The list of winners announced at the 2002 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on January 20, reflected the fact that the entire gamut of businesses in Hong Kong now recognise the benefits of being green.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, HKSAR Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Henry Tang said that by promoting the idea of "doing more with less," the eco-business movement has capitalised on the wish of every business to save costs and reduce waste.

"Critical reviews of production and operating procedures against environmental benchmarks will, more often than not, lead to the improvement of resource productivity," he said. "Apart from cutting down on resources input, it also reduces capital investments in the long run."

Environmentally-friendly companies usually earn a positive corporate image that could be worth countless advertising dollars, he added. What's more, environmental practices themselves also spawn new business and job opportunities, not to mention the bigger social good it brings to improving the quality of life for all.

Mr Tang said the government will continue to encourage green innovation and the development of the environmental industry by rendering support through existing funding schemes.

"The government's four SME funding schemes have so far provided about HK$4.8 million to SMEs in the environmental-related industry. The Innovation and Technology Fund has also supported 15 projects related to environmental technology with a total funding of more than HK$41 million," he said.

Four award categories were up for grabs this year, with two new categories -- Green Office Award (SMEs), and Green Innovative Practice Award -- in addition to the Green Office Award (Large Organisations), and the Green Property Management Award (Private Housing).

The assessment criteria for the Green Office Award (Large Organisations), Green Office Award (SMEs) and Green Property Management Award (Private Housing) was based on corporations' commitment to the three key components of the Eco-Business Model, namely green leadership, programme and performance, as well as partner synergy. Meanwhile, the assessment for the Green Innovative Practice Award was based on the Eco-Innovation Model, with three key components of innovative culture, concept generation and performance, as well as community contribution.

Thirty-two companies were also awarded the rights to use the "Wastewi$e" logo -- 22 of which were awarded rights for the "Gold Wastewi$e" logo -- on their products to show they have adopted measures to reduce the amount of waste generated within their businesses or generated through the services and products that they provide.

Established in 1999, the Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards is organised by the Environmental Campaign Committee, The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.