Guidebook Launched to Aid Foodservice in Circular Economy Shift

Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business hosted Knowledge Primer 6

Discussing how to foster collaborations among stakeholders to achieve "zero waste"

The foodservice industry is under the spotlight as the Hong Kong SAR Government pledges to achieve "Waste Reduction·Resources Circulation·Zero Landfill". The forthcoming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging scheme and the control of single-use plastic products have prompted all stakeholders in the foodservice industry to expedite the transition to a circular economy. Although the government has been taking forward "waste-to-energy" infrastructure and public education programmes to tackle the waste problem from downstream, Hong Kong's circular economy development is still in its early stages and challenges such as increasing costs in operation are hindering the foodservice industry from achieving systemic change.

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance ("CCSG") of The University of Hong Kong ("HKU") organised the sixth Knowledge Primer (KP6) on 17 October 2023, titled "Realising Resource Circularity in Foodservice Industry". In addition to exploring collaborative opportunities between the government, businesses, consumers, and culinary training institutes on how to promote resource circulation among the local foodservice industry, a launch ceremony was held at KP6 which marked the official release of A Practical Guidebook to a Circular Economy: Collaborating with Value Chain Partners for a Resilient Business ("Practical Guidebook"). As an academia-led initiative supported by the business community, the Practical Guidebook provides a self-study knowledge resource, particularly for foodservice business owners and managers. It renders professional knowledge and best practices to practitioners, which helps them drive sustainability in the industry.

Creating synergies to make resource circularity in the foodservice industry possible

While addressing sustainability challenges requires systemic change to break through the status quo, forging collaboration is essential for driving transformational change in the foodservice industry. Different actors in a business' value chain should work closely together to explore resource circularity solutions throughout the operation—from ingredient supply to waste management. We were honoured to have invited four distinguished speakers from the government, restaurant associations, foodservice businesses, and culinary training institutes to share their insights and observations.

Ms. Sindy Wong, Head of Tourism and Hospitality, Invest Hong Kong, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, shared her views on "Innovating Food Value Chain for Circularity – The Trends in Hong Kong". She pointed out, "The foodservice industry in Hong Kong has experienced varying degrees of global supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic and climate change. These disruptions have also altered people's eating habits and how foodservice businesses operate. With increasing awareness of reducing waste and carbon emissions, the government encourages the industry to collaborate across sectors, leverage digital technology and innovate business processes. Such measures include the introduction of tableware rental systems and the enhancement of food waste monitoring systems. They are the impetus to accelerate the achievement of zero waste and carbon reduction, thereby transitioning towards a circular economy altogether. While local start-ups play a crucial role in this transformation, we are also attracting overseas enterprises and eager to learn about new creative ideas, products, services, and technologies that promote sustainable innovation in the business sector. This fosters exchanges with local companies and ensures that the industry operates more sustainably."

Mr. Carrel Kam, Vice Chairman, Institute of Dining Professionals, gave a presentation on "Promoting Resource Circularity in Foodservice Operations – Challenges and Coping Strategies", which analysed the pain points faced by the foodservice industry in attaining resource circularity and explored feasible strategies that the sector can work on further. "For the industry, apart from facing the common challenge of limited shop space for waste sorting, frontline staff also need more relevant training. Integrating the resource circulation concept into operations requires a multi-faceted approach, which involves the interior design of a restaurant, choosing the right kitchen tools and equipment, food logistics, inventory management, cooking methods, sourcing dine-in and take-out utensils and cutlery, surplus food handling, and consumer participation."

Mr. Pippo Au, Head of Supply Chain, Maxim's Group, shared practical experiences and insights on accelerating resource circulation through consumer participation in his "Circularity In Action – Engagement & Opportunities" presentation. He opined, "The emerging dominant consumer group is eyeing more sustainability products and values catering brands that support local producers as well as green operations. This drives us to integrate circularity initiatives into our operations, such as launching the upcycled craft beer BOB ("Bottle of Bread") and a Regenerative Farming initiative. These endeavors breathe new life into surplus bread, coffee grounds and food waste by transforming them into delicacies. The positive feedback we've received from customers and stakeholders for these initiatives inspires our group to continue advocate for sustainable development. It also facilitates better utilization of existing resources and enhances engagements with customers and stakeholders, fostering a cooperative pursuit of sustainable development."

Mr. James HP Yap, Principal, Hotel and Tourism Institute, Chinese Culinary Institute, and International Culinary Institute, brought in his perspective with "Instilling Circular Thinking into Foodservice Practitioners - The Future of Culinary Arts" and discussed how to raise industry practitioners' awareness of resource circularity practices through innovative curriculum design and various learning experiences. He elaborated with examples, "In recent years, resource circularity has been gaining traction in the foodservice industry, and it is systematically integrated into talent development and training. Our courses aim to build on relevant theories and provide students with practical insights distilled from best business practices. The curriculum covers kitchen management, menu design, workflow optimisation, and guiding customers to order appropriate portions. Our goal is to empower students to apply what they have learnt and contribute to the industry's sustainable development."

In the subsequent panel discussion moderated by Professor Wai-Fung Lam, Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, HKU, the speakers explored the topic of "Synergising Quadripartite Efforts for Circular Transition in Foodservice Industry's Value Chain".

A Practical Guidebook to a Circular Economy focuses on the foodservice industry and provides self-study materials for practitioners

After the panel discussion, Mr. Kelvin Fok, Assistant Project Manager of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance, HKU, presided over the launch ceremony of A Practical Guidebook to a Circular Economy: Collaborating with Value Chain Partners for a Resilient Business. This guidebook provides practitioners with self-study materials that emphasise intellectual access, practicality, and value chain-based problem-solving. The foodservice industry-specific chapters aim to enlighten enterprises to explore collaboration opportunities with their value chain partners for advancing circular operations, and they also highlighted exemplary resource circularity projects for reference. These pioneering companies have demonstrated the benefits of how the circular economy unlocks new business opportunities and competitive advantages. This guidebook also offers foodservice managers standard-aligned project management tools, which facilitate their implementation of circular economy practices and provide on-the-job training to employees.

The book launch was witnessed by 17 contributing organisations, in the presence of distinguished speakers and representatives from The Hongkong Bank Foundation. Professor Wai-Fung Lam remarked, "As a knowledge transfer and capacity building platform, we consider providing professional and practical tools and guidance as one of the project objectives to assist enterprises of all sizes in putting business sustainability into practice. Resource circularity is indeed a critical issue related to whether the world can transition towards a sustainable future. The more businesses can collaborate to contribute to the circular economy, the greater the likelihood of achieving sustainable development. At the same time, the economy becomes more innovative and resilient, as well as regenerative globally in the long run."

The four-year "Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business" (PSLB) has been instrumental in accelerating local enterprises' transition towards sustainable development

Supported by The Hongkong Bank Foundation, Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business (PSLB) is a four-year action research project, the first of its kind, with collaborative endeavours leveraging the strengths of academic institutions, businesses, regulators, and the broader community in Hong Kong. In the past three years, PSLB has promoted collaboration and partnership among all types of businesses, including large corporates, SMEs, start-ups, and other stakeholders, encouraging them to jointly build a collaborative business environment and create synergies to address sustainability challenges. PSLB has played an integrated role in knowledge transfer, capacity building, and network development. It has built a one-stop online resource platform for local SMEs, assisting them to self-evaluate and develop business sustainability strategies. The online "SME Sustainability Self-check Tool" and the "Sustainability Roadmap and Kick-Starter Impact Toolkit" enable the management of SMEs to take the first step in understanding the environmental and societal impact caused by their businesses. Meanwhile, the industry-specific Practical Guidebook offers SMEs learning resources to comprehend relevant principles for sustainable development within their value chains.

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