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The following is issued on behalf of the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC):
The 2014 Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE) scheme was officially launched today (May 2) by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. The ceremony also included the presentation of Sectoral Awards and Green Innovations Awards to winners of the 2013 HKAEE.
The HKAEE seeks to encourage businesses and organisations to adopt green management practices and to recognise those that contribute to protecting the environment. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Wong expressed his gratitude to the HKAEE participants for supporting the scheme and attaching importance to protecting the environment. He said he was glad to see that businesses from various sectors, in pursuing social responsibility to protect Hong Kong's environment, had implemented various effective and innovative measures to conserve energy and reduce waste.
Mr Wong also gave a brief account of the Government's efforts in promoting waste reduction at source and building waste management infrastructure, stressing that their successful implementation depends on the support of the whole community.
The 2013 HKAEE comprised four award programmes: Sectoral Awards, Green Innovations Awards, Environmental Labels and Carbon"Less" Certificates.
Sectoral Awards are given to organisations that demonstrate outstanding environmental performance across different sectors. The three judging criteria are green leadership, programme and performance, and partner synergy. Eleven sectors compete for the awards, namely the construction industry; financial, legal and business consulting services; hotels and recreation clubs; import and export trades; manufacturing; property management; public organisations and utilities; restaurants; schools; transport and logistics; and wholesalers and retailers.
A spokesman for the ECC said the number of entries competing for the 2013 Sectoral Awards reached a record high of 896, which is about 2.5 times the number in 2008 when the scheme was launched. At today's ceremony a total of 43 gold, silver, bronze and small and medium enterprise (SME) awards and 115 certificates of merit were presented to businesses and organisations from the 11 sectors.
The Green Innovations Awards scheme aims to encourage local organisations to meet environmental challenges with new ideas that will benefit the environment. The three assessment criteria are level of innovation, environmental achievements and cost-effectiveness, and replicability and contribution to society. The priority themes of 2013 were energy conservation and waste management. Among the 55 entries, one Green Innovations Award and six certificates of merit were granted.
Regarding Environmental Labels and Carbon"Less" Certificates, both schemes have been very well received, with a cumulative total of about 6 300 labels and certificates awarded.
The spokesman said that all entries were assessed by professionals and the assessment process was rigorous and comprehensive. The 2013 Final Adjudicating Panels were chaired by the Vice Chancellor and President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Joseph Sung. All of the adjudicating panels included representatives of major business chambers, professional bodies and government departments. For the public organisations and utilities sector, as the Chinese University of Hong Kong was one of the contenders, the adjudicating panel was chaired by the Vice Chairman of the ECC, Professor Jonathan Wong.
Also attending today's ceremony were the Chairman of the ECC, Mr Lam Chiu-ying; the Chairman of the Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, Dr Joseph Lee; the Chairman of the Awards Committee of the HKAEE, Mr Thomas Ho; the Permanent Secretary for the Environment/Director of Environmental Protection, Ms Anissa Wong; and representatives of the joint organisers.
The spokesman added that the 2014 HKAEE is now open for applications for Sectoral Awards, Green Innovations Awards, Environmental Labels and Carbon Reduction Certificates (name changed from Carbon"Less" Certificates). Some new features have been introduced into the 2014 scheme. A brand new Green Organisation Label has been launched to benchmark the green performance of companies and organisations. Also, under the Sectoral Awards, four new sectors are open to SMEs only so as to recognise the efforts of this business group. The sectors open to non-SMEs have also been restructured to cover more businesses.
Launched in 2008, the HKAEE is 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' and Exporters' Association, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. The HKAEE is sponsored by the Environment and Conservation Fund.
The ECC is holding a number of seminars in May and June for winning organisations to share their experience of going green. Organisations wishing to know more about the HKAEE may obtain details at the seminars. For more information on the scheme, please visit the HKAEE website at www.hkaee.org.hk or call the hotline 2788 5903.
Ends/Friday, May 2, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:33
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