Chamber Environment Statement

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce announced the Chamber Environment Statement at a Chamber luncheon on "Environment and Business: Showing We Care" today.

In the Statement, the Chamber encouraged its 4,000 corporate members to incorporate a balance between environmental and business issues into their daily activities by subscribing to six principles as follows:

1. Promoting good environmental practices by the company

2. Providing appropriate environmental awareness education to all employees

3. Including environmental considerations in corporate decision making at all levels

4. Providing environmental reporting both internally and externally for continuous improvement

5. Integrating environmental management with safety and quality systems as appropriate

6. Fostering corporate leadership through environmental emphasis with all business partners and with the community

"We must all play a part to arrest the decline in environmental quality. We all have a responsibility to take environmental concern into account in the corporate decision making process." Dr Eden Woon, director of the Chamber said.

The Environment Statement fits in with the advanced business practices that are essential for Hong Kong's continued economic and environmental sustainability. It is broad in nature in recognition of the diverse nature of the Chamber's membership.

Dr Woon said: "The Statement is intended to be a starting point for our members upon which to build an environmental policy and management system suited to their own business practices. It is relevant to today's circumstances, and to the new directions into which our economy will expand as we enter the new century. The Chamber well appreciates that the environmental 'foot print' of our members will reach well beyond our borders."

To promote the Environment Statement, the Chamber will organise a series of "mentoring" activities on environmentally - friendly business promotion. Today's luncheon is the first one and is sponsored by the MTR Corporation, at which Steve Laister of ERM Hong Kong Ltd was the speaker.

Media enquiries: Dr W K Chan, Assistant Director, Business Policy
                           The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

Tel:28231293   fax:25279843   email:wkchan@chamber.org.hk