Vision

Our vision is of a Hong Kong which enjoys an environment that is both healthy and pleasant, in which the community places a premium on sustaining such an environment for both themselves and future generations.

To realise this vision, we will continue to strengthen our ability to meet environmental sustainability goals. We will formulate and implement programmes to improve and safeguard the environment while contributing proactively to strategic decision-making in the government that will have an impact on the environment. We are committed to ensuring that all services and programmes offered by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), as well as our own internal operations, are developed and conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.

In pursuance of these goals, the EPD has adopted the following principles:

Compliance

We aim to establish an effective legislative and an efficient control framework to safeguard the health and welfare of the community from any adverse environmental effects.

We will seek to provide moral leadership by not only complying with the letter of the law, but the spirit of all applicable environmental legislation, standards and regulations, as well as our internal guidelines and procedures, in all our operations within the EPD. We will endeavour to surpass them whenever possible.

Pollution Prevention

We aim to pre-empt environmental problems associated with development projects, plans and policies by applying environmental impact assessment in the planning process and seeking opportunities to improve the environmental quality of Hong Kong.

We will implement ISO14001 environmental management systems to improve continually the environmental performance of our major facilities. We will avoid, reduce and control environmental pollution arising from our day-to-day working practices. We will require our contractors to adopt and implement sound environmental management systems and pollution control measures, and actively encourage businesses and other organisations in Hong Kong to adopt similar systems and measures.

Response to Environmental Incidents

We will implement an emergency response system for handling environmental incidents, and will work closely with other government departments in responding quickly to minimise the damage to the environment.

Minimisation of Consumption

We aim to plan and provide convenient and cost-effective waste management facilities, as well as promote a sustainable approach to waste management in Hong Kong, in which we consume less, produce less waste, and reuse or recover value from waste.

We will exercise the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in the consumption of materials and seek continual improvement in the efficient use of natural resources and energy in all our operations.

Sustainable Development

We will actively contribute to government-wide policies and programmes that support sound environmental management and sustainable development. We will use and promote evolving scientific and technological systems, work with others and continue to build new partnerships in the pursuance of sustainable development objectives.

Communication

We aim to promote community awareness, through environmental campaigns, publicity, education and action programmes, and public access to environmental information, with a view to harnessing the community's support for, and contribution to, achieving the desired environmental goals.

We will also publicise to the community our Environmental Policy and report annually on our environmental performance. We will ensure that all our staff are aware of our Environmental Policy, that they will be able to provide detailed information about our Policy and initiatives to stakeholders in their particular areas of concern.

Training

We will ensure through appropriate training and professional development, that every member of our staff has the knowledge and competency to assume his/her environmental responsibilities and to participate constructively in environmental activities.

Management Review

The Management will review this policy and the department's environmental objectives and targets vis-a-vis the changing internal and external factors, and seek continual improvement in our environmental performance.