5 tips on enjoying mooncakes more sustainably

The eclipse of the Mid Autumn Festival

It’s time to get real and share the sobering truth behind the Mid Autumn Festival. As one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, the implications of this holiday's consumption habits unfortunately mean that traditional gifting and celebrations need to be revised. Whilst we appreciate its story and what it represents, the associated waste is a real tragedy to our city and planet. 

Wasted mooncakes

According to Food Grace and Green Community, over 4.64 million mooncakes were discarded during the Mid Autumn Festival in 2021 (and that’s a 61% increase of wasted mooncakes compared to the previous year). With such an incredible amount of waste, it puts into question whether mooncakes are even actually enjoyed. Although there is no denying of the mooncakes' symbolic meaning to the tradition, the statistics reveal the shocking quantity of food waste during this holiday period. Other studies carried out by local organisations concluded that each household waste an average of 1.74 mooncakes, and only one third of families donated unopened mooncakes. 

Excess packaging

On top of the associated food waste linked to Mid Autumn Festival, excess packaging is another critical issue. You might have noticed how elaborate mooncakes gifting has become. From inserts, trays, individual wrapping, boxes and gift bags… all of these usually just to hold 4 cakes. A study showed that an ordinary mooncake box can contain up to 11 packaging items. As if 4 tiny cakes require this amount of packaging! The Singapore Environmental Council even concluded that at least 40% of such packaging is unnecessary. Sadly, most packaging consists of glossy paper that is layered in plastic, and are hence un-recyclable. Alas, as beautiful and unique some of the packaging can be, they are most certainly not beautiful when you consider the harm they contribute to the landfills. 

Alright, let's lighten up the mood a little bit.
Did you about the cow that went to space? It landed on the mooooooon.

Now that the ugly truth is out of the way, shall we focus on how we can still enjoy these traditional cakes sustainably? Mm goi sai!

Here are 5 simple ways to be more sustainable with mooncakes over the Mid Autumn Festival:

1. Bake them yourself
If you really want to avoid packaging fully, then why not make them yourself? Not only is it fun to embrace a good challenge (plus you save money), but whoever you are gifting them to will appreciate your efforts even more! Here are a few recipes we found:
Traditional mooncake recipe
Vegan mooncake recipe
Snowy mooncake recipe

2. Buy only what you consume
Although obvious, the figures above show otherwise. Stay strong and avoid buying mooncake boxes just for their aesthetic! Buy only the amount that you know you will eat and avoid the pretty packaging (more on this in the following tips).

3. When gifting, make sure the receiver actually wants them
It might sound counterintuitive, but from personal experience, we definitely appreciate to be asked whether we want mooncakes or not. Often times we find ourselves with excess mooncakes from the generosity of others but we simply can't stomach them all! Simply make sure whether your friends, family, or coworker would want them. And otherwise think of gift alternatives that are also eco-friendly (fruit baskets for example).

4. Buy mooncake boxes with sustainable packaging (or limited packaging)
As we have mentioned previously, the excess packaging linked to this tradition is quite literally, over the top. Opt for ones instead that have the potential to live out the triple Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). Think metal tins that can be reused, or ones that are not individually wrapped in plastic, or even paper packaging that are not glossed.

5. Buy vegan ones
It's time to spice up the traditions and opt for more unique flavours. Why not try vegan ones that contain no animal products, and help reduce your footprint as you enjoy this special treat? You can find delicious ones from The Cakery, Green Common, FoodCraft, Conspiracy Chocolate, and one more for good measure, Cocoparadise.

BONUS TIP: Donate what you don't consume
There is a multitude of organisations and charities around Hong Kong that will gladly collect the mooncakes you don't eat. Make sure you give them away before their expiration date though! Here is a link to FeedingHK for more information about this.