Over 60% participants agreed general lack of
reliable and available information in Green Technologies
Green Council’s “GreenTech Alliance” (GTA), from 21 November to 12 December 2017, commissioned the Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication to conduct an email and/or in-person survey
study of enterprises in various sectors. The aims were to understand the
different practices and attitudes among employers and employees regarding use
of green technologies at work, respondents’ willingness to accept green
technology, and the challenges they faced in doing so. These findings, in turn,
would provide insight into why green technologies continue to be difficult to
popularise in Hong Kong, and inform the formation of practical suggestions on
how to improve the situation going forward.
There are two versions of the survey: one for enterprises
and one for employees. The enterprise version is answered by the business owner
or senior management. The employee version is answered by company employees.
The survey hopes to paint a full and accurate “on-the-ground” picture of how
companies attempt to introduce and implement green technology. The study
gathered responses from 306 practitioners from 81 companies and ultimately led to an array of new insights.
Survey
summary
The survey found that, in principle, 80.3% of
enterprise respondents and 81.1% of employee respondents supported the
company’s introduction of energy-saving and waste reduction technology programmes.
But when the costs of such technologies or programmes were mentioned, only
between 30%–40% of enterprises expressed clear support. About half of the
companies noted that they were “50-50” — as in they were open to the idea of
these technologies or programmes but found the costs to be concerning. As for
employees, about 70% of interviewees were willing to commit additional resources
or change their working habits to accommodate the use of green technologies. In
general, employees are more receptive to the ideas than enterprises overall.
Cost-effectiveness and economic incentives are
important conditions for the popularisation of green technologies. Enterprises
are especially concerned about the cost of implementation. They generally hoped
that, in addition to the environmental benefits, green technologies could bring
financial benefits to their business.
Meanwhile, over 80% of respondents (both
enterprises and employees) agreed that green technology is an effective way to
reduce energy consumption and waste production, suggesting an overall positive
outlook. Overall, both groups of respondents acknowledged that in addition to
the environmental benefits, green technology can improve resource efficiency
and reduce company operating costs over the long run. Many respondents agreed
that the business sector can play a leading role in promoting green technology
and contributing to Hong Kong’s energy conservation and waste reduction
efforts.
Overall, while enterprises and employees are
willing to support increased adoption of green technologies, the lack of
relevant information and economic incentives were noted as major roadblocks to
promoting green technology solutions. The study shows that most of the information
provided to enterprises and employees are from the government and environmental
protection organisations. However, over 60% of all respondents noted a general lack
of reliable and available information. Meanwhile, enterprises and employees are
in favour of policies that provide economic incentives for the introduction and
application of green technology programmes to offset the costs and risks
involved. This is especially favoured by enterprises.
GreenTech Alliance’s Three Key Recommendations
1. Government introduction of tangible incentives
For enterprises, operating costs
are consistently a top consideration. Also, the government is generally the
biggest driver of new initiatives. With these two understandings in mind, international
examples prove that governments promoting the use of green technology can
provide incentives such as tax rebates, which help companies eliminate the fundamental
obstacle to implementation cost. With green technology having kicked off to a
slow start in Hong Kong, there is also the key question of whether local
government policy is up-to-date or not. If new green technologies are to be
developed in Hong Kong, the government may need to exercise policy flexibility
and understand the need to deploy resources in a timely manner to facilitate
the adoption of green technologies in the city.
2. Environmental groups and professional bodies setting green technology
benchmarks and related information platforms
Enterprises are willing to adopt
green technology, but actual implementation has yet to be popularised. One
major cause is that companies cannot efficiently obtain reliable benchmarks,
data and information. There is a clear need for further analysis on the types
of technologies that different companies should use (relative to company type
and scale) and their effectiveness, with evidence or testimonials of results.
Relevant environmental groups and
professional bodies should offer their expertise to provide a suitable rating
or certification system for green technology assessment. This would empower
enterprises to select the most suitable solution for their needs and budget
from a wide array of sources. Meanwhile, these groups should cooperate with the
government to promote long-term development of green technology.
3. More discussions and engagement within the industry for stakeholders
to express their needs
During the study, enterprise
respondents would occasionally mention the needs and difficulties in adopting
green technology. This included a lack of channels for them to obtain required information and put forward
actual demands. In response to this, the GreenTech Alliance will actively
organise discussion activities or provide online platforms for companies and
research institutes to have more meaningful exchanges and discussions. This
should improve transparency and information flow regarding green technology-related
subject matter.
Ms Linda W P Ho, Chief Executive Officer of the Green Council and
Convenor of the GreenTech Alliance said: “This survey of enterprises and employees
is the first formal study on the business sector’s receptiveness of green
technologies. Green technology is an inevitable part of our future. If an
enterprise can become an early adopter and promote these technologies, it will greatly
enhance the enterprise’s competitiveness.
Whether you are an employer or
employee, the fact remains — we are now all living in the age of technological
innovation. Keeping up with the times will be key to staying competitive and
relevant. Through this survey, the GreenTech Alliance hopes that this survey
will help the government, environmental groups, professional bodies and
industry professionals join hands to research and formulate the best plan
possible to tackle Hong Kong’s low rate of green technology adoption, and help
local companies flourish — in terms of both financial success and environmental
protection.”
At the press conference, GreenTech Alliance also hosted
several industry representatives to discuss the issues and prepare further
recommendations for the government and industry professionals:
- Ms Novam
Ng, Marketing Director, IngDan - Mr Bruce
Lee, Executive Director, INAX Technology Limited - Mr Jason
Ngan, Chairman, Investment Committee and Smart Healthcare SIG of Smart City
Consortium
About
GreenTech Alliance
The GreenTech Alliance is a non-profit initiative launched
by the Green Council. It aims to unite all green technology pioneers and
experts to develop ideas, improve communication channels and help promote the
development of green technology. Official website: www.greentechalliance.hk
About Green
Council
The Green Council is a non-profit
organisation and certification body established in 2000, with the aim to promote
and assist the Hong Kong business community to integrate the concept of
environmental protection into production processes and management systems,
leading to a greener Hong Kong. With the motto of “Conservation begins with
Education”, the Green Council is fully committed to provide continued education
and trainings on sustainable procurement, environmental management, waste management,
energy conservation, etc. Meanwhile, the Green Council is dedicated to organise
various green projects such as the Hong Kong Green Label Scheme, Hong Kong
Green Purchasing Charter, Hong Kong Green Awards, International Coastal Cleanup
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Green Day, Green Run, Green Carnival, etc. Official
website: http://www.greencouncil.org
Media
enquiries:
Ms Peggy Mak
3159 2982 / 9482 3144
Ms Wendy Chan
3159 2962 / 6741 9620
