Report on Circular Economy Innovations and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals in Macau

Introduction: The Urban Metabolism Challenge in Macau

Macau confronts a significant sustainability challenge related to high levels of consumption and waste generation. In 2024, the territory produced approximately 178,000 tonnes of food waste, highlighting an urgent need for effective waste management strategies that align with the principles of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The recent Sino-Luso Blue Biotechnology Conference provided a platform to explore practical, scalable solutions for transforming waste into valuable resources, thereby advancing a circular economy and contributing to climate action.

Key Findings from the Sino-Luso Blue Biotechnology Conference

Advancing SDG 12: From Waste Streams to Value Chains

Research presented at the conference demonstrated a paradigm shift from waste disposal to resource valorization, directly supporting the targets of SDG 12. This approach reframes organic and industrial by-products as raw materials for new products.

• Marine and Agri-Food Valorization: Professor Manuela Pintado (Universidade Católica Portuguesa – UCP) detailed methods for processing seafood trimmings and vegetable peels into high-value compounds. This contributes to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by creating economic incentives to reduce marine-related waste. Examples of products include:
  • Collagen and chitosan from fish by-products for use in functional foods and cosmetics.
  • Antimicrobial coatings and prebiotics derived from fruit and vegetable trimmings.
  • Biodegradable packaging materials from organic waste.
• Integrated Biorefinery Processes: AgroGrIN Tech showcased a sequential biorefinery model using pineapple waste. This cascading system extracts multiple products from a single waste stream, maximizing resource efficiency in line with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). The process yields enzymes, vitamins, gluten-free flour, and food flavorings, creating a zero-waste loop.

Systemic Urban Solutions for SDG 11 and SDG 13

The implementation of circular economy principles at a municipal level offers a clear pathway to achieving more sustainable urban environments and mitigating climate change.

• Regional Waste Management Innovation: LIPOR, Greater Porto’s waste management agency, illustrated a comprehensive regional strategy. By transforming incinerator ash into lightweight construction aggregates, they reduce landfill dependency and cut the embodied carbon of concrete by up to 15%, a direct contribution to SDG 13 (Climate Action).
• Closed-Loop Biotechnology: Presentations on microalgae cultivation by Professor Qiang Hu and companies like Demeter Biotech and JEB Impact showed how these systems can simultaneously sequester CO₂, process nutrient-rich waste streams, and produce biomolecules for food, cosmetics, and bioplastics. This model supports SDG 13 by creating carbon sinks while advancing SDG 12.

Building Capacity through SDG 4 and SDG 17

Sustainable transformation requires not only technology but also human capital and collaborative frameworks.

• Education for a Circular Economy: UCP’s Escola Superior de Biotecnologia has developed an integrated educational model that aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education). It combines community engagement, policy development, and hands-on student projects to prepare a new generation of professionals skilled in implementing low-carbon, circular solutions.
• Partnerships for the Goals: The conference itself, a collaboration between Portuguese, Hong Kong, mainland Chinese, and Macanese institutions, exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), demonstrating that international cooperation is crucial for sharing knowledge and accelerating sustainable innovation.

Implications and Opportunities for Macau’s Sustainable Development

Leveraging Local Innovation for Economic Diversification and Sustainability

Macau is positioned to adapt and implement these circular economy models, leveraging its unique economic structure and growing innovation ecosystem. This strategy supports SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by creating opportunities for genuine economic diversification.

1. Local Pioneers: Companies like Zence Object are already transforming tea waste into sustainable materials, demonstrating a viable business model that reduces reliance on virgin plastics and lowers carbon output, advancing SDG 12.
2. Governmental Support: The Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) and the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) are fostering an environment conducive to innovation-driven sustainability, a key enabler for SDG 9.
3. Corporate Engagement: Macau’s integrated resorts are showing increased interest in addressing their substantial waste streams, presenting a significant opportunity to implement circular practices at scale.
4. Emerging Biotech Sector: Local enterprises such as BioMyne are utilizing AI and biotechnology to create new pathways for organic waste valorization, directly contributing to a circular and knowledge-based economy.
5. Ecosystem Development: The Macau Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility in Greater China (MICSRGC) has made the circular economy its 2025 strategic priority. Through education, advocacy, and fostering partnerships in line with SDG 17, it aims to accelerate Macau’s transition to a low-carbon future.

Conclusion: From Inspiration to Implementation

The technical solutions and strategic models for a circular economy are proven and available. For Macau, the path forward involves integrating these approaches into a cohesive ecosystem. The territory possesses the necessary components: concentrated waste streams, academic expertise, policy support, and available capital. The primary challenge is to connect these elements into a functional framework that systematically transforms waste into resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and drives sustainable economic growth.

By reframing waste as a resource, Macau can unlock transformative opportunities that advance multiple Sustainable Development Goals and establish the city as a leader in urban sustainability.

Call to Action: Fostering Partnerships for a Circular Future

Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in upcoming events to further the transition to a circular economy, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of SDG 17.

• ReThink Hong Kong (September): MICSRGC and local biotech companies will participate in the “Closing the Loop: Accelerating the Transition to a Circular Economy” panel.
• Macau SDGs Community Activity (Late 2024): The “All for 17, 17 for All 2025 – Circular Economy Culture and Innovation” event, funded by the Macau Foundation, will continue the dialogue locally.

Participation from researchers, businesses, and the community is vital for contributing to Macau’s sustainable and low-carbon transformation.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses issues related to waste management, circular economy, innovation, and climate action in Macau, directly connecting to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus is on transforming waste into resources, which involves responsible consumption, industrial innovation, and climate mitigation efforts.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The article heavily emphasizes innovation as a solution to waste problems. It highlights “advanced biotechnology,” “AI with advanced biotechnology,” and the development of new processes like “sequential biorefinery” to transform waste. It also mentions infrastructure, such as LIPOR’s waste management agency turning “incinerator ash into lightweight aggregates for construction.”

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The entire article is framed around the challenges faced by a city, Macau. It addresses the “growing challenge” of waste disposal in a “territory with limited space.” The goal is to make the city more sustainable by managing its “municipal waste streams” effectively, as demonstrated by the case of Greater Porto.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  This is a central theme. The article opens by describing Macau’s “sheer scale of consumption” and the resulting “178,000 tonnes of food waste.” The core solution proposed is the circular economy, which aims to “reduce waste” and “cut reliance on virgin plastics” by creating “waste-to-resource” loops and promoting sustainable practices in companies like the integrated resorts.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article explicitly links waste management and circular economy practices to climate goals. It repeatedly mentions the objective to “reduce both waste and carbon emissions,” minimize “greenhouse-gas emissions,” and achieve a “low-carbon future.” A specific example is given where using incinerator ash in construction “cuts the embodied carbon of concrete production by up to 15%.”

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The role of education in driving sustainability is highlighted. The article praises UCP’s Escola Superior de Biotecnologia for its “integrated model spanning community engagement, policy development, and innovative teaching methods,” which prepares the “next generation to implement low-carbon, circular solutions effectively.”

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The article touches upon this goal by discussing the valorization of marine byproducts. Professor Manuela Pintado’s research on processing “fish skins and tuna byproducts into high-value compounds” is a direct example of reducing waste that could otherwise end up in marine environments.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article underscores the importance of collaboration. It describes the “Sino-Luso Blue Biotechnology Conference” involving researchers from Portugal, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Macau. It also mentions partnerships between companies (BioMyne), non-profits (MICSRGC), and government bodies (DSEDT, FDCT) to create a “functioning ecosystem” for sustainability. The upcoming event “All for 17, 17 for All” explicitly references this goal.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

   The article is fundamentally about this target. It discusses transforming various waste streams—”food waste,” “seafood trimmings,” “vegetable peels,” “coffee grounds,” and “incinerator ash”—into valuable products, which is a form of recycling and reuse. The overall goal is to “slash waste volumes.”

2. Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

   The article specifically quantifies the problem of food waste in Macau (“around 178,000 tonnes of food waste” in 2024) and presents solutions like transforming “fruit peels, vegetable trimmings” into new products, directly addressing the reduction of food waste.

3. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

   The focus on Macau’s challenges with “organic waste” and “discarded materials” in a territory with “limited space and even fewer disposal options” directly relates to improving municipal waste management to reduce the city’s environmental impact.

4. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.

   The article showcases this through examples like LIPOR’s work with incinerator ash, AgroGrIN Tech’s “sequential biorefinery process,” and BioMyne’s use of “AI with advanced biotechnology.” These are all examples of adopting clean technologies to make industries more sustainable.

5. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

   The article suggests a strategic shift in Macau, noting that the Macau Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility in Greater China (MICSRGC) has positioned “circular economy as its 2025 strategic priority” to accelerate the “low-carbon transition.” This shows an integration of climate goals into organizational and regional strategy.

6. Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.

   This is addressed by the mention of UCP’s comprehensive approach to “circular economy education,” where students “learn sustainability principles through real-world projects,” equipping them with the necessary skills.

7. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

   The article is built on examples of such partnerships, including the Sino-Luso conference, collaborations between universities and companies, and the cross-sector work of MICSRGC to foster an ecosystem through “corporate education, policy advocacy, and cross-sector partnerships.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress.

• Amount of Waste Generated/Reduced

  A specific baseline indicator is provided: “In 2024, Macau generated around 178,000 tonnes of food waste.” Progress can be measured by tracking the reduction of this figure over time.

• Reduction in Carbon Emissions

  A quantifiable indicator is mentioned in the context of LIPOR’s work: turning incinerator ash into aggregates “cuts the embodied carbon of concrete production by up to 15%.” The overall goal of driving “down greenhouse-gas emissions” implies that tracking CO₂ reduction is a key metric.

• Waste Valorization Rate

  The article implies measuring the amount of waste transformed into valuable products. Examples include processing “fish skins and tuna byproducts into high-value compounds like collagen and chitosan,” and turning pineapple waste into “enzymes and vitamins,” “gluten-free flour,” and “flavor compounds.”

• Adoption of Circular Economy Practices by Businesses

  The number of companies implementing these solutions is an indicator. The article names several, such as “Zence Object,” “Demeter Biotech,” “JEB Impact,” and “BioMyne,” and notes that Macau’s “integrated resorts are showing increasing interest.”

• Development of New Sustainable Products and Technologies

  The creation of new products from waste, such as “antimicrobial coatings, prebiotics, or biodegradable packaging materials,” serves as an indicator of innovation in the circular economy.

• Number of Partnerships and Collaborative Initiatives

  The article points to events like the “Sino-Luso Blue Biotechnology Conference” and the “All for 17, 17 for All 2025 Macau SDGs Community Activity” as indicators of a growing collaborative ecosystem.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: macaubusiness.com