HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach^[1] - 17 October 2022- Hong Kong start-up Uphold Living has developed a patented design product known as Uphold Cutlery, which is as light and small as a business card case, functional and made of food-grade and recyclable materials. The innovation is an indispensable everyday use item for green living enthusiasts. Uphold Cutlery's crowdfunding campaign will launch on Kickstarter on 18^th October. Join us as a backer and uphold your green lifestyle!

Kickstarter campaign (launch time: PST 0900 18/10, HK time 00:00 19/10) www.kickstarter.com/projects/uphold/pocket-size-reusable-folding-travel-cutlery^[2]

Webpage: www.upholdliving.com/exclusive-offer^[3]

Unparalleled Design Resulting from Years of R&D

Eric Tong, Co-Founder and Principal Designer of Uphold Living said sustainable development and the elimination of one-off usage of plastic utensil is an irreversible global trend. "Many people own a reusable cutlery set but they rarely carry it around simply because of flawed product design. For example, the set is too bulky to be carried in pockets, or their package simply doesn't fit in with our daily outfits. Some products compromise their function to the over-emphasis on the compatibility by combining the fork and spoon in one piece. Some are difficult to wash and some use materials that pose health-risks. Uphold Cutlery is addressing all these concerns as a result of our long-term research and modification."

Uphold Cutlery is made from recyclable materials which are compliant to food safety standard. Despite the small size, it contains a fork, a knife and a spoon and stands out from its counterparts in the market with its incomparable light-weighted and slim fold design, coupled with the affordable prices. In addition, the heads of the utensils are replaceable while the whole set can be detached into plastics and metals separately for upcycling. Uphold Cutlery won Silver Award (Leisure and Travel) in Hong Kong Smart Design Awards 2022 organised by the Hong Kong Exporters' Association

Uphold Cutlery's crowdfunding campaign^[4] will start on Kickstarter from 18^th October. Pledge level starts at USD40 while early bird backers will enjoy 50% discount for the reward of a cutlery set.

What makes Uphold Cutlery incomparable:

• Light & Slim: A set weights 75 grams only and measures 66mm x 100 mm x 10 mm, as tiny as a business card case. It is comfortable to pocket carry.
• Safe & Hygienic: The head and handle of the knife, fork and spoon are made of Aluminium Alloy and Titanium Alloy respectively. The joint is made of food-grade TPU/TPE. The product is BPA-free and can withstand temperature of up to 110 degree Celsius. TSA approval enables travellers to bring it along on flight. The cutlery is easy to clean and free from grease traps.
• Durable & Recyclable: The product is designed to last at least 3,000 uses and replaceable utensil heads are available as spare parts. All materials are completely recyclable with conventional technologies. With 'cradle-to-cradle' principle adopted, all materials, namely the plastic and metals, used in the product can be recycled separately without waste at the end of its life cycle.
• Functional & Ergonomic: Few travel cutlery products in the market manage to strike a balance between the size and functionalities. Uphold Cutlery is a breakthrough solution- utensil functions are not compromised to collapsibility when the heads with larger angles are designed specifically for portable food containers which are usually narrower and taller than regular crockery. Revolutionary travel cutlery ergonomics improve on-the-go dining experience and efficiency.
• Chic & Timeless: The product is crafted to be a chic accessory to go with metropolitan lifestyles. Whether you are suited up for work, going light without a handbag, or just gearing up for an urban picnic, you will find the timeless design of Uphold Cutlery fit in with ease!

• More than 100 million plastic utensils are used every day**
• Most plastic utensils are made of polystyrene, which can release toxic chemicals when heated**
• Single-use utensils can take up to 1,000 years to depose**
• The Ocean Conservancy lists cutlery as among the items "most deadly" to sea turtles, birds, and mammals.

• Plastic waste accounts for the third-largest share of municipal solid waste. In 2019, close to 10% of plastic waste was disposable tableware (forks, spoons, knives, stirs and straws) *
• Over 15 billion pieces of disposable plastic tableware were dumped in 2020, a 1.5 times increase from 2018.* During the Covid19 pandemic, a food delivery platform operator reported four-folds increase in food orders in Q1 2020, compared to the same period of the previous year.
• The Government proposed prohibition of non-EPS cutlery for dine-in and takeaway around year 2025.*
• According to Environmental Association's product inspection conducted in 2019, of the 25 types of disposable cutlery products with "Green" or "Eco-friendly" claims, 72% did not state their composition.
• Biodegradable plastics are being green washed and marketed as a replacement to single-use plastics, but in fact many "biodegradable" products cannot be properly decomposed naturally. Some takes centuries to break down naturally or the decomposition requires special technology or specific conditions. Plastic cutlery can be decomposed into microplastics and toxic substances.
• A survey conducted by Greenpeace found that more than half of the respondents were willing to try rental service of reusable food containers

[Annex II]

Hashtag: #UpholdLiving

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} www.kickstarter.com/projects/uphold/pocket-size-reusable-folding-travel-cutlery (www.kickstarter.com)
3. ^{^} www.upholdliving.com/exclusive-offer (www.upholdliving.com)
4. ^{^} crowdfunding campaign (www.kickstarter.com)
5. ^{^} **National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com)
6. ^{^} *Measures to curb disposable plastic tableware (LegCo research publications essentials) (www.legco.gov.hk)