Community Investment Forum for Joint Community Builders

Dr Merrin Pearse is a Sustainability Strategist who blends together his formal training as a Land Surveyor with his passion of reconnecting people with nature. In the 10+ years Merrin has been in Hong Kong, after shifting from New Zealand, he has been very active in local environmental awareness raising. During the 4 years that Merrin worked at Friends of the Earth (HK) he managed projects on waste and air pollution. Now as a freelance consultant he works with some of Hong Kong’s largest companies to help communicate and facilitate the adoption of more planet friendly approaches to business. He is a volunteer for a number of NGOs including being the Chairman of Living Islands Movement and he organisers the monthly Hong Kong Green Drinks events.

Jo began working for WWF-HK in 1990 where she first established their marine conservation programme. She left HK to join the BBC Natural History Unit in 1997 and was part of the celebrated The Blue Planet team. Over the past 18 years she has been involved in numerous underwater filming projects around the world, from Antarctica to the pristine reefs of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. After leaving the BBC, Jo decided to produce the documentary feature, A Plastic Ocean after initially hearing about the plastic problem in 2009 and began raising the funds to start the filming. She co-founded the Plastic Oceans Foundation 8 years ago to help the fundraising process and to take the message of the film beyond its release through three main programmes, Science, Sustainability and Education programmes.

Born in China in 1957, Steve moved to Hong Kong at the age of three and stayed in the U.K. to further his education and returned to Hong Kong in year 1984. Upon his return to Hong Kong in 1984, he founded and became the Managing Director of Fukutomi Company Limited. Being one of the leading players in the plastic recycling industry, Fukutomi operates both of trading and processing globally with its well-established networks and affiliates worldwide including: mainland China, UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Austria, Australia, US as well as South Africa. Apart from plastic scrap recycling, Fukutomi is also in manufacturing of plastic products through its associate Fukutomi (Shantou) Industrial Company Ltd. with manufacturing facilities spanning a plant area of 94,667 sq. meters in Shantou, China.
Notwithstanding the constraining factors of plastic recycling in Hong Kong due to waste streams management, high operational cost and shortage of skilled workers, Steve sees that there is a need for plastic recycling here for the good of Hong Kong in order to alleviate the environmental pollutions arising from landfills and ocean debris. The recycling plant in Hong Kong is equipped with the most sophisticated recycling equipment capable of processing even laminated films apart from other plastic items such as bags which are of high potential of becoming ocean debris.
As the Executive President of China Scrap Plastics Association, Steve liaises between the government and the recycling industry. Being invited to share his experiences in the recycling industry, he is a frequent speaker at different conferences in which he promotes “close the loop”, “blue economy” and circular economy as his visions for the long term sustainability of the world and a green environment needed by our future generations.

Hannah Chung is currently on a zero-waste challenge; she seeks eco-alternatives and green solutions for everyday living while aiming to achieve zero waste in Hong Kong. Originally from London, she was shocked to see the lack of infrastructures in place for waste management and recycling in this city, and aims to spread the word on the extent of the problem and how the individual can make a difference simply by making a few changes.
Additionally, she works for Green Monday, a social enterprise advocating for a plant-based diet to collectively reduce carbon emissions, and is the Co-Chair for the annual Food's Future Summit organised by Foodie. Follow her on Instagram @thezerowastechallenge for regular tips and updates.