Dare To Change

Finalist Team – No Planet B

No Planet B is a Hong Kong-based ESG data infrastructure startup tackling a critical gap in residential waste management. Despite claims of high recycling rates, less than 30% of local cardboard is recovered with a verified chain-of-custody — the rest is exported, landfilled, or counted as recycled without audit. No Planet B closes this gap by operating a door-to-door cardboard collection service for residential estates, using QR-tagged reusable totes on a fixed twice-weekly route. Every tote is weighed and scanned at a central hub, generating per-building, per-pickup, per-kilogram diversion data. Material is then sorted, baled, and routed exclusively to Mil Mill, Hong Kong's only operating pulp mill, producing chain-of-custody receipts that close the loop entirely.

The timing is driven by three converging catalysts: HKEX 13.91 and ISSB S2 disclosure mandates effective January 2026, operational pressure from property management companies to standardise ESG data across portfolios, and a documented 4.4-6.2% property price premium for BEAM Plus-certified estates. Primary customers are Owners' Corporations, priced at HKD 3,000-8,000 per building per month — comparable to routine building services, but a fraction of Big Four ESG assurance costs. The pilot, budgeted at HKD 95,000, runs 12 weeks across three Sha Tin locations, targeting approximately 10 tonnes diverted. The team seeks seed funding to prove the unit economics, produce the first auditable ESG report, and validate willingness-to-pay before scaling to HK Island and Kowloon.

For more information, please contact dare.to.change@ydc.org.hk

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