Carbon Wallet, Hong Kong's one-stop green lifestyle reward platform, today announced a new recycling programme in collaboration with six leading beauty brands – Fresh, L’Occitane, The Body Shop, Factiv, EVOLCARE and Melvita – and recycling partner V Cycle to celebrate Earth Day 2023. This programme reflects a shared commitment to reduce plastic waste in the beauty industry and make sustainability more accessible in Hong Kong.
The Beauty in Recycling: Joint Beauty Brand Recycling Programme 2023 is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. Setting itself apart from solo brand-led recycling schemes, this programme encourages consumers to recycle their beauty product empties by enhancing recycling accessibility with an extensive network of in-store recycling points. From 20 April to 30 June 2023, consumers can visit over 60 stores* from six participating brands and earn Carbon Wallet (CW) Points by recycling their beauty empties from any brand.
To participate in the programme, users are required to drop their empties in the in-store recycling boxes and submit a record of this activity using the Carbon Wallet App. By scanning the QR code on the recycling box, users will instantly receive 100 CW Points and get additional points depending on the type and quantity of recyclables. New users can even receive a free MTR ride when they fill in a brand-specific promo code during registration! To thank users for their contribution in protecting the environment, they will also be entitled to special offers from their favourite beauty brands (details in Appendix).
Saving carbon emissions equivalent to 1 million smartphone charges
The Beauty in Recycling Programme aims to collect and recycle more than 300,000 empties and save over 11,000kg of carbon emissions – the equivalent of 1 million smartphone charges, or the annual carbon absorption of 450 trees. Once this collective recycling target is reached, all participants will be able to unlock a special bonus reward from Carbon Wallet!
Mr Chester Cheng, Co-founder of Carbon Wallet, said: "Earth Day is an important reminder of the impact we have on the environment and the need for collective action. Waste is an industry-wide challenge for beauty brands, with research showing that only 9% of product packaging is recycled. This programme is a perfect example of Carbon Wallet’s role as a platform uniting different industry players; we bring consumers and merchants who support sustainability together so that we can achieve more as a community."
Ms Adeline Gall, General Manager of The Body Shop, Hong Kong, said: "The Body Shop believes that business can be a force for good. We’ve set ambitious targets to make sure 100% of our packaging materials will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030. In Hong Kong, we have a strong network of 16 Refill Stations and provide a recycling programme in all 26 of our retail stores. We are pleased to partner with Changemakers such as Carbon Wallet to bring these experiences to life with our customers and campaign for a positive and sustainable change for our community together.”
By partnering with V Cycle, a trusted recycling operator that provides job opportunities to the underprivileged, consumers who recycle through this programme are making Hong Kong a more sustainable city both environmentally and socially.
Carbon Wallet’s ongoing mission: Green In, Green Out!
As a portfolio company of MTR Lab Company Limited, Carbon Wallet promotes a green lifestyle in Hong Kong by motivating individuals to take climate action in an easy, light-hearted way. Sharing MTR Lab's vision of co-creating a carbon-neutral smart community, the company has one key principle – 'Green In, Green Out'. Carbon Wallet App users are given CW Points for their positive impact on the environment based on scientifically calculated Carbon Savings (‘Green In’), and the rewards they redeem with those points are all eco-friendly (‘Green Out’) to drive circularity of the entire green ecosystem.
App users can earn CW Points by travelling on low-carbon MTR transport, walking, recycling, having vegetarian meals, choosing plant-based milk beverages and supporting green shopping, such as purchasing refillable, reusable and eco-friendly products with zero-waste packaging. In addition to being a reward platform, the App includes a variety of green living tips and also features a ‘Go Green Map’ which allows users to search for nearby recycling, water refill, green dining and shopping points.
As a social innovation company, Carbon Wallet aspires to collaborate with stakeholders and co-create a green ecosystem in Hong Kong. The Beauty in Recycling Programme is part of this ongoing commitment to promote sustainable practices.
*Note: Stores of Melvita will accept beauty product empties of any brand from 16 to 30 June, and those of its own brand for the rest of the programme period.
