BEC Monthly Feature
21 November 2014: BEC EnviroSeries Conference “Connectivity and Sustainable Urban Transportation: Strategies and Solutions”
Hong Kong is facing increasing challenges in attaining sustainable urban planning, as we must deal with issues ranging from population growth and aging, demand for housing, land supply, traffic congestion to waste management and air pollution. How to provide and support efficient infrastructure and services for a large population with limited space, under a range of environmental and sustainability considerations? What makes Hong Kong a livable city? Urban connectivity and low carbon transportation can provide some good solutions.
In this Conference, BEC will bring together industry experts, policy makers, business leaders and academics to discuss this topic, review the current situation, and explore strategies and solutions that are beneficial to businesses and the general public.
Please visit here for event details. For sponsorship and registration, please contact Mr. Timothy Tam (T 2784 3912 | E timothy@bec.org.hk) or Ms. Jill Chow (T 2784 3942 | E jill@bec.org.hk).
BEC Events
12 September 2014: BEC Industry Visit to Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Limited
During the visit, Mr. Victor Li, Business Development Director of Dunwell gave a comprehensive introduction about the development of waste management solutions in Hong Kong and showcased Dunwell’s waste management technologies, including the Vibratory Membrane Advanced Treatment equipment which could treat used synthetic oil with low energy consumption and obtain approximately 50-80% of permeate, 20-49% of concentrate and 1 % solid tar.
17 September 2014: BEC Anniversary Dinner 2014
BEC organised its Anniversary Dinner 2014 to celebrate another fruitful year with members and distinguished guests at JW Marriott Hong Kong. The event attracted over 300 guests, including government officials, corporate leaders and industry experts. During his presentation, BEC Chairman Prof John Chai summarised the efforts of BEC in advocating environment protection and sustainability in the past 12 months.
23 September 2014: BEC Policy Dialogue Series – Environmental Policies Progress Review with the Under Secretary for the Environment
As part of the process of formulating recommendations for the Chief Executive’s 2015 Policy Address, we invited Ms. Christine Loh, Under Secretary for the Environment, to give members first hand feedback on BEC’s recommendations last year and provide an update on progress thus far. At this event, Ms. Loh shared her insights and the Government’s latest plan in different policy areas. About 50 BEC members attended the event and exchanged views with Ms. Loh on the Government’s environmental policies. The comments and feedback collected will be taken into consideration in formulating BEC’s submission to the Chief Executive on the 2015 Policy Address.
BEC Upcoming Events
30 October 2014: BEC Leadership Networking Series
In the upcoming event, we are pleased to have Mr. Nick Leach, Director, Sales Support Asia, Scania, to discuss the motives that drive heavy duty transport move towards sustainability. Mr. Leach will also share the challenges faced by heavy duty transport and measures to deal with the issues. The keynote speech will be followed by sharing from Mr. Roberto Vazquez, Chief Technology Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer, ASB Biodiesel Hong Kong Limited.
For registration and enquiry, please contact Ms. Joey Hui (T 2784 3958 | E joey@bec.org.hk).
BEC IEE Training Courses
BEC Institute for Environmental Education ("BEC IEE") organises various environmental training courses during October and December as follows:
Indoor Air Quality (“IAQ”) Management & Improvement (4th Intake) (17 October) – In this course, participants will have an overview of IAQ. They will also learn different chemical and biological components that affect IAQ and the ways to manage and improve IAQ.
Green Property Management in Office and Building (29 October) – This course covers the key concepts of green property management and essential green technologies and helps participants identify the best practices in offices and buildings.
BEAM Plus Familiarisation Training for Site Supervisors (31 October) – BEAM Plus for New Buildings, an environmental assessment scheme for buildings, requires site supervisors to supervise series of good site practices in order to fulfill pre-requisite requirements and attain credits for site management and supervision as well as testing and commissioning. This course offers a comprehensive review that enables site supervisors to know how to manage BEAM Plus for New Buildings related responsibilities.
Understanding “Materiality” for Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Reporting (2nd Intake) (31 October for English instruction, 28 November for Cantonese instruction) - This course will help companies understand which elements in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s ESG Reporting Guide are “material” to their business. This course will also outline case studies from eight major industries and share leading examples of successful ESG Reporting and corporate sustainable practices. This course is jointly supported by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries. A full copy of ‘BEC Handbook: Understanding Materiality for ESG Reporting’ will be given to each participant.
BEAM Plus Familiarisation Training for Contractors (4th Intake) (6 November) – This course offers a comprehensive training covering the key areas that contractors need to know for managing their BEAM Plus responsibilities.
Best Practices for Waste Reduction and Management in Hong Kong (5 December) –This 6-hours course will provide an overview of waste reduction and management in Hong Kong and will review the roles that businesses and individuals can play in improving waste management and reduction. This course is jointly supported by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (Environmental Division), Hong Kong Waste and Management Association and the Hong Kong Institute of Facility Management.
ISO 14001 Internal Auditing (8 and 9 December) This course is suitable for anyone who is interested in obtaining the necessary knowledge and skills to interpret the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard, to conduct a successful internal audit of an environmental management system and to produce audit findings. Please visit BEC website to view more details and schedules of BEC IEE programmes. For registration and enquiry, please contact Dr. Veronica Chan (T 2784 3937 | E beciee@bec.org.hk).
BEC Partnership Programmes
HSBC Living Business Programme 2014
The HSBC Living Business Awards received over 1,300 applications this year, the highest number of applications since the launch of the Awards 10 years ago. Application numbers for each award category (i.e. Community Engagement Award, Green Achievement Award and People Caring Award) also achieved a double digit growth from last year. This shows that an increasing number of small and medium enterprises are committed to incorporating corporate sustainability practices in their business operations.
The Awards Presentation Ceremony will be held on 28 November 2014 and all awardees will be notified in October. For more details about the Awards, please visit http://www.hsbc.com.hk/livingbusiness.
BEC Members Information
The Harbourfront Commission (“HC”) and Development Bureau (“DEVB”) have jointly launched Phase II Public Engagement Exercise on the proposed establishment of a Harbourfront Authority (“HFA”) on 25 September 2014. Details of the Phase II Public Engagement Digest can be obtained by clicking this link, http://www.hfc.org.hk/hape/doc/en/public_engagement_materials/PhaseII_PE_Digest.pdf. The HC and the DEVB will conduct a briefing session for BEC members on the proposed detailed arrangements for establishing a HFA and to collect any feedback. The briefing session will be held at 4:30pm – 6:00pm on 7 November, at Central Government Office, Tamar.
For BEC members who are interested in attending this briefing session, please register by sending an email directly to Miss Amber Lau of DEVB (E amberlau@devb.gov.hk), with copy to Ms Maggie Lam of BEC (E maggie@bec.org.hk). Please note that registrations are subject to the final confirmation of DEVB. For enquiry, please contact Miss Amber Lau at 3509 8809.
BEC Members Corner
Too Good to Waste: NWS Holdings promotes wise cooking
Every day, Hong Kong produces more than 3,300 tonnes of food waste, accounting for 40% of the city’s municipal solid waste. As part of its corporate efforts to addressing waste issue, NWS Holdings held a Foodwise Cooking Challenge on 2 August 2014 as a finale to its 3R Formula campaign that promotes the concept of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to employees. Staff members were encouraged to think out of the box and submit recipes that recreate new dishes from food wastes. Selected based on the creativity and environmental ideas of their recipes, six finalist teams from NWS Holdings’ Corporate Office and subsidiaries took part in a cooking contest. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre team was awarded the championship with their innovative savoury made from fruit and vegetable peels which typically end up in trash bins rather than frying pans.
The NWS Foodwise Cooking Challenge was a key internal engagement activity under NWS Holdings’ 3R Formula green campaign. The company organises internal green campaign every year to cultivate environmental mindsets among employees. Starting from 2013, 3R Formula was made the campaign theme to raise awareness of waste issues. Other staff activities under the campaign included waste management talk, used banner upcycling workshop and DIY Accessories Design contest.
Swire Properties Ranked Top 100 in Sustainability Study
Swire Properties became the only Hong Kong property developer ranked among the top 100 sustainable companies in Asia, according to Channel NewsAsia 2014 Sustainability Ranking.
“Through its strong commitment to investing in sustainable buildings, Swire Properties has shown not only a mature awareness of key industry trends, but also that it is moving strategically to capitalise on the opportunities presented,” the ranking report commented. “Based on its overall ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance relative to peers, the company is considered an industry leader.”
Swire Properties currently has 24 HK-BEAM, BEAM Plus and 5 LEED Platinum and Gold-certified projects in its portfolio. The company has increased its total gross floor area in Hong Kong by 16.7% while achieving a simultaneous 13.1% energy reduction since 2001. The company has also devoted significant resources to kindling community cohesion through investment in arts and culture, educational and environmental programmes and volunteer opportunities.
Channel NewsAsia 2014 Sustainability Ranking: http://sustainability-ranking.channelnewsasia.com.
"BEC Members Corner" is dedicated to BEC members for the purpose of introducing their recent achievements, success stories, innovative ideas or solutions on environmental sustainability. Members are invited to provide us with an English write-up with a maximum of 200 words, which BEC will reserve the rights of editing and publishing. The submission deadline for the next E-newsletter is 24 October 2014 (Friday).
To submit an article or enquire about this section, please contact Ms Joey Hui (T 2784 3958 | E joey@bec.org.hk).
BEC Members Update
Please join BEC in welcoming the following members:
General Member
Environmental Pioneers & Solutions Limited
Faeco International Limited
LVFAR Kin Fung Green Reusable Industry Limited
BEC Supporting Events
| Date | Event | Organiser |
| Mar – Nov 2014 | Green Building Award 2014 http://bec.org.hk/events-current/green-building-award-2014 |
The Environmental Management Association of Hong Kong |
| 15 – 16 Oct 2014 | International Conference on Sustainable Energy Policies and Technologies http://bec.org.hk/events-current/5th-international-conference-on-energy--sustainable-energy-policies-and-technologies |
The Energy Institute – HK Branch |
| 18 Oct 2014 | Exploring Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Hong Kong – Seminar 2: Electric Vehicles http://bec.org.hk/events-current/exploring-alternative-fuel-vehicles-in-hong-kong |
The Environmental Management Association of Hong Kong |
| 22 – 23 Oct 2014 | The Sustainability Summit of CityU http://bec.org.hk/events-current/the-sustainability-summit-of-city-university-of-hong-kong |
City University of Hong Kong |
| 29 Oct – 1 Nov 2014 | Eco Expo Asia 2014 http://bec.org.hk/events-current/eco-expo-asia-2014 |
Environment Bureau of the Government of HKSAR |
| 30 – 31 Oct 2014 | IFMA World Workplace Asia Conference http://bec.org.hk/events-current/ifma-world-workplace-asia-2014-conference |
IFMA Hong Kong Chapter |
| 31 Oct 2014 | Canadian Environment & Green Building Business Partnering Event Detail: http://bec.org.hk//files/images/Event_Page/Oct_2014/ Canadian_Environment_Green_Building_Business_Partnering_Invitation_20....pdf Enrollment form: http://bec.org.hk/files/images/Event_Page/Oct_2014/Reply_Slip_-_Canadian_Environment_Green_Building_Business_Partnering_....pdf |
The Consulate General of Canada The Hong Kong Trade Development Council The Government of Ontario |
| 3 – 4 Nov 2014 |
Social Enterprise Summit 2014 http://bec.org.hk/events-current/social-enterprise-summit-2014 |
The Hong Kong Policy Research Foundation Ltd. |
| 27 – 29 Nov 2014 | 3rd International Conference on Climate Change http://bec.org.hk/events-current/3rd-international-conference-on-climate-change |
Hong Kong Climate Change Forum |
| 1 – 6 Dec 2014 | APAC Innovation Summit 2014 http://bec.org.hk/events-current/apac-innovation-summit-2014 |
Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation |
| 2014 | 5th Hong Kong Corporate Citizenship Program http://bec.org.hk/events-current/the-5th-hong-kong-corporate-citizenship-program |
Hong Kong Productivity Council |
| 2014 – 2015 | The "Let's Save 10L Water" Campaign http://www.waterconservation.hk/en/main.html |
Water Supplies Department |
| 2014 – 2015 | HKSTP Soft-landing Programme for Technology http://bec.org.hk/events-current/hkstp-soft-landing-programme-for-technology-and-innovation-collaboration |
Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation |
| 2014 – 2015 | HSBC Water Programme for Industrial Water Management http://bec.org.hk/events-current/hsbc-water-programme-for-industrial-water-management |
Hong Kong Productivity Council |