Wishlist

This reusable coffee cup is made with borosilicate glass, so it’s more sturdy and heat-resistant than silicone. Plus, it won’t shatter like regular glass if you drop it while you’re out and about! $200 from BOMSHBEE

We love a neutral wardrobe addition, which explains why we’re feeling this versatile fall jacket from lululemon’s latest men’s collection. It’s the perfect garment for the minimalist fashion bro! $1,180 at lululemon

Uncover your hidden self with a set of conversation cards by local NGO Teen’s Key. They’re designed to encourage young women to reflect, share and self-discover, and all proceeds go to supporting this women-led charity. $150 from teenskey.org

We’re not exactly sneakerheads, but we could definitely be converted by the showstopping colourways from the latest LeBron James shoe release. She’s giving us early ‘90s childhood, and we love it! $1,599 at Nike

These wireless headphones by Swedish brand Urbanears are made almost entirely with recycled plastic, and use an optimised charging technology designed to deliver longer battery lifetime. Longer wear means less consumption and less waste in landfills - which we love! $799 at Lane Crawford of LOG-ON

Cutting corners has never looked so chic! Embrace the infinite elegance of a classic black-and-white circular tote bag, while you channel your inner Audrey Hepburn this autumn. $3,390 at agnès b.

Dial up the drama with a statement lip this fall! We’re loving this super-pigmented, 90’s-inspired pinky brown gloss, and bonus points for it being a vegan formulation. $400 at BYREDO

Have a little fun with your next cuppa, with the creative brews from luxury tea brand Metz. We’re personally hooked on the Salted Caramel black tea, with bits of real popcorn mixed in! $158 from metztea.hk

The MD of Vegware Hong Kong, a global compostable food packaging company originated in the UK, Ceicy Wong is on a mission to divert food and packaging waste from Hong Kong's landfills. She tells Liv about Hong Kong’s plastic crisis, and what she plans to do about it.

Q Tell us about Hong Kong’s disposable plastic situation. It’s overwhelming. About 30 to 40 percent of the waste that goes into landfills in Hong Kong is food waste, much of which comes in various types of plastic packaging. We urgently need a solution, as our landfills are already at capacity. At Vegware, our focus is on developing compostable food packaging using plant-based materials. It breaks down along with the food, and turns into compost. Q Has the situation improved in recent years? Definitely. People are much more aware of recycling, and everyone tries to reduce waste and reuse containers. But we have a population that’s only getting bigger - we’re at 7.96 billion people in the world now, and our population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. We need to think of a solution that goes beyond simply manufacturing more products to meet demand. Let’s face it: how many reusable totes and water bottles do we have in our cupboard? A compostable option that closes the loop is one sustainable alternative to our waste problem.

Q How have local businesses responded to

Very positively. People are keen to use compostable or biodegradable packaging, and the knowledge of this type of product has increased in our seven years of operation; people are keen to move away from plastics. Our challenge now is to achieve zero waste in Hong Kong’s food sector. There are no guidelines or regulations right now that say that businesses must use compostable or plant-based packaging, and we want to do our part to move the needle in the right direction.

Q Tell us more about PLA cups. Are they really

PLA, or polylactic acid, is a bioplastic made entirely from corn. It’s almost indistinguishable from plastic to the average consumer, and is a very effective material to make containers for cold drinks and straws. It’s designed to break down with food, but it requires certain conditions - a moist environment and bacteria - in order to decompose effectively. We work with a local recycling firm, ECPAL, to compost our PLA cups at their dedicated facility. It’s unfortunate that nothing truly degrades in the landfill, but processed responsibly, PLA cups are a wonderful solution. Q What does success look like to you? I’ve been asking myself this question too; it’s something I reflect on a lot. What are my goals to help Hong Kong become more sustainable? For me, I want to work with the government to ban polystyrene in the F&B industry, and to restrict plastic packaging as a whole. Sometimes I take a walk through the supermarket, and when I see all the different plastic containers, all destined for the landfill, I think about how much work there is still to do. Q What else do you do to promote sustainability in

Education is a huge part of what we do, and we are passionate about knowledge sharing. We are always happy to educate the public about compostable packaging and why it’s so important. Our social media accounts are full of information in both Chinese and English - follow us @vegware on IG, FB, Twitter and LinkedIn to learn more!

Q Where do you see your business going in the

We really want to promote composting outside of Hong Kong, moving into mainland China and Taiwan. We want to share compostable packaging with the region and reduce landfill waste across Asia. We also want to set up a community fund to support more local farmers. There is actually a high demand for compost in Hong Kong, so we want to enhance the circularity of our products by sharing our compost with them to help them grow their crops. Q What’s something you wished more people knew

That it’s truly an uphill battle. There are so many different forms of plastic, and so many uses for it. Just think about all the testing kits that have been used and discarded in the past few years. At Vegware, we want to help with reducing waste to landfill food waste crisis. Creating excess food generates unnecessary methane, which is then released into the air and contributes to climate change. We want to get really good at helping to reduce food waste, and to encourage everyone on composting, as well as do their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.