With an ever growing public awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development, clients are becoming more cautious in choosing their business partners and imposing more stringent environmental requirements on their suppliers. At the same time, the manufacturing industry is facing many new challenges such as increase in material costs, slowing down in global economy, and Mainland's requirements on industrial upgrading and tightening of pollution control. Manufacturing enterprises would need to adjust their strategy to embrace these challenges through cleaner production.

Cleaner production is an integrated approach which can be applied to the entire production cycle through adoption of suitable technologies and management practices to ensure more efficient use of energy and raw materials, and to reduce emissions and generation of waste at source. It can help factories to improve their environmental performance while at the same time increase their productivity and cut production costs. Cleaner production can also enhance the corporate image of manufacturing enterprises which in turn will help secure more orders from environmentally conscious clients. 

In short, cleaner production is an investment that can help a manufacturing enterprise to enhance its overall competitiveness while at the same time making a positive contribution to improving the regional environment. It is a win-win situation at its very best.

• More on case examples of cleaner production
  http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/misc/ehk08/en/crossboundary/topicissue.html#s1_4

To encourage and facilitate Hong Kong-owned factories in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to adopt Cleaner Production technologies and practices, the Government has launched a five-year Cleaner Production Partnership Programme in April 2008. With a funding support of over HK$93 million by the Government, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is responsible for implementing the Programme in collaboration with other environmental technology (ET) service providers. Eligible factories are welcome to participate in the Programme and apply funding support for carrying out the following projects:

(1)  On-site Improvement Assessment Projects

Factories may apply funding support for hiring ET service providers to identify improvement potentials with proposals for practical solutions on energy efficiency, emission reduction and minimisation of material consumption. The Government will sponsor 50% of the assessment costs, subject to a ceiling of HK$15,000.

(2)  Demonstration Projects

Factories may partner with ET service providers to conduct demonstration projects to demonstrate the effectiveness, actual costs and potential financial returns of cleaner production technologies or practices through installation of equipment and modification of production processes. Participating factories would need to share the findings and experience gained from the demonstration projects with other factories. The Government will sponsor 50% of the cost, subject to a ceiling of HK$160,000 per project on average.

(3)  Verification of Improvement Projects

For those factories which have implemented improvement projects for reduction of air emission and improvement of energy efficiency, they may also apply funding support for independent third-party services to verify the effectiveness of their improvement projects. The Government will fully fund the costs of the verification services, subject to a ceiling of HK$15,000 per project.

(4)  Awareness Promotion

Apart from direct funding support, structured briefings, study missions, training seminars and workshops, conferences and exhibitions will also be organised from time to time under the Programme. Factories may join these activities to enhance their awareness and knowledge on cleaner production technologies and practices. Participation will normally be free of charge.

To further galvanise our efforts in promoting cleaner production, the Environment Bureau of Hong Kong and the Economic & Information Technology Commission of Guangdong Province jointly launched the Hong Kong – Guangdong Cleaner Production Partners Recognition Scheme in August 2009.  Under the Scheme, the Hong Kong and Guangdong governments will jointly award a commendation "Hong Kong - Guangdong Cleaner Production Partner (Manufacturing)" to Hong Kong-owned enterprises which demonstrate active participation with good performance in cleaner production so as to encourage their continuous efforts in cleaner production.  In addition, those sourcing enterprises which actively encourage their Hong Kong-owned factory suppliers to adopt cleaner production will also be granted a commendation "Hong Kong - Guangdong Cleaner Production Partner (Supply Chain)" .

You are welcome to visit the Cleaner Production website for detailed information on the Programme and the Scheme, application guides and forms, upcoming events and case studies. You can also call the dedicated hotline 2788 5588 for any enquiries and assistance in application.

Join now and be a cleaner production partner!

• Cleaner Production Website
  http://www.cleanerproduction.hk/en/main.asp