As Hong Kong’s longest-standing and most widely adopted green building assessment system, BEAM Plus has driven the city’s built environment towards low-carbon transformation. Renowned as a global culinary hub, Hong Kong boasts a thriving Food and Beverage (F&B) sector, yet the industry generates over 30% of Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste, bringing severe environmental challenges. Excessive consumption of food ingredients, water and electricity, single-use packaging and staff wellness management have become high-priority issues for F&B businesses. To address these, BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) have jointly developed and launched BEAM Plus F&B Version 1.0, a tailored sustainability assessment tool that enables catering operators to strike a balance between business operation and carbon reduction.
The launch ceremony was successfully held on 17 July 2026 at the Auditorium of the Jockey Club Environmental Building. Certificates were presented to nine F&B premises participating in the pilot assessment, with nearly 100 industry leaders and F&B stakeholders in attendance to witness this milestone and the beginning of this new chapter. This brand-new assessment tool will guide the F&B sector in implementing comprehensive sustainable measures including waste reduction, energy and water conservation, and responsible ingredient sourcing, supporting Hong Kong’s 2050 carbon neutrality vision.
Mr TSE Chin-wan, BBS, JP, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, The Government of the HKSAR as the Guest of Honour, officiated the ceremony with Mr YUEN Yuk-kin, Albert, SBS, PDSM, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, The Government of the HKSAR, Mr POON Kwok-ying, Raymond, JP, Director of Electrical & Mechanical Services, The Government of the HKSAR, Mr LAI Kwok Wai, David , Assistant Director (Food Waste & Resources Recycling) of Environmental Protection Department, The Government of the HKSAR, Ir Colin CHUNG Chi Leong, Chairperson of BSL, and Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of HKGBC, to unveil BEAM Plus F&B v1.0, marking the industry’s unified commitment to advancing green catering and sustainable development.
Ir Colin CHUNG Chi Leong, Chairperson of BSL, noted,
‘The launch of BEAM Plus F&B v1.0 marks another significant milestone in Hong Kong’s green development. Hong Kong features a highly diverse F&B landscape with operators of all scales, ranging from large catering groups to local neighbourhood eateries. Conventional green assessment tools often fall short in addressing the unique operational modes of restaurants and back-of-house (BOH) zones. This newly launched tool is tailored to the F&B sector’s pain points including food waste, plastic pollution and high energy consumption, while featuring a highly flexible certification mechanism suitable for large catering groups, fast-food chains and street stalls alike. Far more than rating standard, this tool delivers practical, down-to-earth operational guidance that helps businesses effectively reduce operational losses and lower carbon footprints while sustaining business growth and fulfilling environmental responsibilities. We encourage the industry to widely adopt the tool and embed sustainability into daily operations, enabling Hong Kong’s culinary brand and eco-friendly identity to reinforce each other.’
Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of HKGBC, remarked,
‘The launch of BEAM Plus F&B v1.0 marks another significant milestone in Hong Kong’s green development. Hong Kong features a highly diverse F&B landscape with operators of all scales, ranging from large catering groups to local neighbourhood eateries. Conventional green assessment tools often fall short in addressing the unique operational modes of restaurants and back-of-house (BOH) zones. This newly launched tool is tailored to the F&B sector’s pain points including food waste, plastic pollution and high energy consumption, while featuring a highly flexible certification mechanism suitable for large catering groups, fast-food chains and street stalls alike. Far more than rating standard, this tool delivers practical, down-to-earth operational guidance that helps businesses effectively reduce operational losses and lower carbon footprints while sustaining business growth and fulfilling environmental responsibilities. We encourage the industry to widely adopt the tool and embed sustainability into daily operations, enabling Hong Kong’s culinary brand and eco-friendly identity to reinforce each other.’
Ir CS HO, CEO of BSL delivered a speech on behalf of Dr Calvin Lee KWAN,
Convenor of Steering Committee for BEAM Plus F&B v1.0, expressing delight at the official rollout of the BEAM Plus F&B v1.0. He remarked that the operating environment of food and beverage premises differs significantly from that of typical buildings. BEAM Plus F&B v1.0 is firmly grounded in local operational conditions while drawing on the best international practices, making it a flexible, practical and readily implementable certification standard. The new tool introduces a more diversified scoring framework, enabling enterprises to enhance their performance progressively and obtain Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze ratings. At the same time, it streamlines assessment procedures and introduces a record buffer period to substantially lower participation barrier, which is particularly conducive to wider participation by small and medium-sized enterprises. Beyond issuance of certificates, the tool fosters a long-standing, mature sustainable operation culture across the F&B sector by embedding energy and carbon reduction, water conservation and waste reduction into daily management.
Six F&B applicants covering nine diverse F&B premises participated in pilot assessments, including chain restaurants, food factory, banquet hall and small and medium-sized specialty restaurants, demonstrating the new tool’s extensive applicability across all categories of F&B premises. Operators can streamline sustainable operational processes to comply with widely recognised sustainability benchmarks, fully showcasing the tool’s adaptability for adoption by different types of catering operators throughout Hong Kong.
During the ceremony, representatives from the pilot teams joined a panel discussion to share real-world experience of piloting the new tool, covering strengths and challenges encountered in actual operations. They also demonstrated the industry’s commitment to advancing sustainability and called on all Hong Kong F&B operators to join hands and cultivate a green catering culture.
The participation of the following organisations in pilot assessments is greatly appreciated:
Cathay Dining, Decagon Holdings Limited, Fairwood Fast Food Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group, LH Group, Maxim’s Caterers Limited and Maxim’s Group.
BEAM Plus F&B v1.0 retains the established assessment framework of BEAM Plus while introducing a range of innovations tailored to F&B operational scenarios. The evaluation framework spans seven key dimensions, namely Integrated Design & Construction Management, Operation Management, Materials and Waste, Energy Use, Water Use, Health and Wellbeing and Innovation Initiatives. This new tool addresses every stage of F&B premises operations, from renovation and daily operations to hygiene control, as well as interactions between staff and customers. Two certification pathways are offered to industry participants. Full Certification comes with four progressive ratings – Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Operators may also opt for standalone Theme Certification, focusing on individual targets such as waste reduction or energy efficiency to meet the needs of businesses across different scales and stages of development. In addition, streamlined submission and assessment processes, along with a Fast Track Certification channel, reduce administrative burdens, while mandatory annual data reporting supports continuous optimisation to drive the long-term sustainable development of the sector.
BSL is responsible for developing the standards and conducting assessments for BEAM Plus, whereas the HKGBC oversees project registration and certification.
