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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC):
A total of 146 recipients of Environmental Labels and Carbon"Less" Certificates under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) were honoured today (May 20) for their exemplary commitment and achievements in implementing environmental initiatives.
The Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Ms Anissa Wong, officiated at today's presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Productivity Council Building.
Also at the ceremony were representatives from some of the award-winning companies who shared their experiences in finding green business opportunities and realising their corporate vision of a green future.
Delivering her keynote speech at the ceremony, Ms Wong said that the HKAEE participants had made significant contributions to both society and the environment by adopting green management practices.
"In the past 10 years, businesses participating under the Wastewi$e Label, which is one of four labels under the Environmental Labels scheme, reduced their waste by at least 93 800 tonnes through recycling and reusing materials. Regarding the Carbon"Less" Certificates scheme, over 100 participating companies have obtained certificates since the scheme was launched in 2009, leading to a reduction of 22 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the past year," she noted.
Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Chairman of the ECC's Awards Committee on the HKAEE, Mr Patrick Ma; the Vice-chairman of the ECC, Professor Jonathan Wong; and representatives of HKAEE joint organisers.
The HKAEE aims to encourage businesses and organisations to adopt green management practices and to recognise those that contribute to protecting the environment. Its Environmental Labels and Carbon"Less" Certificates schemes have been very well received, with a cumulative total of about 2 950 and 230 applications filed under the respective schemes.
These two schemes are open to applications all year round. There are four Environmental Labels, namely, Wastewi$e, Energywi$e, IAQwi$e and Productwi$e. Each label encourages efforts in waste reduction, energy conservation, improving indoor air quality and enhancing the environmental attributes of products. Participating organisations are required to define goals that will benefit the environment in a specific aspect and an Environmental Label will be granted to those organisations that have successfully achieved a specific number of such environmental goals.
The Carbon"Less" Certificates scheme encourages participants to measure, report and reduce their carbon footprints in buildings or business operations and provides third-party verification on the reporting of overall carbon reduction. The certificate is granted to participating organisations as a testimony to their effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions for their buildings and business operations.
Since its introduction in 2008, the HKAEE has been jointly organised by the ECC, the Environmental Protection Department, the Advisory Council on the Environment, the Business Environment Council, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' & Exporters' Association, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. It is sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund.
For more information on enrolment, please visit the HKAEE website at www.hkaee.org.hk or call the HKAEE hotline 2788 5903.
Ends/Friday, May 20, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:31
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