Behaviour Change from the Inside Out: Bupa and BottLess partner for “Live Healthy Live Green”
to encourage employee and public participation in plastic reduction action
Hong Kong，31 Jul 2019
Bupa Hong Kong, the leading health insurance specialist, and BottLess, a social startup that advocates plastic-free living and environmental sustainability, announced today their partnership on waste reduction and promoting healthy living. The partnership is focused on raising awareness about the issue of single-use plastics at the employee, community, and general public level. To further build public awareness, Bupa will sponsor all the reusable utensils at the popular Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) annual Food Expo, to benefit the wider community and create a larger impact.
Single-use plastic consumption is a major environmental and health issue in Hong Kong. Over 46 million single-use plastic cutleries and containers are disposed in Hong Kong every week, according to a survey conducted by Greeners Action in 2019 on single-use plastics distributed by restaurants1. These plastics have long-term negative impacts on our environment and are detrimental to everyone’s health and wellbeing. With the vision to reduce disposable plastic consumption at its source, BottLess has been pioneering innovative plastic-free solutions to engage corporates and the public in an actionable sustainable movement.
Caring for the community and environment where we operate lies in the heart of Bupa’s values. With a shared vision, Bupa and BottLess are partnering in a series of Live Healthy Live Green initiatives to increase awareness of waste reduction in Hong Kong. Alongside a series of employee engagement events around single-use plastics, Bupa and BottLess have also partnered with 10 restaurants in the Taikoo and Quarry Bay area. Each participating restaurant will offer a special discount to Bupa employees who bring a reusable food container, rather than taking a single-use plastic container.
Bupa and BottLess are expanding their partnership to create a larger impact by providing sharing reusable utensils solution, including food containers, sporks and cups, at the HKTDC Food Expo from 15 to 19 August 2019, which attracts several hundred thousand public visitors each year. Two self-service utensil cleaning stations will be set up, making it easy for visitors to clean their own utensil. Visitors at the Expo can borrow the reusable food container along with cutlery with a refundable cash deposit, and enjoy the great food on offer whilst also reducing their impact on the environment.
To further promote the Live Healthy Live Green concept, visitors can scan a QR code printed on the reusable food container to obtain various tips on healthy diet, environment protection, yoga exercises and many more.
“Through our partnership with BottLess, we are not only looking to raise awareness of single use plastics, but also to educate people about how improving the environment can also improve your health,” said Andrew Merrilees, General Manager, Bupa Hong Kong. “Individual actions can make a big difference when it comes to the environment. We know this issue affects all the community in Hong Kong, and we are happy to play a role in raising awareness about it. I’d like to thank BottLess and HKTDC for their support in getting this partnership established.”
“BottLess and Bupa hit it off at once when this project was conceived,” said Francis Ngai, Founder of BottLess. “We are both dedicated to promoting the wellbeing of our community and environment. Through encouraging Bupa employees and the wider public to move towards plastic-free lifestyles, we are reducing disposable plastic waste and creating a healthier living environment in Hong Kong. Our partnership with Bupa is only a beginning, and we hope that this would encourage more companies to take a step forward to engage in this plastic-free movement."
Bupa and BottLess hope to offer more plastic-free solutions to the wider public after the Food Expo, and to inspire positive actions to foster healthy living and contribute to a sustainable environment.
Notes to editor
About “Live Healthy Live Green” partnership
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Period |
Target |
Details |
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Phase I |
Bupa staff |
Awareness building:
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Phase II |
Bupa staff and local restaurants in Taikoo and Quarry Bay |
Plastic-free green living – takeaway initiative:
Partnering with 10 restaurants in Taikoo and Quarry Bay area to offer discount for Bupa staff who bring reusable containers for takeaway |
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Phase III |
Public |
HKTDC Food Expo reusable utensil lending:
Offering reusable food containers and cutleries for public visitors to borrow for use at the Expo with a refundable cash deposit
QR code on the containers lands on the Bupa “Live healthy. Live green.” minisite |
About Bupa “Live healthy. Live green.” minisite
The minisite features healthy eating tips, green living advice and more.
Scan the QR code:
Or visit the website at:
https://www.bupa.com.hk/healthyliving
1 Statistics from Greeners Action, May 2019
http://www.greeners-action.org
BottLess
BottLess is a social enterprise initiated by SVhk in 2015. With innovative and pioneering strategies, BottLess opens the path for corporates to embrace sustainability, which fosters micro-behavioral change in the public and creating zero-waste possibilities for the next generation.
BottLess has a wealth of experience in providing plastics reduction solutions, namely Hong Kong International Sevens, the mega concert Clockenflap and the Hong Kong Streetathon.
Bupa – A global healthcare specialist
Bupa began in the UK in 1947. We fund healthcare around the world and run clinics, hospitals, dental centres, care homes, and more. With no shareholders, we reinvest our profits to provide more and better healthcare for customers.
Bupa is UK’s largest health insurer.* In Hong Kong, we are known as the health insurance specialist. We have gained the trust of more than 400,000 individuals, and 3,200 companies including major corporations in public utility and telecom industry. We have provided quality health insurance for Hong Kong’s civil servants for more than 20 years.
Bupa also provides primary care services through Quality HealthCare Medical Services (QHMS), one of Hong Kong’s largest private clinic networks.
* Source: LaingBuisson Health Cover UK Market Report 15th Edition, published 16 October 2018, in terms of market share by premium income among private medical insurance providers
Media Enquiry:
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BottLess Limited
Christina Tsao Tel: +852 6106 3943 Email: christina.tsao@sv-hk.org
Steven Tsoi Tel: +852 9133 3337 Email: steven.tsoi@sv-hk.org
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Bupa (Asia) Limited Corporate Affairs Annie Jin Tel.: +852 2517 5724 / +852 6709 3859 Email: annie.jin@bupa.com.hk
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