116 h o n g k o n g tat l e r. a u g u s t 2 0 1 9Sustainableagricultureisrelativelynewintheimpact-
investingsector,buttheglobalmarketvalueofproducts
isexpectedtorockettoawhoppingHK$6,827billionby
2020,writesPrinciplesforResponsibleInvestment,an
internationalnetworkofinvestors.InCalifornia,Lundberg
FamilyFarmsuseseco-positivefarmingmethodsto
producecertifiedorganicrice.“Consumersnowrealise
thattheproductstheypurchasehaveanimpactonthe
environment,”explainsTimSchultz,thecompany’svice-
presidentofresearchanddevelopment.“Theyexperience
theeffectsofpoorairandwaterqualityfirst-hand.
Theyseetheeffectsofclimatechangeplayingoutin
theirbackyards.”
“Customers want to show their support for sustainable
businesses,” says Tamsin Thornburrow, who established
Hong Kong’s first zero-waste store, Live Zero, in Sai Ying
Pun. “But there is a much larger problem and that’s food
waste.” Thirty to 40 per cent of the food produced in
the world is never eaten, according to the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Some never gets harvested, some
spoils and a lot is thrown away. ReFed, a US organisation
that tracks food waste, counts at least 70 businesses that
transform into new products food that would otherwise
have been wasted.
The founders of cold-pressed juice company Wtrmln
Wtr, for example, were inspired after learning that millions
of kilograms of watermelon was left in fields to rot because
it was judged too unattractive for sale.
Not able to establish a business devoted to eco-friendly
food products? Even the smallest of steps by business
owners makes a difference. “You don’t have to sponsor a
rainforest or build water systems in far off lands to improveWhat’s great about global warming?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, you’re
probably not an oil executive or fat-cat industrialist.
Climate change is widely viewed as one of the biggest
threats facing humanity, and its impact is already causing
insecurity and panic worldwide. But while developed
nations squabble over their finicky plans on how best
to slash emissions by 2030, forward-thinking companies
and tech-savvy entrepreneurs are figuring out how to
capitalise on the chaos.
Instead of being consumed by doom and gloom, these
entrepreneurs see impending Armageddon as a business
opportunity. Commenting to a conference audience on the
riches—in particular oil and gas—beneath the planet’s icy
wildernesses, a Shell executive once declared, “I will be
one of those persons most cheering for an endless summer
in Alaska.” You can’t help but admire capitalists and their
optimism; even in the most dire of circumstances they’re
able to find a silver lining.
Spurred on by thoughts of raging forest fires and rising
sea levels, Big Pharma plans to profit from our dystopian
future through medicines to treat diseases caused or
spread by soaring temperatures and polluted air. “There
will be expanded markets for products for tropical and
weather-related diseases, including waterborne illness,”
wrote drug company Merck & Co in a disclosure collected
by CDP, a non-profit that asks businesses to report their
environmental impact.
“As people begin to experience severe weather events
with greater frequency, we expect an increasing need
for confidence and preparedness in the arena of personal
safety and the well-being of loved ones,” predicts Apple,
adding eagerly that its iPhones “can serve as a flashlight
or a siren; they can provide first aid instructions; they can
act as a radio; and they can be charged for many days via
car batteries of even hand cranks.” Alexa, add to cart.
While it’s tempting to brand such businesses as culprits,
many are striving to set a positive example by working
to mitigate the effects of turbulent weather and depleted
resources. So rather than worrying about the planet being
destroyed, why not ask yourself how you can profit from
the Earth’s decline while being part of the solution.Food For Thought
One of the most immediate threats driving climate
change sits right in front of us on the dinner table. The
production of food accounts for more greenhouse gas
emissions than the entire transport sector, according to the
US Environmental Protection Agency. And as the world’s
population grows—it’s expected to reach 10 billion by
2050—so does demand for food, with the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation estimating that production needs
to be increased by 70 per cent between 2007 and 2050.DOWN TO EARTH
The co-founders of Womb, Kasia Galak and Maria Grzywacz.
Opposite page: Graviky Labs recycles air pollution into Air-Ink