Macau-based entertainment company Melco hosted a training session at Studio City on 6 July in partnership with anti-modern slavery non-profit The Mekong Club, as part of its ongoing SME Academy initiative supporting local business capacity-building and lifelong learning, as reported by Asia Gaming Brief.

The session drew more than 60 participants from 44 local SME businesses and featured presentations on human rights, modern slavery and sustainable products delivered by Catherine Cheung, Senior Programme Manager at The Mekong Club, and Hannah Chung, Senior Manager for Sustainability at Melco.

The Mekong Club is a Hong Kong-based non-profit working with the private sector to combat modern slavery across global supply chains. Its partnership with Melco reflects a growing trend of corporate sustainability programmes embedding human rights education directly into SME supplier networks.

The event also included a business networking session enabling SME representatives and Melco to identify mutual requirements, explore each other's offerings and develop opportunities for collaboration across Macau's local business ecosystem.

One participant, Caryi Cheung, Quality Assurance Officer at City Gourmet Company Limited, said the training reframed her understanding of modern slavery as a present-day supply chain risk. "I used to think such issues only existed in history books or distant regions, but the guest speaker made me realize that modern slavery has infiltrated global supply chains in subtle ways, such as debt bondage, confiscation of documents, and restriction of personal freedom," she said.

Cheung added that the session broadened her approach to supplier evaluation and procurement decision-making. "Beyond price and quality, compliance and social responsibility are essential factors in supplier evaluation and selection. These considerations must be incorporated into everyday business operations and decision-making," she said.

Since its launch in 2017, Melco SME Academy has supported local suppliers and SMEs through training, technical expertise and insights into emerging industry trends. In 2025 alone, the programme delivered 13 workshops attended by 646 participants from 319 SMEs, reflecting sustained and growing engagement from Macau's local business community.

The latest session reflects a wider integration of human rights and sustainability content into SME business education, as supply chain compliance and corporate responsibility become increasingly standard considerations in supplier selection, procurement processes and regulatory expectations across the region.