Las Vegas Sands and Sands China have added Macao nongovernmental organization Sustaincia to the Sands Cares Accelerator, a three-year program supporting nonprofit capacity-building.
Sustaincia’s focus will be food waste valorization, the process of converting discarded food materials into usable products.
Its work will target waste from bakery items, rice and cooking oil, with the group also planning to develop a community lab for research, technology testing and circular economy projects.
The initiative comes as Macau’s integrated resort sector continues to face expectations around environmental performance, community contribution and non-gaming development.
Macau’s Solid Waste Resources Management Programme 2017-2026 set a target to cut daily per-capita waste by around 30% by 2026, while high-volume tourism and resort operations remain central to the city’s waste-management challenge.
Macau’s tourism recovery has also increased the relevance of sustainability initiatives linked to hospitality operations.
Visitor arrivals reached about 40.1 million in 2025, up 14.7% year-on-year, according to local statistics reported earlier this year.
Sustaincia President, Terence Lee, said: “Sands and Sands China are providing us with vital resources to realize our vision for improving food waste processes through advanced technology, while driving business and job prospects to further sustainable impact.”
Sands said the organization’s plan aligned with its own sustainable food initiatives.
Las Vegas Sands SVP of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs, Ron Reese, said: “Another factor we look for is the ability of an organization to sustain its goal after they leave the Sands Cares Accelerator.”
The program has previously included nonprofits in Las Vegas and Singapore, including The Food Bank Singapore, Art Outreach and Asian Community Development Council.
The latest addition follows a stronger financial period for Las Vegas Sands in Macau. Sands China reported first-quarter net revenue of $2.10bn, up 23.6% year-on-year, while net income rose 45.5% to $294m.
Earlier this week, GGI reported that Sands China used G2E Asia 2026 to set out its view of Macau’s diversification strategy, with CEO and Executive Director Grant Chum highlighting integrated resorts, events, hospitality, MICE and retail investment as part of the city’s non-gaming growth agenda.
Sustaincia is the second Macao nongovernmental organization to enter the Sands Cares Accelerator