OUR STORY
It began with a dream to eliminate the need for single-use utensils. Today, we're creating a movement that embraces resource circularity in dining.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
JANE POON
Jane is a social entrepreneur with a passion in design, sustainability, and innovation. She is a current student at Hong Kong International School, as well as a design thinking apprentice studying under a product design professor from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Over the years, Jane has worked with advocates globally to advance SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. She is passionate about public speaking, and has advocated for social justice, sustainability, and technological innovation at events held by TEDx, the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and the Social Enterprise World Forum among others
THE BEGINNING
Shortly after the coronavirus hit Hong Kong, landfills experienced an immense boom in plastic cutlery waste due to a rise in takeout dining.
With 3 friends, EcoVender was founded to discover a way to mitigate this crisis.
Since, our membership has expanded to 5 as we've onboarded more friends onto the team.
OUR JOURNEY IN A NUTSHELL
2021- Apr
ECOVENDER WAS FOUNDED
We began to dream up the logistics of our idea, cold-calling restaurants and cafes to learn how they distribute single-use cutlery, and exploring the basics of how businesses work.
2021 - Oct
We were delighted when our idea gained support from the Hong Kong Science Park! Invigorated, we used our prize money to continue developing our solution.
It's an ongoing journey of investigation, revision, and enhancement.
After synthesizing feedback from citizens, we're piloting a new and improved business model
A Subscription-based Model
We've learned that our users have found repeated payments burdensome and inefficient. By trialling a monthly fee for access, we're incentivizing consistent use and reducing the perceived cost per utensil.
Restaurant Partnerships
We're collaborating with restaurants to integrate EcoVender into their services, creating mutual value-exchange. In this model, businesses could either absorb the cost or charge a small surcharge, making the EcoVender more accessible and less of a direct cost to each user.
Development Gallery
