Nuance-Watson (HK) pioneered its eco-friendly “Save & Preserve” programme in 2007 and further intensified its environmental efforts by launching the Green Poster Design Competition in 2008.
This year, the company took another giant leap forward and organized the second Green Poster Competition for not only tertiary design students in Hong Kong but also global travelers at Hong Kong International Airport (“HKIA”) to foster the “green” power and ensure the green message is heard around the world!
The competition had two tiers: School competition was opened to local tertiary institutions and design schools. In addition, there was Open competition for travelers at HKIA. Ultimately, it attracted over 100 high quality entries coming from Hong Kong tertiary schools and many travelers from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanghai, Indonesia and even Europe1.
This meaningful cause has received substantial support from the travel retail industry. Joining Alessandra Piovesana, Regional Managing Director of Nuance-Watson (HK) as competition judges include:
- Airport Authority Hong Kong – General Manager, Retail & Advertising, Michael Yuen;
- DFNI – Chief Editor, Bill Lumley;
- Frontier Magazine – Managing Editor, Marek Kolasinski;
- Moodie Report – Founder, Martin Moodie;
- The Travel Retail Business – Editorial Director, Doug Newhouse;
- World-known Hong Kong illustrator, Alice Chan.
Today, a special ceremony was held at Nuance-Watson (HK)’s The Plaza store at HKIA to present prizes to the winning students. Director of Development and Development Manager of ORBIS Hong Kong, Mary Lau and Winky Ho; ORBIS Star celebrity Janice Chan were also on hand to support the event.
Addressing attendees at the award ceremony, Piovesana said: “We are very thankful for the tremendous contributions from different parties – the Airport Authority, our travel retail media, our home professional illustrator Alice – in support to promote our students and travelers’ green messages this year. The Green Poster Design Competition is a perfect integration of the commitment from the airport, travel retail and local communities to environmental protection issues, which helps to foster the “green power” and ensure the green message is heard around the world!
“Our airport has employed many environmental initiatives. As a member of the airport community, our aim is to leverage our extensive retail operations to offer talented youngsters who represent our future a unique global exposure for their creative green messages; and at the same time, to raise international travelers’ awareness of the need for environmental conservation. We are looking forward to continue working with our stakeholders more closely for future green initiatives. It is one of the many ways in which I and my team are striving to give back to the community that sustains our business.”
Located close to Nuance-Watson’s The Plaza store, an exhibition was held in a prominent outpost area on Level 6 East Hall sponsored by the Airport Authority Hong Kong. At this exhibition, all the Green designs were exposed to countless thousands of passengers passing through HKIA daily. In parallel, all the designs are also posted on Nuance-Watson (HK)’s corporate website www.nuancewatson.com.hk.
Save a Plastic Bag Campaign
Same as previous years, Nuance-Watson concurrently re-run the “Save a Plastic Bag” campaign. The campaign’s theme visual was contributed by world-known illustrator Alice Chan2. This is her first time collaboration for an environmental project. Her character Asteria, with a pair of sparkling eyes, symbolizes stars brightening up the world full of dreams and hope. Hence, both Nuance-Watson and Alice feel that Asteria is perfectly in line with the spirit of the “Cast Your Green Wish to the World” campaign.
Four-leaf clover is the icon Alice used in her design because the four leaves represent luck, hope, faith and love. Carrying a four-leaf-clover-shaped windmill, Asteria character wants to bring luck to every traveler at HKIA while blowing her green wishes in the wind full of love, faith and hope for a greener future. Eventually, Alice hopes that every passenger will travel with her green wishes and send to all four corners of the world.
This artistic and meaningful design has been adapted as the key thematic visual for lightboxes, banners and signages to publicize the “Save a Plastic Bag” campaign across all Nuance-Watson (HK) stores at HKIA. In addition, it was also featured as the cover design of a memo pad and the wrappers of Nuance-Watson’s environmentally-friendly non-woven bags.
Nuance-Watson (HK) will reward shoppers who decline to use plastic bags with a “Cast your Green Wish to the World” memo pad as a small token of appreciation of their support. The four-leaf-clover-shaped memo pad is made of 100% tree-free paper3. Customers will be invited to write down their green wishes on the memo paper and cast them on four-leaf-clover-shaped tree frames placed in the shop front areas of Nuance-Watson’s stores.
Customers who insist on receiving a bag will be encouraged to use reusable bags or invited to purchase the Nuance-Watson green bags. All proceeds from the sale of these bags after deduction of manufacturing cost will be donated to ORBIS in support of their sight-saving missions.
Nuance-Watson is committed to continuing its “Save a Plastic Bag” campaign on an on-going basis and targets to cut its annual plastic bag consumption at stores by 30%.
1 Cast Your Green Wish to the World Green Poster Design Competition
Student Group winners are:
Champion: Chung Tsz Shun (HK Community College)
First runner-up: Yiu Hoi Lun (HK Institution of Vocational Education)
Second runner-up: Cheng Sze Hang (HK Institution of Vocational Education)
Merit Awards:
- Leung Tsui Fong (HK Art School)
- Chan Hing Piu (HK Design Institute)
- Choi Hau Ying (HK Design Institute)
- Karen Zhang Xiao Wen (HK Polytechnic University)
- Chan Wing Kei (HK Polytechnic University)
- Chu Man Ting (HK Polytechnic University)
- Wong Hon Lam (HK Polytechnic University)
- Kwong Ka Ming (HK Community College)
- So Sek Lai (HK Community College)
- Rebecca Lo Wing Sze (HK Community College)
2 Illustration: ASTERIA by Alice Chan. Alice Chan is a world famous cross media illustrator and artist. Alice has been invited to contribute in many large scale creative projects for key global brands like The Peninsula, FENDI, Sportmax (Max Mara), Anna Sui, Shiseido, Levi's, Canon, MTV, DoCoMo, Coca Cola, Galeries Lafayette, Elle magazine, Cosmopolitan, etc. Lately, she was also invited by HKSAR Information Service Department to contribute for the promotional material of the revitalized Brand Hong Kong programme. Alice Chan currently has a Gallery at The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong. www.asterialand.com info@asterialand.com
3 Nuance-Watson (HK) "Cast Your Green Wish to the World" memo pad is made of stone-paper manufactured in a unique papermaking technology which supersedes the traditional method of using wood pulp to produce a truly eco-friendly tree-free paper. Stone-paper making differs from wood pulp papermaking methods via the exclusive employment of a blend of inorganic mineral powder (calcium carbonate) and a small infusion of non-toxic resin. This patented paper is manufactured without the need to fell trees, without water pollution because no need to bleach or use other chemical that pollutes the water, without air pollution as it uses electric power to polish the powder and therefore no drying process like the traditional paper required. It is also photo-degradable.
