Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
We believe that everybody has a role to play and every effort is invaluable in protecting the environment. We therefore seek to engage all our stakeholders in our green initiatives through a variety of activities. These include awareness raising excursions, incentive schemes, experience sharing activities and the promotion of environmentally friendly appliances. Our ultimate goal is to work closely with our stakeholders to protect our environment.
Raising Awareness among Our Employees and Contractors
Over the years, we have organised and participated in numerous awareness programmes in a bid to raise environmental awareness among our employees and contractors. During the year, about 860 employees, dealers and contractors, as well as family members participated in these activities such as seminars and eco tours to the Hong Kong Wetland Park, the Mai Po Nature Reserve, Long Valley and the western waters of Hong Kong where the Chinese White Dolphins are found. In addition, green hikes and tree planting events play a regular part in our outreach awareness raising programmes. Green promotional messages were also displayed on desktop screen savers on a monthly rotational basis, reminding employees to work in line with green practices.Engagement and recognition are effective ways to increase environmental awareness. As such, a green creativity fund encourages employees to proactively submit improvement proposals on environmental issues. One of the most successful proposals was the establishment of a Green Ambassadors Club for Contractors and Dealers in 2007, helping to enhance their environmental awareness and to enforce our corporate Health, Safety and Environment Policy. The Club has organised a series of environmental activities – apart from eco-tours, a major activity has been its environmental competition on energy savings and the collection of used clothes and batteries, resulting in the top three winners joining an eco-tour to Beijing with visits to solar-energy application and wind powered electricity generation facilities, in 2008. Additionally, a series of programmes such as a Safety & Environmental Quiz, Safety & Environmental Best Practice/Technology Application and the Best Safety & Environmental Award, targeting our contractors were organised to increase knowledge and awareness of safety and the environment and improve performance in these areas.
In Partnership with Our Suppliers and Contractors
Working closely with our suppliers and contractors to deliver environmentally friendly products and services, we introduced a Green Purchasing Policy in 1998, further extending the initiative into our Supplier Partnership Programme in 2004. The Partnership Programme not only aims to make the entire purchasing process more specific and transparent, it also seeks to recognise the achievements of those who demonstrate outstanding environmental protection initiatives. In 2007, our pipelaying and appliance installation contractors were required to submit Environmental Management Plans (EMP) and ensure their compliance. The EMP must specify the environmental management strategy, applicable legal requirements, emergency response procedures as well as non-conformance and complaint handling procedures with regard to the project. Contractor briefings were also conducted to ensure a thorough understanding of the requirements.Collaboration with Special Interest Groups and the Public
With the disposal of waste being one of the most significant environmental issues in Hong Kong, we have been looking into innovative waste reduction and recycling programmes for years, leading to significant achievements during this time. Recognising the significant inroads we have made in the reduction of waste, we have received the “Gold Wastewi$e” award from the Environmental Protection Department for the past six years.In view of these successes, we are delighted to share our experiences with our business partners, special interest groups and the public. In May 2007, we were invited to present details of our Styrofoam Packaging Materials Reduction and Recycling Programme in a forum organised by Friends of the Earth in response to the Legislative Council’s discussion on the implementation of the Producer Responsibility Scheme. We were also invited to talk about our green practices in a climate change forum organised by the Conservancy Association. The aim of the forum was to provide an opportunity for corporations and the public to share best practices and collect information and feedback.
Other Green Groups Activities
- Major sponsor of the Tree Planting Challenge organised by Friends of the Earth, recruiting the public to plant 10,000 trees every year.
- Silver member, WWF Hong Kong’s Corporate Membership programme
- Participation in the Green Power Hike organised by Green Power
Increasing Energy Efficiency at Home and at Work
Our customers are becoming more environmentally conscious when choosing appliances, looking into energy efficiencies as well as the use of materials and packaging. Helping our customers in Hong Kong to meet their environmental goals, we provide a wide range of appliances in more than 200 models offering a number of different eco-features such as high energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials, processes and packaging.Since 2003, we have launched at least one energy efficient appliance every year. These include inner-flame burners (IFB), introduced in 2003; super-flame built-in hobs launched in 2005 and high-efficiency food steamers in 2006. In 2007, a further two high efficiency super-flame built-in hob models, improving energy efficiency by 3% compared to conventional built-in hobs, and a commercial water heater performing at a high energy efficiency rate of 84%, were launched.
