Singapore – Startup Base Genesis has collaborated with creative agency MullenLowe Singapore to reimagine the cultural practice of joss paper burning with the launch of ‘Eco Hell Note’. 

Eco Hell Note is a joss paper innovation that burns cleanly without leaving any residue. It is printed on nitrocellulose paper, making it a sustainable product that ensures complete combustion, leading to a cleaner and more sustainable practice.

Launched in time for the Qingming Festival, the innovative product prevents excessive purchasing and burning of joss papers for ancestors by using the largest possible denomination of money in the Chinese language, ‘Yi ji’ (一极) at 48 zeroes, such that a single note represents stacks of hell notes. 

Furthermore, it is carefully crafted to reflect the traditional aesthetics of joss paper, featuring auspicious colours such as gold and red, unique serial numbers, and an imperial seal. 

Burning the Eco Hell Note does not leave ash residue due to the use of flash paper, which burns completely. The note also has a special coating that creates a stunning visual spectacle when burned.

Eco Hell Note reduces paper waste and offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to burning joss paper while maintaining respect for traditional practices.

Base Genesis is a startup dedicated to revitalising cherished traditions and connecting past wisdom with future aspirations. 

Chris Huang, co-founder of Base Genesis, said, “At Base Genesis, our mission is to help our traditions flourish and remain relevant for generations to come, ensuring they not only endure but also contribute positively to the world. We hope that the Eco Hell Note can help more people uphold our traditions that are dear to us in a way that is sustainable, socially responsible, and in keeping with our values of filial piety, giving thanks, and sharing with those in need.”

Shengjin Ang, executive creative director at MullenLowe Singapore, also shared, “We are delighted to work with Base Genesis to produce this new spin on the hell note, reimagining a traditional cultural artefact that has been part of Chinese culture for centuries. We believe this innovation will bring the younger generation into the conversation, helping them to find a balance between continuing cultural customs and practicing a way of life that is important to them.”

Hong Kong – In line with World Conservation Day, health and beauty brand Watsons announced its partnership with Kenvue, L’Oréal, and P&G to work towards a more sustainable future.

This collaboration between Watsons, Kenvue, L’Oréal, and P&G does not only consist of providing sustainable products, but also ranges towards teaming up to run a wide range of sustainability efforts and projects to engage with customers by helping the environment.

In Watsons Taiwan, Kenvue’s Green Smiles campaign will plant one tree for every customer who purchases a ‘sustainable choices’ product, while Watsons Indonesia’s customers will help save a sea turtle instead. Meanwhile in Thailand, customers will be able to learn sustainability tips through gamification and join beach clean-up activity with KOLs.

Thibaut Mongon, CEO of Kenvue, said, “At Kenvue, our commitment to everyday care includes our planet. We are excited to launch our jointly created campaign, Green Smiles, and to continue our long-standing collaboration with A.S. Watson.”

In Hong Kong, Watsons and P&G will maintain their Plastic Reborn programme to encourage customers to recycle plastic containers,reprocessing the plastic bottles collected through the programme and transform them into 3D printing materials suitable for STEM education in primary and secondary schools.

James Lin, president of Procter & Gamble Hong Kong & Taiwan, commented, “Stepping into the 3rd year of the programme, we pilot to repurpose the recycled plastic for school STEM education to immerse the young generation to dial up sustainability awareness and inspirations on plastic waste solutions.”

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, Watsons would strengthen its relationship with L’Oréal via its Beauty for Future recycling campaign wherein customers can recycle an array of beauty containers, ranging from foundation bottles, skincare tubs, to lipstick tubes, at Watsons stores.

Jean-Marc Cazenave, global sustainability director of L’Oréal, mentioned, “Thanks to our regional partnership with Watsons, we engage consumers via on-going recycling campaigns to further develop the collection of empty packaging in-store to build a more sustainable beauty”.

Speaking on the collaborations, Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson, commented, “At Watsons, sustainability is at the heart of our business, and we recognise the importance of prioritising it. As the leading industry player, we take our responsibility to lead by example, encouraging our supplier partners to join us in our journey to build a better world. We believe that only by working together, we can create a bigger positive impact on our planet. Our partnership with Kenvue, L’Oréal, and P&G is a significant step towards achieving our shared sustainability goals.”

Singapore – Creative agency Superson has teamed up with sustainability consultant and author John Grant to launch a new sustainability marketing capability in Singapore. The agency said the new capability comes at the back of studying the success factors of companies that have made sustainability the heart of their brand.

Grant is the author of the 2007-published book, The Green Marketing Manifesto, and its sequel, Greener Marketing, which was just launched in 2020. His books teach marketers how to employ ‘green marketing’ which is unlearning unsustainable commercial practices in marketing to make way for more sustainable methods.

In partnership with Grant, the new sustainability marketing practice is dubbed as the ‘CUSP’ framework, which stands for Compelling Unique Sustainability Proposition. CUSP is defined as a systematic approach that brings sustainability and branding together, and Superson expects it to work for companies that have an innovation agenda or companies looking to integrate sustainability and responsibility into their brand story.

The agency said that while companies have tried to communicate their sustainability efforts more in recent years, it still tends to be a standalone effort separated from their overall brand communications. Superson attributes this to the lack of a comprehensive framework to start thinking about sustainability as part of the brand.

“The key to successful sustainability positioning is having a strong sustainability program, that’s a must. However, even when foundations are in place, positioning a company’s sustainability efforts as something that makes a difference in your consumers’ lives can be difficult,” said Antti Toivonen, managing partner of Superson Singapore.

Toivonen added, “After working together on a number of projects on sustainability communications, we decided to formalize the CUSP framework we have developed with John and provide this solution more widely to the region.”

With the new framework, Superson said that clients can expect to discover a compelling proposition and a well-communicated brand story deeply rooted in their own sustainability program.

The agency said that Grant has been the perfect partner to team up with as aside from being a leading author on the subject, his extensive track record on the subject boasts an in-depth study of more than 400 case studies and working relationships with MNCs and start-up clients. 

“After working with Superson for nearly a decade, developing the CUSP framework was a natural next step in our working relationship. I look forward to working more closely with clients in Southeast Asia who take sustainability seriously and want to take their communications to the next level,” said Grant.

To mark the launch, an e-book outlining their new sustainability framework, CUSP, has been made available for download on Superson’s website.