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HKGBC to launch “Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance”

Six aspects of green measures to encourage green shopping

 
Hong Kong．12 May 2017 – Sustainable development is now a global movement. To respond to growing demand, the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) launched the “Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance” (the “Alliance”) to encourage local shopping mall owners, operators, tenants and consumers to be more environmentally friendly and incorporate sustainable practices into their daily operations. HKGBC held the Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance Launching Ceremony 2017 at Royal Plaza Hotel today. Guests in attendance included Ms Christine LOH Kung-wai, Under Secretary for the Environment; Mr Vincent LIU Ming-kwong, Deputy Secretary for the Environment; Ms Mary CHAN Suk-fun, Chairman of Public Education Committee of the HKGBC; Ir Cary CHAN Wing-hong, Executive Director of the HKGBC and various participating organisations, shopping mall operators and tenant representatives. The ceremony also celebrated the fruitful achievement since the soft launch of the project last June, with a great leap from 3 participating shopping malls and 47 tenants in 2016 to 91 shopping malls and 391 tenants this year.

The Alliance is fully funded by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) with 18 Supporting Organisations including the Environment Bureau. The Alliance is the first platform in Hong Kong to strengthen the collaboration between shopping mall operators and tenants to go green operations. It aims to help shop tenants to achieve the “low carbon and low waste” operations by encouraging them to incorporate green measures into their shops. The green measures cover six aspects including better use of energy, better use of water, solid waste reduction, reuse and recycling of material, green procurement and social green behaviour. In addition, the Alliance not only enhances the communication between the government, industry and stakeholders, but also organises different forms of supporting activities such as sharing and case study sessions to offer the latest information related to green shopping malls and shops. The Alliance emphasises the power of synergy, collaboration of different sectors of the industry is essential to build a sustainable shopping environment.

Ms Christine LOH Kung-wai said, “Environment Bureau is endeavoring to promote energy saving and waste reduction. The Alliance is an effective platform to facilitate the information flow and opinion exchange between the Government and different stakeholders. Environment Bureau is pleased to witness the achievement of the Alliance, a pioneer in promoting green operations with the enormous support from various organisations. It is a clear evidence that the enterprises have strong determination to go green shopping and strive for a sustainable development.”

Ms Mary CHAN said, “Through the Alliance, I wish different sectors of the society, including the Government, shopping mall owners, operators and shop tenants and general public can work together to build a green shopping environment.”

Ir Cary CHAN said, “The Alliance is a hub of knowledge, power and synergy which promotes carbon reduction and operation efficiency for a sustainable built environment. The responsibilities therefore lie with different sectors such as the retail industry. Retailers act as gatekeepers between producers and consumers. They can incorporate sustainability along their supply chains to enhance changes in production processes. In addition, retailers can address sustainability issues by offering more sustainable products, implementing more sustainable practices into their operating processes and motivating customers to do their part on sustainability and to change their shopping behaviour. I hope the project will be supported by more tenants and the concept of sustainability can grow deep into communities. By working together we can build a metropolitan with a sustainable future.

A Green Shop Pledge (The “Pledge”) with a checklist of different green measures (six aspects) has been proposed by the HKGBC. Shops are free to set the targets and implement any of the listed green measures that meet the operational requirements. Applications are now open. Shopping mall operators and shop tenants who are interested to join the Alliance, application forms are available on www.hkgbc.org.hk.

About Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)

The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member led organisation established in 2009 which aspires for quality and sustainability at every stage of the building life cycle and embrace these principles as a mark of excellence. The four founding members of the HKGBC, namely Construction Industry Council (CIC), Business Environment Council (BEC), BEAM Society Limited (BSL), and Professional Green Building Council (PGBC), aim at guiding the development of green building standard, formulating better environmental practices, promoting education and conducting researches in green buildings so as to achieve a sustainable built environment in Hong Kong.

For more detail, please visit: www.hkgbc.org.hk
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Photo Caption
 

Photo 1: Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance Launching Ceremony Opening Remarks by the Guest of Honour Ms Christine LOH Kung-wai, JP, Under Secretary for the Environment, Environment Bureau
 

Photo 2: Commencement of Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance Launching Ceremony.
(From the left) Mr Fred MOK, Chairman of The Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Limited; Mr CHUNG Siu-wing, Joseph, Chief Engineer / Development(2), Water Supplies Department; Ms Mary CHAN, Chairman of Public Education Committee, HKGBC; Mr Vincent LIU Ming-kwong, Deputy Secretary for the Environment; Ir Cary CHAN, Executive Director, HKGBC, Ms Christine LOH Kung-wai, JP, Under Secretary for the Environment; Mr CHAN Ka-kui, BBS, JP, Chairman, Construction Industry Council; Mr CHAN Fan, Frank, JP, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services; Dr Jeanne NG, Chairman, Environmental and Sustainability Committee, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Mr Tam Siu-sing, Vice Chairman of Association of Restaurant Managers and Mr Henry MA, Vice-chairman of Institution of Dining Art .
 

Photo 3: Sharing from participating organisations, mall operators and shop tenants about their experience in going green.
 

Photo 4: Group photo for all guests, including participating organisations, mall operators and shop tenants.