Green Monday Foundation

Green Monday is creating new social norms and offering viable alternatives to meat-based diets by empowering people to adopt a plant-based diet at least one day per week (every Monday, hence the name). Green Monday’s hybrid model is comprised of a non-profit arm, Green Monday Foundation, and a venture arm, Green Common, which distinguishes their approach from other movements.

Green Monday Foundation has successfully promoted vegetarian-only diets one day a week in Hong Kong through a direct service model in schools, catering companies, and restaurant chains. Its 20 catering company partners, for example, serve vegetarian meals to 800 school campuses and 200 corporate cafeterias, directly reaching 343,465 students and professionals every week. Green Monday has more than 300 restaurant partners in Hong Kong ranging from upscale eateries to fast food chains with 1000+ outlets, all of which now serve vegetarian-friendly menus and are active promoters of the Green Monday messaging and concept.

In addition to providing appealing meat-free menu options, Green Monday also educates consumers through social media campaigns and workshops exploring the impact of diets on the environment, health, and animal welfare. The campaign’s messages are successfully changing dietary habits of Hong Kong’s residents. A third party study demonstrated that while only 5% of the population had a goal of lowering their meat-based consumption in 2013, by 2016 more than 22% were actively practicing a plant-based diet, leading to an estimated reduction of 85,455 tons of meat consumption year on year.

Moreover, through its Global University Alliance, Green Monday has spread its platform-based approach to 600 universities in 30 countries reaching 1.2 million students, such as Colombia University, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and National University of Singapore. Green Common, the venture arm, focuses on providing innovative plant-based products as alternatives to meat-based diets. In Hong Kong, Green Common has six retail locations that offer 1000 branded vegetarian products for takeaway and 40 dining-in meal menus. Each retail location serves approximately 75,000 meals per year on average.