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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:
Around 140 recipients of Environmental Labels and Carbon"Less" Certificates under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) were honoured today (August 8) in recognition of their contributions to environmental protection.
The Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Ms Anissa Wong, delivered a speech at a ceremony held at the Hong Kong Productivity Council Building and expressed gratitude to organisations and companies for their efforts in promoting environmental protection for building a greener Hong Kong.
Ms Wong said the support and participation from different trades was important for the Government to achieve environmental targets. Organisations joining the Wastewi$e Label and Energywi$e Label programmes under the Environmental Labels scheme have recycled more than 120 000 tonnes of waste paper, metal and plastics and saved a total of over 63 million kilowatt-hours of energy. Participants in the Carbon"Less" Certificates scheme have also cut more than 71 000 tonnes of CO2-emissions. Their achievements were remarkable, she said.
During the ceremony, representatives from award-winning organisations also shared practical tips on promoting waste reduction, energy saving and carbon reduction, and how to encourage residents, employees and stakeholders to go green.
Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee's (ECC) Awards Committee on the HKAEE, Mr Thomas Ho; 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 about 4 500 and 460 applications filed respectively.
These two schemes are open to application all year round. There are four Environmental Labels, namely Wastewi$e, Energywi$e, IAQwi$e and Productwi$e. The labels encourage efforts in waste reduction, energy saving, 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 each organisation that successfully achieves a specific number of the associated 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. Certificates are granted to participating organisations as testimony to their effectiveness in reducing the carbon emissions of their buildings and business operations.
Since its introduction in 2008, the HKAEE has been jointly organised by 11 organisations, namely 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 the HKAEE, please visit the website at www.hkaee.org.hk or call the HKAEE hotline at 2788 5903.
Ends/Thursday, August 8, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:25
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