Hong Kong aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, as outlined by the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Climate Action Plan 2050, which focuses on net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. The interim target is to reduce emissions by 50% by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.
From renewable energy and sustainable built environments to transforming public transport, promoting circular opportunities and leading in green finance, Hong Kong is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and reinforcing its position as a top sustainability hub.
Listed companies in Hong Kong are obligated to report on their ESG initiative since 2016. This strategic framework guides companies to integrate sustainability and social responsibility into their operations. Benefits include market growth, increased capital access, reduced operating costs as well as attraction and retention of talent.
Muuse Limited, a winner of the Start-up Express programme organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), is doing its part to help Hong Kong – and beyond – to reduce carbon emissions and pollution from disposable packaging.
Scrapping single-use containers
With ESG listed as one of its core competencies, its tech-powered re-use platform replaces single-use F&B packaging with smart, trackable containers, enabling scalable circular systems across cities and events.
“One of our goals at Muuse is to make reusable food packaging second nature, thus reducing waste and carbon emissions caused by single-use packaging,” stated Natasha Kakkar Chawla, Hong Kong Director of Muuse.
Hong Kong firms who currently use the start-up’s services include Swire Properties at Taikoo Place, a 32-store deployment with Starbucks and Coca Cola, the latter of which launched reusable cups at this year’s Hong Kong Sevens in April.
“Muuse was founded with the realisation that to end the waste crisis, we must turn off the waste tap at the source,” remarked Ms Chawla.
“We started as a smart cup network focused on shifting consumer behaviour, and now globally we have tracked over 2 million single-use items, maintained a more than 98% return rate and engaged over 30,000 active users across more than 400 client deployments.”
The company focuses on event venues, stadiums and high-density contained ecosystems, such as Grade A commercial real estate portfolios and university campuses. These markets feature structured populations and consistent foot traffic, which allows Muuse to maximise logistically efficient collection loops, build rapid consumer habits and achieve scale.
“This is a massive catalyst for our next phase of growth,” said Ms Chawla. She adds that she feels the programme will help Muuse develop in three specific areas: global market access, investor and corporate matchmaking, and brand credibility and validation.
“We compete with single use tableware, which is cheap, familiar and easily available, while reuse demands upfront capex and ongoing opex,” remarked Ms Chawla. “In the long term, reuse systems start paying for themselves, but for businesses globally it’s difficult to convince them to invest upfront, and often there’s a lack of regulations enforcing reuse.”
As single-use plastic bans tighten globally, services offering reusable containers will evolve from contained clusters into broader public tourism destinations and high-volume delivery networks. Offerings will be expanded into diversified hardware inventories.
Muuse intends to roll out specialised bento lunchbox and soup container stock keeping units for the corporate lunch and catering market and refine their backend to integrate with institutional property management portals and local smart city waste frameworks.