The Year of the Rabbit is just a hop, skip and a jump away (falling this year on Sunday, 22 January 2023), and with it comes plenty of reasons to celebrate! From decorating the home with festive red and gold decor to feasting on all the seasonal candies, puddings and treats, the only downside to Lunar New Year is how much waste comes out of it.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way – there are actually plenty of ways to celebrate Lunar New Year in a more sustainable way. Here are a few tips for a greener LNY:

Cleaning Supplies

Ahead of LNY, it’s customary to clean your house from top to bottom, as it symbolises the removal of any bad luck or misfortune you might’ve had in the past, whilst opening up new spaces for good luck to enter.

Here, instead of using mainstream cleaning products that are not only harmful to the environment but come in bulky plastic containers, we recommend choosing earth-friendly cleaning brands such as Ecostore, which can also be refilled at locations across Hong Kong.

Lai See Packets

Did you know? In Hong Kong alone, 320 million red packets are handed out each year, with most of them ending up in landfill after just a single use. Instead of adding to the pile, choose red packets that can be reused or recycled, such as fabric, second-hand or paper envelopes that do not have any glitter or shiny elements on them.

Another way to ensure that your lai see packets can be reused is by choosing ones that are evergreen and do not have zodiac animal-specific designs. Of course, you can also go purely digital by sending e-lai see through apps such as PayMe, Octopus and AliPay.

At Banyan Workspace, we’ve set up a lai see station outside of the dedicated desk area where you can pick up or drop off used lai see packets for reuse!

Puddings

Puddings, both sweet and savoury, are a must during Lunar New Year, as their name in Chinese (“neen go”) is a homonym for “higher year.” So, elevate your Year of the Rabbit with a pudding or two, and make them more sustainable by choosing a plant-based version, those with less or recyclable packaging, and supporting local farmers and suppliers.

Some of our favourite sustainable puddings in Hong Kong include the plant-based LNY puddings made with pumpkin, quinoa and OmniPork from Green Common, and the vegan turnip cake made with local Hong Kong radishes from LocoFarms.

Gift Hampers

Another lovely tradition during Lunar New Year is gifting – especially when visiting family members at their homes – and some of the most popular items are flowers, chocolates, teas, cakes, fruits and wine, often packaged in giant hampers wrapped in way too much plastic and single-use ribbons.

This year, make it a more eco-friendly Lunar New Year by choosing gifts and hampers that are either sustainably packaged or filled with sustainable and local brands. For instance, our Green Office Project LNY hamper is filled with a bottle of Sea Change Merlot Wine (75cl), a tablet of Conspiracy Chocolate, seven assorted fruits from the local market, a plant to green up your new year, plus a two-hour meeting venue voucher for Banyan Workspace in the Year of the Rabbit.

Order your LNY hamper before 11 January for delivery between 16-18 January!
(For orders of multiple hampers, please Whatsapp +852 6923 8818)