Accreditation Scheme to Help Food Industry Improve Environmental Performance and Enhance Competitiveness

To encourage the local catering sector to enhance competitiveness through the adoption of effective environmental management measures, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurant and Related Trades (HKFORT) and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (9 December 2010) kick off the “Quality Restaurant Environmental Management Scheme”. Funded by the Environment and Conservation Fund of the HKSAR Government, this is the first accreditation scheme to assess the environmental performance of catering operators in Hong Kong

Ms Anissa Wong, Permanent Secretary for the Environment of HKSAR Government officiated at the Kick-off Ceremony, accompanied by Mr Anthony Lock, Chairman of HKFORT; Mrs Agnes Mak, Executive Director of HKPC, and Mr Simon Tam, Chairman of the Scheme’s Steering Committee.

Pledging the catering industry’s commitment to improving environmental performance through the Scheme, Mr Lock said, “HKFORT currently has over 600 corporate and individual members, representing more than 3,000 outlets. Our members must play their part in protecting the environment while providing delicious cuisine and quality service, and as well. We hope the Scheme can enhance the environmental awareness and professional image of the industry.”

Highlighting HKPC’s support for the catering sector, Mrs Mak said, “With the catering industry being a major economic pillar and employer group in Hong Kong, HKPC has been active in improving the standards of the trade in food safety management, technology applications, service excellence and environmental management.”

“By leveraging on our professional experience in various quality service schemes and environmental management, the Scheme will assess the performance of the participant operators in areas such as resource utilization, pollution control and overall environmental management. It will also provide training for senior management and frontline supervisors to raise their environmental awareness.”

The accreditation criteria is being formulated. Pilot run of the Scheme will commence in mid 2011. The Scheme will cover five categories of operators, including Chinese restaurants, non-Chinese restaurants, fastfood stores, other eateries and food processing factories. The applicants will be evaluated in areas including energy efficiency, water consumption, waste management, water pollution control, air pollution control, noise pollution control and overall environmental management.

For further information about the Scheme, please contact Mr Kenny Wong of HKPC at tel.: (852) 2788 5647 or email: kenny@hkpc.org; or Mr Mark Yeung of HKFORT at tel.: (852) 2523 6128 or email: hkfort@netvigator.com.

For other media enquires, please contact Mr Felix Chan of HKPC at tel.: (852) 2788 5036 or email: felixchan@hkpc.org.


9 December 2010

Ms Anissa Wong (second from right), Permanent Secretary for the Environment of HKSAR Government officiated at the Kick-off Ceremony, accompanied by Mr Anthony Lock (right), Chairman of HKFORT; Mrs Agnes Mak (second from left), Executive Director of HKPC, and Mr Simon Tam, Chairman of the Scheme’s Steering Committee.


About Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades
Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades (HKFORT) is a politically neutral non-profit trade organization established by members of the food and beverage industry and restaurants. There are over 600 members at present. The mission of HKFORT is to continuously enhance the business environment in which food and beverage industry and restaurants operate. Meanwhile, it also functions as an official platform of communication between government departments and relevant trade members, to reflect their views and opinions on its members’ behalf, and to facilitate mutual understanding among all parties. HKFORT also encourages members to cooperate, unite and synergize for mutual help and benefits.

About Hong Kong Productivity Council
Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is a multi-disciplinary organization established by Statute in 1967. Its mission is to promote productivity excellence through the provision of integrated support across the value chain of Hong Kong firms, in order to achieve a more effective utilization of resources, to enhance the value- added content of products and services, and to increase international competitiveness. For more information, please visit the HKPC website at www.hkpc.org.



Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material/event do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Environment and Conservation Fund and Environmental Campaign Committee.