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Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Fang and an oral reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (November 24):
Question:
As volatile organic compounds ("VOCs") mixing into the air will cause air pollution and increase ozone concentration, and thus affect the respiratory system, the Government intends to improve the air quality and minimise the adverse effect of air pollution on health through a scheme to require registration and labelling of products containing VOCs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the causes of smog in Hong Kong, and whether there are data to show that smog originates mainly from products containing VOCs; among such products, of the ones that release most VOCs, and of the proportion of organic compound emission from consumer products in the total amount of such emission in Hong Kong;
(b) as the European Parliament only imposes control on the VOC contents in decorative and vehicle paints and varnishes, whether the Hong Kong authorities will adopt the same practice; and
(c) a vast majority of the consumer products on sale in the Hong Kong market are imported, and the industry has informed me that at present imported products do not specify VOC contents, while the above scheme proposes that importers or manufacturers, when registering their products, should submit testing reports on the VOC contents of their products issued by a proper local or overseas laboratory. However, such local laboratories are rather limited in number at present, and the proposal will increase the operating cost of the industry, whether the authorities will increase the number of relevant laboratories and subsidise the small and medium enterprises affected, and how it will educate the public in choosing consumer products that contains organic compounds when the scheme is implemented?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) From 1999 to 2002, the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Guangdong Province conducted a joint study on the smog over Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) . The smog that we see is the product of a series of complex photochemical reactions among air pollutants from different sources under strong sunlight. According to the joint study, the smog problem can only be alleviated by reducing the total emissions of four major air pollutants significantly. Apart from sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and respirable suspended particulates, which are more widely known, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are also critical to the formation of smog. Based on the findings of the joint study, the two governments reached a consensus in April 2002 to reduce by 2010 the emissions of VOCs by 55%, using 1997 as the base year, in an effort to address the smog problem.
Like Hong Kong, South California of the United States once faced serious smog problem, which was only significantly improved by reducing VOC emissions from various sources, including consumer products. After the introduction of control over VOC emissions from consumer products in 1992, the number of days in which the ozone level exceeded the relevant objectives in that area dropped from 143 in 1992 to 36 in 2001.
The joint study conducted by the governments of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province identified paints, the printing industry, various related consumer products and vehicles to be the four major emission sources of VOCs, accounting for 30%, 13%, 24% and 25% respectively, or about 92% together, of the total VOC emissions of Hong Kong.
(b) Situated further north on earth, Europe has a lower average temperature than Hong Kong. Since photochemical smog is not a significant problem over there, the need for reducing VOC emissions in Europe is less pressing than in California. Nevertheless, the European Parliament is considering ways to reduce VOC emissions from consumer products.
As far as Hong Kong is concerned, I have just pointed out that the target of the governments of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province is to reduce by 2010 the emissions of VOCs significantly. Among the four major emission sources of VOCs, consumer products account for one-fourth of the total VOC emissions in Hong Kong. Therefore, we need to include them in our emission reduction scheme in order to meet the target agreed by the HKSAR and Guangdong governments.
(c) We propose that importers or manufacturers be required to submit testing reports issued by a qualified local or overseas laboratory when registering the VOC contents of their products. The aim of the requirement is to enhance the objectivity and credibility of the reports in the eyes of consumers.
Regarding the capability of local laboratories to perform such tests, we have thoroughly consulted local laboratories and the Hong Kong Association of Certification Laboratories Limited. The Association has confirmed that local laboratories are capable of performing the tests required by the scheme.
As the environmental awareness of the public continues to rise, there are strong calls from the community for their participation in the battle against air pollution. We believe that the proposed labelling scheme will greatly help educate consumers on the importance of environmental protection.
If the consumer products concerned are labelled with their VOC contents, the public can identify the VOC containing products and choose those containing less or even no VOCs according to the information provided on the labels. We will also widely publicise the scheme upon its implementation to make it more effective.
We are conducting a two-month public consultation exercise on the labelling scheme. Since certain trades have expressed concern over the difficulties that the scheme may create, we will hold in-depth discussions with the relevant trade associations about the specific requirements and detailed arrangements of the scheme to minimise the impacts on these trades. After the consultation exercise, we will carefully consider the views and the interest of all stakeholders and the community as a whole. We will then brief the LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs on the consultation results and make further proposals.
Ends/Wednesday, November 24, 2004
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