Over the years, Hong Kong has recorded some success in tackling its environmental problems, but in general, the environment has continued to deteriorate. To achieve sustainable development, we need to find ways to incorporate prosperity while controlling the inevitable pollution resulting in increased wealth and consumption.

Chamber Director Dr Eden Woon
officially releases the Chamber
Environment Statement on May 18.

The Chamber Environment Committee in the past has focussed mainly on the wider aspects of the environment and how they affect Hong Kong. But recently, it has started to look at how it can help businesses directly by encouraging them to share their experiences.

Also, on May 18, 2000, the Chamber officially launched its Environment Statement at a roundtable luncheon which defined its position on the environment and encouraged all members to follow a similar direction. In the statement, the Chamber encouraged its 4,000 corporate members to incorporate a balance between environmental and business issues into their daily activities. It is broad in nature in recognition of the diverse nature of the Chamber’s membership.

Immediately following its release, the Chamber held a roundtable luncheon entitled, "Environment and Business: Showing We Care," which was sponsored by MTR Corporation. The luncheon aimed to give live case studies of all aspects of environmental management to attendees.

About 80 members and 20 representatives from the media attended the luncheon. The high turnout suggests that environmental awareness and the business community's willingness to act is strong, but more needs to be done to ensure that we are all doing our "sustainable" bit.

Small and medium enterprises play a vital role in environmental protection, but they may not able to afford the expertise needed to deal with complex issues. To this end, the Chamber organised a Green-Assist Programme in September and October, consisting of four mentoring luncheons, to fill the gap between awareness and practice. Topics addressed included staff education, energy saving, recycling in the office and environmental technology, sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., CLP Holdings Ltd., Pacific Century CyberWorks, and Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd, respectively.

The Chamber has also teamed up with the Centre of Environmental Technology and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to offer environmental consultancy services to SMEs. The HKPC and the Chamber also co-organised two environmental projects, namely "Enhancing Productivity through Clean Technology" and 'Eco-Business Awards." These are just part of the Chamber's efforts to push for greater action to protect the environment.

Its programme "Clean Production," in particular, was a management approach that involved forming partnerships among industrial organisations to achieve specific and cleaner production goals. Under the leadership of large companies, small and medium sized manufacturers and suppliers, or upstream firms in the supply chains, will be organised to work together to achieve cleaner production goals common to each other. The seminar was held on Oct. 26 with speakers from the HKSAR Environmental Protection Department, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Carven Circuits Ltd and HAECO sharing their corporate experience.