********************************************************
A Cleaner Production Partnership Programme, jointly organised by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Guangdong Economic and Trade Commission (GDETC), Hong Kong Productivity Council and business and industrial sectors, was officially launched today (April 18),
Under the programme, the Government will provide funding support to Hong Kong-owned factories in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region to help them reduce emissions and enhance energy efficiency. This five-year programme covers four key initiatives - awareness promotion; on-site improvement assessment; demonstration projects and verification of the effectiveness of improvement projects. Through cleaner production, participating enterprises will be able to upgrade their environmental performance and reduce production costs. It will also help enhance their competitiveness and corporate image.
Officiating at the Cleaner Production Partnership Programme launching ceremony, the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, said, "Cleaner production seeks to achieve improvements in the entire production process, from design, materials procurement, production techniques to workflow, through the application of advanced technologies and management practices. Not only will it reduce pollutant emissions and treatment costs, but it will also bring about reduction in production costs by cutting material and energy consumption, thereby enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of the factories."
This programme will target eight sectors: textile, non-metallic mineral products, metal and metal products, food and beverage, chemical products, printing and publishing, furniture manufacturing, and paper/paper products manufacturing.
Professional advice and technical support are instrumental in improving factories' production processes, so the participation of environmental service providers is essential. Under the programme, funding support will be provided to factories to engage environmental consultants to conduct on-site improvement assessment, which will propose practical solutions to achieve energy saving and emission reduction. Participating factories will receive funding support at 50% of the related costs subject to a cap of $15,000. In collaboration with environmental technology firms, factories can also apply for funding to carry out demonstration projects. The amount of funding support for each demonstration project averages $160,000.
The Hong Kong Productivity Council is the programme's implementation agent. Apart from collaborating with environmental technology service providers in Hong Kong and the Mainland to provide technical support, the productivity council will organise awareness promotion activities to encourage factories to participate in the programme, and strengthen their awareness and knowledge of cleaner production technologies and practices. The council will also provide independent third-party verification services on the effectiveness of improvement projects implemented by factories.
In November 2006, with the support of key industry associations, EPD commissioned the council to conduct a Cleaner Production Technical Support Pilot Project. The objective was to speed up the adoption of cleaner production and support voluntary efforts by Hong Kong-owned factories in the PRD region. In August 2007, the governments of the HKSAR and Guangdong Province signed a co-operation agreement to further strengthen efforts in promoting energy efficiency, cleaner production and utilisation of resources among enterprises in Hong Kong and Guangdong. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved the funding allocation of $93 million in January this year to take the programme forward.
Also attending the launching ceremony today were the Vice-Director of GDETC, Mr Li Xiangming, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Mr Andrew Leung, and about 200 trade and industry representatives.
Factories interested in joining the programme can download the application forms at www.cleanerproduction.hk/en/main.asp.
Ends/Friday, April 18, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:40
NNNN