April 2008
 

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49.     The Chamber is a supporting organization of the Green Procurement Charter developed by the Hong Kong Green Council.  Green procurement involves many aspects of environmental protection, particularly in relation to resource management.  In terms of combating air pollution, it can help by encouraging business practices that are less emission-prone.  We thus support a concerted campaign to promote the Green Procurement Charter.  (32)

50.     Specifically, the Chamber would encourage the adoption of the Chamber/BCE Clean Air Charter as a pre-requisite in procurement practices.  The government can lead by incorporating the Clean Cir Charter into its own procurement codes.  We propose that this be considered in three stages:  (33)

• moral suasion: issuing an advisory to suppliers and service providers on government’s tender lists, advising them that the government is a signatory of the Clean Air Charter and encouraging them to also adopt the Charter;

• incentivising: advising suppliers and service providers that for government tenders, certified Charter signatories will be favourably considered among bidders of identical scores;

• mandatory requirement: making Charter endorsement a pre-requisite for supplying goods or services to the government (in the same manner as the Wage Protection Movement).

51.   Once the government has taken the lead, the same procurement requirement (i.e. prior endorsement of the Clean Air Charter) can be promoted to business corporations. 

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