Sands Cares Accelerator Member NGO Green Future Launches Recycling Services in Macao

In just a year since joining the Sands Cares Accelerator, nongovernment organization (NGO) Green Future has developed and launched a first-of-its-kind environmental social enterprise focused on increasing commercial recycling in Macao. The offering provides Macao businesses with waste sorting and logistics services to prepare cardboard for recycling, solutions that had been lacking in the region.

The NGO Green Future joined the Sands Cares Accelerator, a unique three-year membership program aimed at advancing nonprofits to deliver greater community impact, in 2022 as the first Macao member. Its goal during the membership is to bring a successful recycling program to market, along with providing subsidized recycling training courses and offering a new employment track in recycling services for Macao residents. Ultimately, Green Future aims to increase its share of commercial waste recycling services in Macao to 30%.

A year into its membership, the NGO has made significant progress. In 2022, Green Future provided recycling services for 22 commercial businesses and more than a dozen exhibitions, recycling nearly 80,000 kilograms of collected waste. Green Future also provided recycling at exhibitions at Sands China’s properties, including nearly 5,000 kilograms of paper generated at the 2022 Sands Shopping Carnival, Sands China’s annual sales event and Macao’s largest mass marketplace for local businesses, as well as the Quality Brand Living Expo, the Quality Healthy Living Shopping Expo, Macao Kitchen Fair, and the Maternity and Baby Products Expo.

Through its partnership with Sands China, Green Future also led two training courses on clean recycling and sustainable procurement for 60 Sands Team Members, as well as engaged with Sands ECO360 ambassadors to brief exhibitors at client events held at Sands China properties to encourage participation in cardboard recycling efforts.

The Sands Cares Accelerator also has helped the environmental social enterprise strengthen its overall infrastructure. Through the program’s support, guidance and resources, Green Future secured office space in June 2022 and worked on its visual identity, website and social media efforts, forming the foundation of a more cohesive marketing effort that will aid in business development.

“Being a part of Sands Cares Accelerator has given us a depth of funding, resources and guidance that helped us bring our services to market faster,” Un Ka Hou, president of Green Future, said. “The customized blend of support we are getting from the Sands Cares Accelerator is truly unique and has allowed us to hit goals expeditiously, while focusing on strategic planning for our long-term future.”

During its second year in the Sands Cares Accelerator in 2023, NGO Green Future has set a goal to expand its recycling services by 50% over 2022, targeting retail and gaming customers, as well as exhibition organizers. The NGO also is planning to formally launch its subsidized training program, which will include internship offers for participants who complete the training and educational workshops for schools and other institutions to increase awareness about the benefits of recycling. Ultimately, Green Future aims to drive environmental and social progress in Macao.

“There are two parts of the mission that drives Green Future,” Hou said. “We want to make a positive environmental impact in Macao by increasing cardboard recycling rates. But we also want to make a difference for people too, helping both those frontline workers who are currently doing the recycling and those who may look at this need as a job opportunity. Our goal is to make recycling a viable employment choice in our region.”

Inspired by the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit of Sands’ founder Sheldon G. Adelson, the Sands Cares Accelerator carries on his legacy of building successful businesses and giving back to communities with greater corporate involvement to help advance the capabilities of nonprofit organizations so they can better address the needs of their communities.

During the three-year membership, nonprofits focus on building their capacity in a strategic area or enhancing a program offering to better serve the community. Sands serves as a catalyst and mentor for helping organizations achieve their goals. Launched in 2017, the Sands Cares Accelerator provides members with a customized blend of extended funding along with structured guidance, consulting and mentorship from Sands. To learn more about the Sands Cares Accelerator, please visit https://www.sands.com/responsibility/communities/sands-cares-accelerator/.