Happenings

/
Knowledge Primer 5 – “Scaling Circularity through Transformative Technologies and Business Model Innovations”
4th July 2023 (Tuesday)
14:30 - 18:30

You are cordially invited to the fifth Knowledge Primer (KP) titled “Scaling Circularity through Transformative Technologies and Business Model Innovation” under the “Partnership for Sustainability Leadership in Business” (PSLB) project, initiated by the Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) of HKU with support from The Hongkong Bank Foundation.

Waste challenge has always been painstaking in Hong Kong. The Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, which was issued by the Government in 2021, highlights that circularity transformation is noticeably happening in other Asian cities to relieve the over-reliance on landfills. The circularity approach allows better use of valuable land resources and technology while transforming waste into various useful resources, hence achieving a ‘multi-wins’ situation that seems very promising. However, only a few circularity initiatives have succeeded in a large-scale implementation to this date in Hong Kong.

This Knowledge Primer will take a closer look into the driving forces needed by businesses, industries, and the Government to develop a scalable circular model in Hong Kong. The three keynote speeches will address the following topics: global value chain transformation and its implications for circular economy transition from an academic perspective; Esquel Group, a garment manufacturing giant, will be sharing their experience of putting circularity into practice in driving business model innovation, and last but not least, Watsons Water, a known brand for bottled distilled water, will shed lights on how to leverage on supply chain management and customer engagement to ramp up their circularity efforts. It will be followed by a panel discussion joined by all keynote speakers and representatives from Nan Fung Development Limited and Eureka Nova to exchange views on building a vibrant ecosystem for circular economy by forging partnerships across different value chains.

After the inspiring discussion, the event will end on a high note with the Sustainable Value Chains (SVC) Commitment and SMEs Sustainability Leadership Recognition Scheme Cohort 2022 Prize Presentation Ceremony, recognizing participating companies’ achievements over the one-year journey that fosters partnerships between value chain partners and accelerates the circular transformation.

The event details are as follows:

Date:4 July 2023 (Tuesday)
Time:2:30pm – 6:30pm
(5:30pm – 6:30pm will be the networking session)
Venue:Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong
Format:Physical and Online via Zoom*
Language:Cantonese and English (with simultaneous interpretation)

*A participant limit will be in place for physical and online attendance to cater to the maximum capacity of the venue and online streaming platform. Please sign up to reserve your space.

Should you be interested in participating, please register via https://bit.ly/KP5_Registration on or before 2 July 2023. You are welcome to contact Ms. Mimi Kan at Telephone: 3910-2535 / Email: pslb@hku.hk for queries.

PSLB Team

Read More

Category :   Event

Other Happenings
Event
Building an AI-Ready and Inclusive Talent Pipeline
2026/07/08
The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (CCSG) at HKU, through the “Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment,” aims to harness innovation and technology (I&T) to support people with disabilities (PWD) and promote inclusive employment opportunities. In collaboration with GreenTomato, a leading digital transformation consultancy and AI solutions provider, we delivered a job tasting and discovery workshop for the social sector, students, PWD and industry practitioners. Participants learned about and explored how AI is reshaping job design, skill requirements, and inclusive hiring through interactive demonstrations, sharing session and a company tour. Key Highlights: AI localization and new roles: AI localization is creating new, accessible job opportunities, including AI Quality Support roles that align well with the strengths of PWD and SEN talent. Human-in-the-loop importance: Human oversight remains essential to ensure accuracy, compliance, and contextual judgment in AI applications. Shift to AI collaboration: As AI transforms the workplace, competitiveness is increasingly defined by the ability to collaborate with AI, prompting organizations to rethink job design and broaden their talent pipelines. At the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, we are dedicated to fostering cross-sector collaborations that turn digital transformation into inclusive employment opportunities.
Learn more
Event
“Celebrating Traditional Wisdom Through Art” Exhibition – Can contemporary art bring new imaginations into centuries-old village traditions?
2026/06/16
A new exhibition, “Celebrating Traditional Wisdom Through Art,” will be hosted at the iconic Fringe Club in Central this June. This unique exhibition showcases how sustainability, cultural heritage, and creative expression come together. Since late last year, our Centre has been working with a group of emerging artists where they embarked on an incubation journey in the 300-year-old Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo. Drawing inspiration from the village's rich heritage and landscape, 15 artists have translated their experiences into contemporary artworks centered around three core elements: Soil, Plants, and Sound. From natural dyes created from native plants to soundscapes recorded in the village and ceramic creations, the exhibition offers a refreshing sensory exploration of rural sustainability and community resilience. Exhibition Details: Date: 16-23 June 2026 Time: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Venue: Anita Chan Lai-ling Gallery, The Fringe Club, Central (Google Map) For more information, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/villagelifezine/
Learn more
Event
A Dialogue on Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships
2026/05/14
To kick off our conference and network launch event for the Network for the Study of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Transformations, the Centre for Civil Society and Governance hosted a public dialogue on “Building Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships.” We were very pleased to welcome network members from across the Asia-Pacific region, alongside practitioners, government representatives, and guests from Hong Kong to the event. We would like to sincerely thank Professor Samson Tse, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Ms. Linda So, JP, Director of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, for delivering the opening remarks. Ms. So’s opening speech was both inspiring and timely, reinforcing the importance of advancing nature-based solutions and sustainable practices as well as the government’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities in building a resilient and sustainable future through the Northern Metropolis Development. We were also honoured to have Professor Yahua Wang (Tsinghua University) and Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick(International Food Policy Research Institute) as our keynote speakers. Professor Wang explained the challenges of applying the SES framework across contexts due to variability in variable selection and interpretation, while also highlighting the importance of complexity, robustness, collaborative networks, and the potential for integrating AI and SES research. He also reflected on the importance of collaborative networks in working toward a more common SES language. Building on this, Dr. Meinzen-Dick spoke to the importance of bridging theory and practice, transdisciplinarity, and building connections across people, institutions, and disciplines. She highlighted the importance of engaging with property rights and collective action in robust ways, and reflected on how experiential learning fosters collective action. We were pleased to also offer a panel session featuring Professor Maiko Nishi, Professor Ching-Ping Tang, Professor Stephen M.B. Tang, and our Centre Director Professor Wai-Fung Lam. Dr. Winnie Law led a fruitful discussion on critical issues such as challenges in evaluating and understanding social-ecological systems beyond conventional metrics, including how to capture the broader social, ecological, and long-term impacts of these systems and partnerships. Thank you once again to all keynote speakers, panelists, participants, and guests for contributing to such a thoughtful discussion.
Learn more