V Sparkle

Transforming Food Waste into Handmade Soap through VPET Skills

Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)and Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) recently collaborated with Tam Jai International and the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association to launch an innovative upcycling project, successfully transforming surplus pork belly into everyday products, including handmade soap, lip balm, and scented candles.

The project allowed VTC students to fully utilise their VPET skills. IVE teachers and students from Higher Diploma in Food Technology and Safety worked together with Tam Jai Group's R&D department to extract oil from surplus pork belly, successfully converting food waste into a renewable material, which was then combined with essential oils to create daily products. In addition, a team of HKDI students from the Higher Diploma in Visual Communication Design and Higher Diploma in Advertising Design designed a character called "Pork Belly Angel," which was applied to the product packaging. This pink pig, with a swirling arrow halo above its head, symbolises the recycling of food waste. The production of these products also involved individuals in mental recovery from the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, who were responsible for heating, melting, shaping the materials, and packaging them into boxes.

Mr Daren LAU, Chairman, Executive Director, and CEO of Tam Jai International, stated that this collaboration among the business sector, social welfare sector, and academia is of great significance. It allows students to apply what they have learned while helping individuals in mental recovery enhance their workplace skills and reassign value to food waste. The group will continue to uphold its environmental and social responsibilities.

[Image 1] Three products made from upcycled surplus pork belly, along with the pink pig character "Pork Belly Angel," are the result of the hard work of IVE Higher Diploma in Food Technology and Safety, HKDI Higher Diploma in Visual Communication Design and Higher Diploma in Advertising Design students.

[Image 2] Dr CHEUNG Kwai Chung (front row, second left), Principal of IVE (Kwai Chung) and Academic Director of Health and Life Sciences Discipline of VTC, Dr ONG Lay Lian (front row, third right), Principal of HKDI and IVE (Lee Wai Lee) and Academic Director of Design Discipline of VTC, Ms Amy LIU Wai-yee  (front row, first left), along with students and teachers, attend the launch ceremony.

[Image 3] IVE Higher Diploma in Food Technology and Safety student TSANG Wing-mui (right) expresses that this project made food waste more valuable and provided a profound understanding of the power of food technology.

Powered by Froala Editor