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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee:
Eighty companies and organisations that qualified as Hong Kong Green Organisations (HKGOs) in 2014 were honoured today (June 19) in recognition of their contributions to environmental protection.
Addressing the recognition ceremony, the Permanent Secretary for the Environment/Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Anissa Wong, expressed her gratitude to the HKGOs for supporting the scheme and their efforts in going green.
Also officiating at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) Awards Committee on the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE), Mr Thomas Ho; the Vice-chairman of the ECC, Professor Jonathan Wong; and representatives of Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) joint organisers. In addition to the presentation of certificates, representatives from high-performing organisations highlighted their environmental insights and green practices.
The HKGOC aims to benchmark the green performance of companies and organisations and encourage them to sustain their environmental initiatives in waste reduction, energy saving, carbon reduction and indoor air quality improvement as well as to strengthen the environmental attributes in their products.
Organisations participating in the HKGOC are required to complete a checklist on their environmental initiatives that have been implemented and to define goals that will benefit the environment in a specific way. Certificates are granted to organisations that successfully achieve the required goals or reduce their carbon footprint during the business operation process.
Participating organisations can also be recognised as HKGOs if they can demonstrate certain environmental achievements such as possessing certificates recognised under the HKGOC, winning HKAEE awards, signing any of the environment-related charters launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government or possessing a valid ISO 14001 certificate.
Since the launch of certificate schemes under the HKGOC in 2008, over 5 500 applications have been received and the certified participants have recycled more than 190 000 tonnes of waste paper, metal and plastics, saved over 84 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduced their carbon emissions by more than 150 000 tonnes. To date, over 600 companies and organisations in 15 different industry sectors have been recognised as HKGOs.
Applications for HKGOC certificates are accepted all year round. For further information about the scheme please visit the HKGOC website at www.hkaee.gov.hk or call the hotline at 2788 5903.
The HKGOC is jointly managed 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.
Ends/Friday, June 19, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:50
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