SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7 October 2021 – With pollution and global warming remaining constant hot button issues, Blooming Poet has recognised the need to be more sustainable in its efforts to protect the environment. As bouquet wrappers are typically made of plastic and predominately single-use, the continued usage of such wrappers would only further harm the environment in the long term. To that end, the online florist has announced it is launching a new line of environmentally-conscious products dubbed “The Gunny Sack Collective”.

By upcycling gunny sacks that have been used to store and transport cacao or chocolate beans from Ecuador to wrap its flower bouquets, Blooming Poet is hoping to offer a more environmentally responsible option for consumers looking for green choices to add to their retail therapy carts. Moreover, the online florist hopes the rustic barnyard look can offer customers a refreshing change to its customary wrappings.

Customers can also expect exotic and speciality blooms like tulips, peonies, hydrangeas, and garden roses to feature in their flower bouquets. The garden roses, in particular, are sourced from sustainable farms, giving environmentally-conscious shoppers another eco-friendly option. To ensure its customers receive only the freshest flowers with a surprise twist, the flowers and designs are curated daily and left up to the imagination and creativity of Blooming Poet’s artisan florists. The flowers come in three sizes – Cutesy, Statement, and Grand Gesture – to cater to individual customer’s needs.

Best of all, the gunny sack wraps are priced at the same cost or, in some instances, cheaper than their traditional paper and plastic counterparts. This decision bucks the usual trend in various industries, where eco-friendly and sustainable options often cost more, discouraging consumers from adopting such practices.

With this launch and its pricing strategy, Blooming Poet is also aiming to spark discourse and raise awareness for customers to switch to an eco-friendly option in an industry that has traditionally produced significant plastic and paper wastage.

While such products have proliferated throughout countries like the United States, it has remained largely unknown in the South East Asia region, and Blooming Poet is looking to change that. The hope is that this new product line can send a message to care about the environment and inspire consumers to contribute to a circular economy by embracing gunny sack wrappings.

“As the former First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson, once said, the environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share,” mentioned Jyo, founder of Blooming Poet. “As such, it is everyone’s duty to be environmentally conscious and to do our part to ensure Mother Earth has a future for our children to inherit.”

Blooming Poet is an online florist based in Singapore that offers a full range of floral products, such as bloom boxes, flower crowns, and bridal bouquets. Each of its art-inspired, handcrafted floral arrangements is hand-picked and uniquely tailored to each customer’s needs. For more information about “The Gunny Sack Collective” and Blooming Poet’s various other products, please visit https://www.bloomingpoet.sg/.

#BloomingPoet

• The export figures now surpass those of 2020 and position Hong Kong as the second leading Asian destination for Peruvian fresh foods.
• The Commission for the Promotion of Peru, PROMPERÚ, is promoting chia and quinoa in Green Dot Dot supermarkets.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 October 2021 – Peruvian agri-food exports to Hong Kong increased during the first months of 2021 rising to 100 million dollars in June. This data constitutes an increase of 53.9% compared to 2020.

Grapes, avocados and cranberries remain the most sought-after Peruvian fresh products in Hong Kong. Cranberries exports showed a big increase in 2021, they rose by 693.4% in value compared to the previous year.

In view of these results, PROMPERÚ continues to commit to promotion initiatives in Hong Kong points of sale, both at a retail level and in the restaurant sector.

In the Green Dot Dot supermarket chain, chia seeds and quinoa have been the products promoted since August and September.

Also, during November events and tastings are taking place of the Peruvian liquor par excellence: pisco. Under the name “Pisco Nights”, consumers in Hong Kong will be able to enjoy this drink and discover all of its production in several bars in the city of Hong Kong.

PROMPERÚ through its commercial office for ASEAN based in Bangkok, will continue to implement promotional actions in this market because there is still enormous development potential for Peruvian products.

Hong Kong is a large importer of agri-food products, where consumers greatly value quality and food safety, and commercial operators seek international companies that offer a good service along with experience of overseas shipping. The Peruvian offer covers all of these needs, and is the key to the success of our exports.

PERU IN ASIAN MARKETS

The main markets for Peruvian agri-food exports in Asia in 2020 were China ($182 million), Hong Kong ($158 million) South Korea ($116 million) and Japan ($89 million). In 2021 the figures have risen by +20% compared to the same period last year and even when compared to the performance of 2019.

SUPER FOODS PERU

The “Super Foods Peru” brand represents Peruvian foods of distinctive quality. Coming from the country’s different natural ecosystems, these products have exceptional nutritional properties. Discover more about “Super Foods Peru” here.

#PROMPERÚ

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 7 October 2021 – From digital 3D waves in South Korea to a 3D kitten on a building in Tokyo, 3D billboards are drawing the attention of pedestrians all over the world. COACH launched an initiative with “Windows of the Future” showcasing bespoke window displays in 9 locations around the world and in Malaysia, it’s sending shockwaves through the city with a giant 3D Rexy (Coach‘s fearless mascot) jumping out of Pavilion Elite‘s LED screen.

The 3D Animation features the storyline of Rexy going into the store, hits on a few things, and grabs her favourite Rogue bags before she leaps off the screen, reflecting COACH Rogue‘s unique attitude inspired by free spirits, rebels, and dreamers. There is more installed in this OOH (out-of-home) advertising experience as COACH’s digital agency CONTEN.T also released a digital AR game where the obsession of Rexy continues to an Augmented-Reality environment. This digital game will allow customers to immerse into an AR game experience to help Rexy capture more Rogue bags. Players with the highest points will win an exclusive Rogue bag at the end of the campaign. The digital game is currently available to play on mobile from 4th till 24th October 2021.

With the help of its agency for Singapore and Malaysia, the luxury brand COACH is no stranger to “Phygital” experiences, a term coined by the retail industry where physical meets digital experience. “We can expect to see more fun and engaging roll-outs in the coming seasons with COACH.” said Jason Ang, Managing Director of CONTEN.T. The agency who has since released a number of award-worthy campaigns that push the boundaries of digital and offline experience to reach consumers.

Experience the AR game here.

Find out more on COACH and CONTEN.T.

About CONTEN.T

CONTEN.T – short for Content Technology is an immersive media production division of Fotobox Sdn Bhd that helps brands create immersive experiences through advanced media such in Augmented Reality, Virtual Retail, Mixed Reality and Real-time 3D and other creative tech. Serving brands like Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Estee Lauder and Gucci to name a few. The company had also expanded its services in South East Asia and Asia Pacific.

#CONTEN.T

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 6 October 2021 – Watsons is proud to announce the launch of over 1,600 Sustainable Choices products both in stores and online. The launch is the result of close collaboration with global supplier partners, including sector leaders Beiersdorf, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Kao, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt, Shiseido and Unilever[1].

Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe), is delighted that the launch chimes with evolving consumer expectations, “Many customers started to rethink their priorities due to the pandemic and they’re very much aware of the impact their choices have on the environment and society. We’ve been working closely with our strategic supplier partners to offer a wide range of Sustainable Choices products – everything from skincare to shampoo – making it easier for customers to make purchase decisions that contribute to a better world for all.”

“We want to build a sustainable mindset and behaviour together with our customers in their daily personal care and beauty needs. It’s the start of an exciting journey of a three-way partnership with our strategic supplier partners and our customers to make an impact,” Ngai adds.

Watsons Goes Green

These products are easy to be identified at Watsons stores, and the Sustainable Choices section in the Watsons online store helps customers to quickly find the products that best suit their needs.  

Ngai continues, “Watsons O+O (Offline plus Online) retail strategy enables us to draw on our scale and technology as we develop new initiatives. A Sustainable Choices section was soft launched earlier this year, the sales of some products have already soared by up to 300%. This indicates clearly that customers are looking for sustainable products, hence it’s our mission to make them available and easy to browse for them.”

“Sustainable Choices products can now be found with just a click. We hope that by making it easier to choose wisely, more customers will be motivated to do the right things, for themselves and for the planet. The initial customer response is hugely encouraging, and we’re sure our customers will love our wider range of sustainable products.”

The Power of Sustainable Partnerships

Watsons partnership with suppliers goes beyond the product range. In fact, we’ve been teaming up with them on a range of sustainability-related initiatives.

In Watsons Hong Kong, we’ve just launched “Plastic Reborn” campaign with P&G, a three-year commitment to reward customers with free gifts in return for bringing in empty personal care plastic bottles from any brand for recycling. Already, around 3,400kg of plastic has been recycled since February. “We look forward to Plastic Reborn becoming an integral part of Hong Kong’s circular economy, and will build the programme so that each year, the difference we make gets bigger and bigger,” says Yvette Fan, Managing Director and Vice President of Procter & Gamble Hong Kong. 

Watsons China has teamed up with Unilever to promote the launch of the Dove Botanical skincare range, telling the story behind the products’ ingredients both in stores and online to encourage take-up of Clean Beauty. The three promoted products have already been flying off the shelves, with over 40% year-on-year growth. “It’s heartening to see customers enjoying these products, doing something great for themselves and the planet. We are very happy to collaborate with Watsons to promote Clean Beauty and sustainable business growth,” says Arthur Li, Beauty Channel Director of Unilever.

In Watsons Thailand, customers can recycle PET plastic bottles at the “Garnier Refun Machine” in stores and earn a free Garnier Pink Micellar Water in return. “Building a Green Beauty World is an essential part of the purpose of Garnier. To achieve this goal, we need a wide range of stakeholders to join us on this journey. I am delighted that Watsons Thailand is our first partner to demonstrate its vision and commitment to sustainability,” says Ines Caldeira, CEO of L’Oréal Thailand, Myanmar, Laos & Cambodia.

Ngai reinforces, “The launch of Sustainable Choices reflects the strength of our collaboration with supplier partners and our connectivity with consumers. We understand that our responsibilities go beyond the health and beauty products we provide so we’re committed to using our influence to inspire behavioural change that leads to a more sustainable world.”