Vriko Yu of Archireef on coral reef conservation and how 3D printing helps Hong Kong’s marine life

The co-founder and CEO of Archireef shows how conservation can co-exist with the private sector

Vriko Yu was born and raised in the Hong Kong countryside, so nature conservation has always been close to her heart. “I saw the natural beauty of Hong Kong, but I also saw the aggressive development of the city,” she says. This led to her studying biology and seeing first-hand not only how diverse the oceans around Hong Kong were, but also the fragility of underwater ecosystems. Her startup, Archireef, produces 3D-printed clay tiles, which act as a substrate for coral to grow on, supporting myriad other lifeforms.

Here, she details her company’s urgent work.

In 2016, Hong Kong was hit by a phenomenon called “red tide”, an algal bloom due to polluted water. A thick layer of toxic algae led to the disintegration of a small coral community in Sai Kung. It was mind-blowing to see a complex physical structure reduced to just sand. To restore a natural reef beyond that tipping point, you have to wait for the next tectonic event where the hot bottom is being pushed to the surface. We can’t wait for that—it could take thousands of years—and we don’t want to create artificial structures to replace coral reefs. We want to refurbish the area by building the foundation.

I wanted to know why [climate change] was happening, and whether there was anything I could do. I’ve been researching coral restoration ever since.

Archireef was founded in 2020. I realised there was potential to scale impact by engaging people outside the research bubble and saw an opportunity to promote coral conservation innovation as a startup.

Above “Our core mission is to go beyond net zero,” says Vriko Yu (Photo: Affa Chan/Tatler Hong Kong)

There have been lots of challenges. We started with traditional methods but failed miserably after two years. It was very labour-intensive: we were putting coral fragments onto a concrete block, which didn’t provide a strong foundation. We needed to build a better root system for coral, so we created 3D-printed reef tiles. Now, we have four restoration sites in Hong Kong and are deploying them in Abu Dhabi. After two-and-a-half years, we’re seeing 95 per cent survival—at least four times higher than the traditional method—at the original site. We conduct underwater surveys and employ state-of-the-art DNA technology to see which animals are benefiting from the restoration.

We’re a for-profit company in order to be financially sustainable and scale our impact. We focus on B2B because companies in the private sector care about their ESG performance; they want to be part of solutions and they have the budget. We work with corporations for a minimum of three years so we don’t end up being a greenwashing solution and so they can witness the ecological impact of their investments.

Our core mission is to go beyond net zero. We need to do more than just cutting down the damage. Our solution focuses on a nature-positive result and emphasises the importance of biodiversity. Despite our proximity to nature and biodiverse ecosystems in Hong Kong, coral exists below water, so most people don’t see it. Everything we do in our daily lives—our food, our transport—it all impacts nature in some way. I like to remind people of our connection to our natural environment.

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Vriko Yu of Archireef on coral reef conservation and how 3D printing helps Hong Kong’s marine life