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AS Watson Group and PARKnSHOP are dedicated to fostering a more sustainable future by giving back to the global community, driven by a passion for sustainability. The three main areas of social responsibility they are actively pursuing are ecology, human well-being, and high-quality products. They are dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of their businesses.
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We spoke with Norman Yum, Managing Director of PARKnSHOP. He explained how PARKnSHOP, the most dependable food retailer in Hong Kong, is dedicated to offering a wide variety of food and services that will make customers happy.
Consumers these days place a high value on sustainable development. To help customers take joint responsibility for protecting the planet’s resources, PARKnSHOP has been aggressively putting environmental protection measures in place to lessen its impact on climate change, prevent deforestation, and reduce waste plastic.
“Our vision is to work with suppliers and customers to promote sustainable development to ‘Eat Better, Live Better’ and to do the right thing for our customers and the environment, both now and in the future.”
He noted that PARKnSHOP is introducing the new “WWF FOR THE FUTURE Green Living Collection” e-stamp redemption program for the first time in the Asian market to improve further the public’s comprehension of and participation in a harmonious and sustainable lifestyle.
The program provides a range of environmentally friendly daily recreational activities, inspiring everyone to “Bless the Future, Act Green Now.” By promoting earth-friendly daily activities, the program invites people to learn more about how people, society, and the environment coexist peacefully, practice green living, and create a better future.
Green living and recycling
In terms of both material and design, the WWF FOR THE FUTURE series’ contribute to environmental enhancement and the accomplishment of ESG objectives. “The products’ central theme is ‘Green Living and Recycling’, based on which eight products for travel and outdoor recreation are constructed from recycled materials and intended to help people adopt a more environmentally conscious lifestyle,” explained Yum.
“We want to start forming healthy, low-carbon lifestyle habits from small actions, like bringing our water bottles, shopping with eco-friendly bags, and spending more time in nature when we travel,” Yum added.
“Many items in the collection have been given the TÜV Green Product Mark Certification, guaranteeing that the primary materials are composed of recycled plastic bottles, which are both eco-friendly and stylish and useful,” he continued.
“The fabrics are mainly made from recycled plastic bottles, and the amount of recycled plastic bottles needed to make the product is labeled for reference so that people can feel the contribution to environmental protection while using the product.”
The collection features two patterns that are in keeping with green fashion: the “Tropical Rainforest Green Leaves” pattern highlights the vibrancy of nature, while the “Flowing Green Stripe” pattern highlights the low-key stylish rhythm of green living.
Through a series of eco-friendly daily news and activity products, which are exclusive to PARKnSHOP, Yum hopes to encourage everyone to “Bless the future and act green now” and to explore further how human beings, society, and nature can live in harmony with each other through the use of earth-friendly daily activities.
Living sustainably to create a better future
Changing lifestyle habits requires a determined effort. Yum stated: “With our e-stamping campaign, we are thrilled that this collection of meaningful products can reach out to the general public and encourage people to practice free product exchange and environmentally friendly consumption.”
“In addition to using these products with joy, we hope that the public’s power will enable us to practice green living in the four main spheres of daily life: food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as creating a better future together,” Yum added.
Regardless of the number of participants, PARKnSHOP hopes this program will draw a sizable crowd. It will also keep up its efforts to encourage eco-friendly behavior and offer convenient ways for patrons to get involved.
In response to a question about whether PARKnSHOP will carry out additional ESG-related projects in the future, Yum said: “We offer and promote sustainable products to our customers. To reduce our environmental impact, we offer refills and investigate the use of sustainable ingredients and packaging materials. We’ve regularly planned different events to motivate our clients to lead sustainable lifestyles.”
“This year, for instance, we started a plastic bottle recycling program with Kao. We did this by leveraging PNS’s extensive logistics network to offer customers an O+O (Offline plus Online) green shopping and recycling experience. This allows plastic bottles to be recycled concurrently with deliveries, reducing plastic waste for the environment without requiring them to leave their homes,” he noted.
Pioneers in the industry for environmental protection
PARKnSHOP is the first chain supermarket to stop selling plastic straws and single-use plastic cutlery in Hong Kong. In addition, The Group offered customers the chance to shop naked, thus making it possible to reduce the consumption of unnecessary disposable plastic packaging. Moreover, PARKnSHOP joined the WWF Eco-Seafood Corporate Membership Program as a founding member in 2022.
To spread awareness of the importance of protecting the marine ecosystem while having a satisfying meal, the company aims to offer its customers a wide variety of options, including certified eco-friendly seafood.
PARKnSHOP has also launched a line of eco-friendly products, such as zero-load and pure products, eco-friendly refills, and sustainable ingredients and packaging. Recently, PARKnSHOP added a new section called Healthy Hub to offer customers more sustainable and healthy options.
In the meantime, PARKnSHOP has discovered that the younger generation has a higher level of consciousness in the use of plastic.
Perceiving that the young generation will be the major driving force in sustainable development in Hong Kong, PARKnSHOP has spearheaded the adoption of a plastic reduction policy for fresh produce at its nearby university campus locations over the past years and now extended to more than 10 stores. More outlets will be added in hopes that other supermarkets will follow suit and implement plastic reduction strategies.
To investigate the reuse model further, PARKnSHOP has strengthened customer incentives to support environmental protection by implementing bag-sharing stations and bring-your-own-box offers at over 100 locations for its hot meal counters or salad bars.
Yum said that the Company has launched the “PARKnSHOP Green School Program” for ten years since 2013 to instill a sense of environmental consciousness in the next generation at a young age. Applications are invited from Hong Kong’s primary and special schools for this program.
With a maximum sponsorship of 5,000, each school may submit one application for a green project related to eco-conservation, energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, or sustainable agriculture. In its tenth year, the program has funded more than 500 environmentally friendly projects.
In the future, PARKnSHOP will remain at the forefront of the industry’s efforts to support sustainable development, advocate for plastic and waste reduction initiatives at all levels, and invite employees and customers to join in going green.
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