Celebrating the Fifth Sands Cares Accelerator Graduate: Green Future Macau Builds Sap Fong into a Macao Recycling Innovator

On May 29, Sands is celebrating the fifth graduate of its flagship program for nonprofit organizations, the Sands Cares Accelerator, as Green Future Macau highlights its accomplishments in a virtual global celebration that also features the work of current members, The LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada and The Food Bank Singapore.

Green Future Macau is the first Macao graduate of the Sands Cares Accelerator, a three-year program in which invited members incubate a specific program or strategic initiative

through a customized blend of funding, mentorship and structured guidance from Sands.

Founded in 2012 to provide education and awareness programs to improve commercial recycling rates in the region, Green Future joined the Sands Cares Accelerator in 2022 with the goal of launching and sustaining Sap Fong, an environmental protection and recycling social enterprise that provides Macao businesses with waste sorting and recycling services.

Green Future had two main goals for Sap Fong – build a new subscriber-based recycling service to increase recycling rates in Macao and provide support to independent recyclers who gather and recycle cardboard as their main source of income.

“Although the number of subscribers started small, we saw steady growth – from just nine in the first month to an increase of nearly 30% each month after, reaching 46 subscribers in January 2025,” Joey Choi, vice president of Green Future, said. “This growth indicates a clear market demand for door-to-door recycling services. As our business continues to grow and we become more well-known, large companies have started reaching out to us for annual recycling services and large-scale event recycling.”

Upon the close of Green Future’s term in the Sands Cares Accelerator at the end of 2024, Sap Fong was serving nearly 90 clients, including regular subscribers and large-scale events such as SJM Macao Open, an international golf competition.

Green Future has distinguished Sap Fong as the only recycler in Macao that accepts a diverse range of materials for recycling. In 2024, the organization recycled more than 350,000 kilograms of materials including plastic, metal, paper, glass, electronic devices and clothes – materials that would have been disposed in the general waste stream without Sap Fong.

Sands Cares Accelerator resources also have supported Green Future in forging relationships with more than 200 independent recyclers and providing them with critical resources such as a trolley exchange program that eliminates the need to queue and wait for cardboard unloading and a temporary collection point to store collected cardboard at night.

Green Future also refers employment opportunities to independent recyclers, enabling them to diversify their income sources. For example, Green Future has hired independent workers as guides for experiential tours to raise awareness of sustainable waste management practices and promote education on the challenges independent workers face. In 2024, Green Future hosted seven experiential tours for 80 participants who received a glimpse into the daily experiences of independent recyclers.

In Green Future’s final year in the Sands Cares Accelerator, the organization focused on amplifying Sap Fong’s marketing to achieve growth goals. Efforts included hiring a designer to formalize its social media presence and produce a greater pace and quality of content. Coupled with marketing insights from Sands, the organization has increased social media followers by 40% and engagement by 20%.

“We’ve had regular meetings with Sands China marketing and e-commerce experts who guided us toward feasible approaches for promoting our recycling services,” Choi said. “Additionally, we received invaluable support from Sands China’s advertising, brand management and visual media teams, which helped us create a beautiful video showcasing our accomplishments.”

Overall, Green Future’s leadership team greatly benefited from the skillsets and knowledge gained in the Sands Cares Accelerator, and Choi encourages other members to take full advantage of the program’s opportunities.

“It’s rare to have the resources and chances to explore like the Sands Cares Accelerator offers,” Choi said. “I encourage current and future members to embrace creativity and push boundaries by testing all possibilities, even if you might fail. After all, success is also within reach, and it could unlock an entirely new realm in your field of work. That’s what happened for us.”

Moving forward, Green Future aims to further innovate Macao recycling offerings through Sap Fong, expand recycling at major events and leverage its growing network for broader environmental impact.

The Sands Cares Accelerator was inspired by Sands’ founder Sheldon G. Adelson and his legacy of creating successful businesses and giving back to communities through meaningful philanthropic involvement. Since 2017, the program has empowered Las Vegas, Singapore and Macao nonprofits to build their capacity in strategic areas and develop new initiatives to make greater community impact.

To learn more about the Sands Cares Accelerator and its focus on building nonprofit capacity, visit: https://www.sands.com/responsibility/communities/sands-cares-accelerator/