HKPC Urges Industry to Adopt Green Manufacturing Solutions for RoHS & WEEE Compliance

At a symposium on solutions towards RoHS and WEEE Directives for electrical appliances manufacturers today (25 February 2005), Mr K K Yeung, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) urged local manufacturers to prepare for compliance for the globalized green manufacturing trend.

The symposium, organized by the Hong Kong Electrical Appliances Manufacturers Association (HKEAMA) and supported by HKPC, aimed to prepare the local industry to comply with the European Union’s (EU) Directives on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS), which will come into effect by 13 August 2005 and I July 2006 respectively in the EU member states.

Addressing an audience of more than 450 participants, Mr Yeung said, "Hong Kong will be at the risk of losing a tremendous amount of business orders if we fail to comply with the twin Directives. From the findings of our survey on the local industry’s RoHS and WEEE awareness, we find the situation quite alarming."

Conducted in February 2005, the HKPC survey gauged the views of small and medium enterprises on the twin Directives. Among the companies interviewed, 35% of them were from the small electrical household appliances business, with 90% of them quoted the EU as their major market.

“Our survey shows that among the 100 manufacturers interviewed, half of them were not aware of the Directives. Among those who are acquainted with the Directives, 30% of them have not formulated any plans to prepare for compliance. More than 60% of manufacturers said they need professional assistance in this area,” said Mr Yeung.

“To meet the urgent needs of industry, HKPC has launched the Green Manufacturing Express Programme to provide one-stop green manufacturing services to speed up manufacturers’ compliance with these stringent environmental regulations,” Mr Yeung added.

According to Mr Yeung, HKPC’s Green Manufacturing Express Programme serves to assist industry through RoHS and WEEE compliance attainment and capability building. “The Programme includes a RoHS Product Compliance Verification Scheme, a RoHS and WEEE Application System for Supply Chain and Compliance Management, comprehensive services in lead-free soldering process design, evaluation and audit, RoHS and WEEE Gap Audit, as well as a Green Manufacturing Network,” he added.

At the Symposium, the impacts of the Directives on plastics, electronic and electrical appliances manufacturers, the solutions for compliance, the latest green manufacturing technologies, as well as case studies on implementation were presented.

Other officiating guests of the opening ceremony included Mr K W Ho, Deputy Director of Electrical & Mechanical Department, HKSAR Government; Mr Edward Chan, President of HKEAMA; Dr K B Chan, Chairman of Hong Kong Green-Manufacturing Alliance; and Ms Joyce Hui, Director of Product Promotion, Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Since 1990s, HKPC has implemented a comprehensive environmental management programme to enhance public awareness of environmental issues and helped companies comply with environmental regulations. Backed by its state-of-the art green manufacturing facilities, including the Advanced Electronics Processing Technology Centre, Environment & Product Innovation Laboratory, Plastics Technology Centre and Cleaner Production Centre, HKPC strives to enhance the competitiveness of industry through the adoption of green productivity.

For more details on the HKPC Green Manufacturing Express Programme, please contact HKPC's Mr Raymond Fong at tel: (852) 2788 5629 or e-mail: rayfong@hkpc.org.


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25 February 2005