HONG KONG (October 6, 2020) – The world’s leading technology company, Samsung Electronics H.K. Co. Ltd, announces the official launch of its annual ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ competition today. Following the success of last year’s competition in attracting the largest number of participants on record to develop creative solution to alleviate students’ mental health issues, this year’s competition focuses on the trending social topic of sustainable development. With the theme ‘Imagination that creates a greener future’, the competition hopes to gather the creativity of primary and secondary school students, coupled with their STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) knowledge to develop innovative solutions to promote sustainable development in Hong Kong. In addition to raising students’ environmental awareness through the competition, Samsung also wants them to act as role models, and to start building a greener and more livable city by participating in this competition. 

“At Samsung, sustainability management is our commitment to making the world a more sustainable place to live. In recent years, we have been executing different initiatives to put forward our environmental protection plans including the launch of the ‘PlanetFirst’ campaign in 2010, which saw the replacement of plastic trays with bamboo materials and the turning of recyclable paper into print product manuals,” said Yiyin Zhao, Managing Director at Samsung Electronics Hong Kong. 

“With the threat from environmental problems in Hong Kong, such as an increase in disposal waste and worsening pollution problems, Samsung hopes to gather the strength of Hong Kong’s primary and secondary school students to promote the STEAM4CARE mindset and encourage the leaders of tomorrow to foster the adoption of a green lifestyle through the incorporation of new technology, such as 5G networks and the Internet of Things, to provide practical solutions to address sustainability- related city problems and make Hong Kong a smarter and greener city,” continued Zhao.

The need to promote sustainability in Hong Kong calls for our immediate attention

Hong Kong has been growing rapidly in recent years which will inevitably impose a burden on the city’s environmental development and energy use. In the face of diminishing landfill space, increasing city temperatures and the over-reliance on coal-intensive fueled electricity generation, the government has proactively implemented different strategies and measures. These include the establishment of the Council for Sustainable Development and publishing blueprints for the ‘Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment’ and the ‘Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2030+’ to guide sustainability development.

Besides the implementation of government policies, the adoption of a green lifestyle must be supported by the actions of local people. However, several recent report findings show that the environmental awareness of Hong Kong citizens is not as high as expected. Although more than 80% of Hongkongers believe that they are sufficiently environmentally aware, only around 40% of them would request to not have disposable cutlery with a takeaway[1]. Another report alarmingly points out that over 100 million takeaway plastics - including straws, cutlery, food containers and plastic bags - are consumed by Hong Kong citizens every week during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Promoting sustainable development and pursuing a green lifestyle in Hong Kong has always been easier said than done. But if everyone is willing to take a small step forward to cultivate green habits in their daily lives, we can collectively take a big leap towards building a more sustainable city. Samsung believes that by organizing the Solve For Tomorrow competition, Hong Kong students, who are important stakeholders in the promotion of smart city development, can reflect on their own environmental awareness and become role models for the people around them. We look forward to stimulating students’ creativity and STREAM knowledge, and inspiring them to develop sustainable and creative solutions which will lead the next generation to take their first step in protecting Hong Kong’s precious environment.