Pollution Prevention

That being said, in the broader scope of pollution prevention, covering large issues like recycling, up cycling and waste management as well, our focus this year is targeting the fight on plastic pollution. In line with Meshminds’ mission on finding ways we can educate the public that every little effort helps. We can’t eliminate plastic from our lives in one fell swoop, but we can sure flex our individual efforts to curb its usage in our everyday lives. (Please see the 100 Day challenge in our Resource section and Kay’s section for more details.)

Kay Poh Gek Vasey

Chief Connecting Officer, Meshminds

Plastic waste is choking our seas and coasts, threatening ecosystems, livelihoods and lives in South-East Asia. Due to Covid-19, we are now fighting a plastic pandemic of new waste created from ‘new norms’ of plastic consumption, such as the use of single-use plastics including personal protective equipment.

We hope to spark a movement led by South-East Asian sustainability advocates to combat the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution that the region is facing. ‘100 Days to #BeatPlasticPollution’ will mobilise digitally connected youth to adopt habits that will help turn the tide on the plastic pandemic. Research shows that, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic. Through this campaign, people are challenged to choose one simple habit that can be sustained for 100 days, and kept for life, to #BeatPlasticPollution.

Join 100 Days to #BeatPlasticPollution. Go to @unep and find the Effects tab. Choose from ‘Say No To Single-Use’, ‘Clean Our Oceans’, ‘Drowning In Plastic’ or ‘Meet The Reusables’, take a photo or video and share on your Story. Share it and tag 3 friends to join the movement to #BeatPlasticPollution. You can also find the direct links to open on your smartphone below:
Say No To Single-Use
Drowning In Plastic
Clean Our Oceans
Meet The Reusables
Bonus: Tag @unep and @meshminds for a chance to get featured on our Instagram Story Highlights!
Hot Tip: Search “beatplasticpollution” for stickers to add to your pledge.

Matteo Chiampo

Founder, The incubation Network

Matteo is passionate about bending the current linear economic model into a shape as close to a circle as possible, to reduce humanity’s impact on Earth’s life-supporting systems. Having lived and worked in several Asian countries, Matteo has experienced first-hand the urgency to accelerate the transition to a more equal, inclusive, and sustainable economic system and strengthen such transition by supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in circularity.

In his current role as Director of Operations at SecondMuse Singapore, Matteo supports the development and implementation of The Incubator Network (TIN). TIN promotes innovation in technology, business models, regulation, and positive social impact to prevent ocean plastic pollution in South and Southeast Asia.

Matteo is an investor, advisor and board member for several startups. He is a mentor with the German Accelerator Southeast Asia and the Singapore International Foundation's Young Social Entrepreneurs program, among others.

Matteo holds a Master in Sustainability at Harvard Extension School, an MBA at Boston University, and an MS in aeronautical engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Devana Ng

Co-founder of Invisible Company

Invisible Company is a company founded and based in Hong Kong. We are a team of three vegan and nature lovers: Jorge from Colombia, and a couple: Flavien from France, Devana from Hong Kong. For years we have been working in business development, operations, sales & marketing in textile & FMCG, and we all realise how impactful the industries who carry products out to the end users are.