[Yahoo News Report]An experience with the epidemic led to the birth of an environmental social enterprise. Kelvin, a student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, was diagnosed with the new corona virus earlier this year and ordered takeout meals every day during the quarantine period, realizing that people Hong Kong consumes many disposable lunch boxes every day. He then dropped out of school to set up an environmental protection social enterprise to provide lending and return of packed lunches to protect the environment. The team has won an award in an entrepreneurial competition previously and has launched a pilot project at HKUST since mid-August, hoping to promote it to regional restaurants in the future.
Photojournalist: Davies
Kelvin is a fifth grade student in the Department of Quantitative Finance at the University of Science and Technology. His family of four contracted the virus in the fifth wave of the outbreak. He relied on takeaway food to order meals for three meals and consumed plenty of disposable items. There are layers and bags. “He continued that food delivery app service staff sometimes” add a few extra plastic bags “to prevent soup from spilling, causing further waste.
To solve the disposable packed lunch problem, he visited more than 10 restaurants and friends around him to understand why bringing his own packed lunch was not a good idea.If I don’t want to use it myself, I can Order something to use for others? “He cited a 2018 survey that showed that nearly 90 percent of respondents were in favor of bringing their own packed lunches to buy takeaways, but only 25 percent had practiced it.
Free rental of eco-friendly lunch boxes for the pilot scheme with a deposit of 20 RMB
Kelvin founded Green Hub, an environmental social enterprise in February of this year, which was later renamed “Re³” to provide environmentally friendly lunch box rental services. Users only need to download the app on their mobile phones to register and pay a deposit of 20 yuan Rent an eco-friendly packed lunch, scan the QR code and return it to the designated place after use, and a special person will be responsible for cleaning and disinfection. The more times consumers rent lunch boxes, the more points they can earn, which can be used to redeem eco-friendly catering or lunch boxes for free.
He analyzed that the cheaper the loan and return process for environmentally friendly lunch boxes, the greater the incentive for consumers to use them. Restaurants are also willing to introduce eco-friendly lunch boxes for rent to reduce take-away costs. Taking the University of Science and Technology restaurant as an example, each bagasse takeaway box costs more than 3 yuan. In some restaurants, the cost of each plastic take-out box is around 2 yuan, and the cost of delivering a large number of eco-friendly lunch boxes to the cleaning contractor is around 2.2 yuan each. of the two is not far from.
Win a 130,000 yuan bonus for starting a business
This business plan was selected in the HKUST x HKSTP Co-Ideation Program and received initial funding of 100,000 yuan, won the HKUST Student Team Award in the HKUST-Shin Wo Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2022 and was also supported by the HKUST Entrepreneurship Development Fund. The team amassed a bonus of around 130,000 yuan to start a business. This year it successfully lobbied three HKUST restaurants to participate in the pilot program. From mid-August to mid-September, consumers do not have to pay the cleaning fee for renting lunch boxes.
Qiu, a first-year student at HKUST’s Faculty of Engineering, backed the project by saying that borrowing eco-friendly lunch boxes for free, as well as bringing your own tableware, can save you the extra for take-out food. already 93% discount. “
Members take care of entrepreneurs after school and hand wash environmentally friendly tableware
Kelvin said the initial phase of the project was extremely low cost, all thanks to the team members’ time commitment. Ma Silang (Evan), a fourth-year complete system and design student at HKUST, is in charge of the IT department. He said it is not easy to complete the programming in one month. 3 to 6 hours, 10 hours on Sundays. “
Team members take turns to stay at the campus restaurant during lunch and dinner each day to promote the rental of environmentally friendly lunch boxes. Kelvin and fourth-year finance student He Yongtong (Crystal) are responsible for cleaning and disinfection, and Crystal is also responsible for marketing. To promote the project, the three inevitably had to “walk down the aisle”: between them, Kelvin decided to take a six-month break from school earlier this year to fully devote himself to the entrepreneurial project.
“Many people have an idea, but they may not try it”
Think it’s worth trying while you’re young, “Actually, many people have ideas, but they may not try them. The cost of the test isn’t particularly high. There is a lot of support from HKUST and the government. Perhaps the biggest is the expense. it’s your time, but it’s time. We have most of the offspring. ”The HKUST campus rental program ends on September 12th. The team plans to rush out of HKUST next year to lobby restaurants in the region to participate in the eco friendly lunch box rental service Advertising revenue to support operations.
【Social enterprise of environmental protection “Re³”】
website:https://app.re3.world/
IG ：https://www.instagram.com/re3hk/
FB ：https://www.facebook.com/re3hk/
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