Protecting the Environment
Climate change is increasingly causing disruptive and abnormal weather patterns that have devastating effects, making the call to action more pressing than ever. Environmental stewardship has always been a focus area for Octopus as we strive to minimise our carbon footprint by taking an end-to-end view.
The Octopus card is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which can be used repeatedly and recycled to help reduce disposal rates to slow down the exhaustion of the earth’s resources. Our Corporate Sustainability Policy clearly outlines our goals for environmental protection as well as the framework to measure, monitor and report our performance.
At the workplace, we take concrete steps to reduce negative impacts and incentivise environmentally conscious behaviour. We also collaborate with like-minded partners to multiply our positive impact and enable individuals to participate in sustainability initiatives.
Instilling a Green Office Culture
To create an environmentally friendly office culture, we have implemented a spectrum of initiatives to save energy, conserve water, manage and reduce waste, as well as promote environmental awareness.
Green Initiatives at the Office
- Delamping Lights
- Control zoning for lights and air-conditioning
- Switch off lights and air-conditioning at night
- Energy and water saving labels
- Installation of water savers at pantries
- 100% recycled paper used
- E-system for internal processes
- Provisions of recycling bins
- Sustainability seminars and quiz
- Upcycling workshops
Creating Positive Impacts through Partnerships and Technology
Community Plastic Beverage Bottle Recycling Programme
Since March 2024, Octopus has been partnering with Drink Without Waste to enable mobile payments to cleaners and frontline collectors, aiming to incentilise recycling in Hong Kong. Through Octopus' e-payment solutions, participants receive instant rebates via their Octopus cards by returning used plastic beverage bottles to recycling partners in Tin Shui Wai, leading to more transparency, traceability and security.
As of July 2024, over 1.1 million used plastic beverage bottles (~ 28,000 kg) have been collected, with rebates paid by Octopus. Octopus will continue to work closely with Drink Without Waste to explore the possibility of expanding the recycling programme to other districts.
Reusable Food Container Lending Programme for 8 UGC-funded Universities
Octopus is collaborating with the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charity Trust, to revolutionise the consumption of takeaway meals while minimising our environmental footprint. Starting from September 2023, individuals can borrow reusable meal containers from the lending machines in eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong using their Octopus card, driving towards reducing single-use plastic consumption.
“Tap, Return & Earn” Beverage Bottles Redemption Scheme
To motivate consumers to recycle single use plastic and reduce landfill waste, as well as cultivate a more sustainable lifestyle, Octopus partnered with Swire Coca-Cola HK and the World Green Organisation to launch the “Tap, Return & Earn” Beverage Bottles Redemption Scheme in 2019. Under the scheme, consumers are rewarded with instant cash rebates via the Octopus payment platform when they recycle plastic bottles through designated reverse vending machines. With each bottle recycled, a donation is made towards environmental protection education.
The scheme successfully concluded on 30 April 2023 and over 5 million plastic bottles have been collected since September 2019.
Green Sevens
In 2019, we supported the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens event with our “Green Sevens” campaign in which the Octopus card was leveraged as a deposit payment and refund system for reusable cups provided during the games to cut down the use of disposable single use plastic.