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Representatives of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau (ETWB) today (November 19) met with The Cosmetic and Perfumery Association of Hong Kong Ltd to gauge their views on the Government's proposal to require mandatory registration and labelling of the contents of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in specified products.

A spokesman for the ETWB said, "VOCs is a key pollutant for the formation of smog. We have to reduce their emissions to alleviate the smog problem."

The spokesman explained, "The South Coast Air Basin of California had faced a serious smog problem. By reducing the VOC emissions from their sources including consumer products, it had significantly alleviated the smog problem."

"Since the South Basin of California started controlling the VOC contents of consumer products in 1992, its numbers of basin-days of ozone levels breaching the federal standard had dropped from 143 to the lowest of 36 in 2001, and the maximum one-hour concentration has also dropped from its peak of 0.3 ppm to 0.19 ppm."

"By making reference to the Californian experience, the Government is consulting the trades about introducing a two-stage VOC control scheme."

Compared with USA and Europe, Hong Kong has less petrol vehicle usage and less industrial VOC emissions. It is therefore more important to reduce the VOC emissions from consumer products.

Under the Government's proposal, the first stage of the control scheme is to provide consumers with the VOC contents of consumer products through registration and labelling to enable them to choose products containing less VOCs.

"Our VOC emissions can be reduced through consumer choice and the market. This will also reduce the need for restricting the VOC contents in the second stage of the control scheme."

In response to the trades' concern on prior submission of a report for cosmetic products to be put on the market and the high cost for VOC testing, the spokesman said, "The test, according to laboratory quotations, costs between $2,000 and $3,000. Nevertheless, the Government takes the views of the trades seriously and will work out the details of the scheme with the trades through consultation. We believe this will minimise the proposal's impacts to the trades and will also help strike a balance between their interests and the need to improve our air quality."

Some trade representatives have expressed their concern that local laboratories cannot carry out the test. The spokesman said, "The Government has consulted local laboratories and the Hong Kong Association of Certification Laboratories Ltd. The Association confirmed that local capabilities can provide the test service."

The spokesman added, "Import products need not be tested in Hong Kong."

On the suggestion by some trade representatives that the Government should waive the labelling requirement in stage 1 and follow the control scheme in California to restrict the VOC contents of cosmetic products, the spokesman said, "The Government is willing to consider any proposal that can help expedite the reduction of VOC emissions and will consider the overall views of the trades."

Ends/Friday, November 19, 2004

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