furniture brands. Our aim was to reduce the volume of “resources” that would otherwise end up in landfills;
• Green Burial: From 2013 to 2016, ECF supported the Green Funeral Programme, which promotes environmentally sustainable funeral services. This includes eco-friendly paper caskets, dried flowers, and farewell decorations made of recycled paper. The programme allows the deceased to make a permanent connection with nature on their final journey, leaving a better world for future generations;
• Established a production-consumption model on the community level: the model sought to maximize resource utilization and minimizes waste. By reducing consumption patterns, the aim was to lower resource use, waste generation, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy loss.

Project Outcomes

• 2014: Assisted local artisans in establishing a social enterprise that uses locally recycled wood to craft furniture;
• 2014: Provided seed funding to a green burial service social enterprise in Hong Kong, which has grown into an industry-leading eco-friendly burial service provider;
• 2008: Supported a Hong Kong social enterprise dedicated to organising group purchases of local agricultural products.
• 2007: Supported the establishment of the first elementary school in Hong Kong to use nature-based education as its primary teaching approach.
• 2004: Supported a local women’s cooperative in Hong Kong to provide flexible employment programmes while promoting sustainable lifestyles.