|
Overview
Green procurement is one of the key policy initiatives in the "Policy Framework for the Management of Municipal solid Waste (2005-2014)" to encourage waste reduction, recovery and recycling. The Government has been taking the lead to adopt a green procurement policy to provide a sustained market outlet for "green" products.
Government's Green Procurement Policy
As early as year 2000, the Government amended its procurement regulations to require bureaux and departments to take into account environmental considerations when procuring goods and services. Specifically, bureaux and departments are encouraged to avoid single-use disposable items, and purchase products:
Since 2000, the Government has been developing green specifications for items commonly used by bureaux and departments. In 2010, upon the completion of the third consultancy study for developing green specifications for products that the government departments commonly procure, the products with green specifications have increased to 103. Details could be found here. To adopt these green specifications, we will first examine the availability of the items in the market. Once the items with the green specifications are found to be available in the market with sufficient choice, we will apply these specifications as mandatory requirements in the future tenders.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department operates an "Energy Efficiency Labeling Scheme"(EELS) which covers various types of office equipment and household appliances. The Government has already incorporated the requirement of "energy label" under the EELS as part of green specifications for these products.
What You Can Do?
While the Government has been proactively purchasing "green" products, the private sector can also help by adopting green procurement as well. You can make reference to the principles above and to take steps to develop a set of "green procurement" guidelines, which best suits your business needs. You can also make reference to the green specifications developed by the Government, and the "Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme" developed by the EMSD. Should you have any inquiries, you can contact us (enquiry@epd.gov.hk).
Reference
|
|