|
| 1 |
Identify the market
threats and opportunities to local SMEs resulting from
international trends in the adoption of ISO14001 EMS, and
investigate the status of ISO14001 adoption by SMEs in Hong
Kong; |
| 2 |
Prioritise the Major
Industry Groups (MIGs) of local SMEs (in both the service
and manufacturing sectors) which are most at risk or have most
to gain from these trends, taking into account social,
economic and environmental factors; and |
| 3 |
Examine the barriers
to EMS through detailed case studies in the priority
industries, and hence design a support programme to help local
SMEs in the selected sectors. |
The
research revealed growing trends in the introduction of
environmental requirements into the supply chain across many
sectors. These included national and international
legislation, and policy and procurement requirements from buyer and
client organizations, both of which would in time exclude suppliers
that did not comply. Despite this, fewer than 20% of local
SMEs recognised the need to or benefits of implementing an EMS, or
perceived any potential opportunity loss from not embracing
ISO14001.
The
electrical / electronic sector (from manufacturing industry) and the
construction sector (from the service industry) were identified as
the high priority SME sectors. This is because collectively
they ranked highest in terms of the number of establishments,
contribution to gross domestic product, size of employment, and
environmental problems (energy consumption, waste generation,
complaints and convictions, etc) in Hong Kong. They also faced
the greatest supply chain pressures for environmental protection.
As
a follow-up of these findings, the Business Environment Council (BEC)
was commissioned by the EPD in October 2003 to provide support on
Environmental Management Information and ISO14001 EMS for Hong Kong
SMEs in (A) the electrical and electronic sector and (B) the
construction sector.
1.2 Objectives of The Support
Programme
This
review report forms part of the support programme for Hong Kong
SMEs in the electrical and electronic sector. A separate
review report has also been produced for SMEs in the construction
sector (Supply Chain Pressures for Environmental Management and EMS
in the Construction Sector, September 2004).
The
key objectives of the support programme is to help SMEs in the local
electrical and electronic sector to (i) prepare for future supply
chain pressures towards ISO14001 EMS, (ii) improve their
environmental performance, and (iii) stay competitive in an
increasingly environmentally-conscious business marketplace.
The support is being provided through three elements, all of which
are provided in English and Chinese:
| 1 |
An update on the
supply chain
pressures for environmental management and EMS in the
electrical and electronic sector ("Task 1A", presented
in this report); |
| 2 |
Easy to use
Generic ISO 14001
EMS Templates, User Manual and Practical Examples ("Task
2A"), which an SME can use to develop its own ISO14001
Environmental Management System; and |
| 3 |
An Environmental Management
Information and ISO14001 EMS Support website for electrical
and electronic sector SMEs ("Task 3A"), from which the
Generic ISO 14001 EMS Templates, user manual, practical
examples and contents of this report can be obtained. |
This
Review Report presents the findings from research
into the supply chain pressures for environmental management and EMS
facing Hong Kong SMEs in the electrical and electronic sector (Task
1A).
1.3
The Structure of this Review Report
The
remainder of this Review Report is structured as follows:
|
Section
2
|
Provides an update on the number
and composition by industry type of SMEs in the electrical and
electronic sector with operations in Hong Kong and Shenzhen,
and identifies the Major Industry Groups (MIGs) to form the
basis of Practical Examples illustrating the
step-by-step process of EMS development for an SME.
|
|
Section 3
|
Presents current trends in supply
chain pressure for environmental management and EMS in the
local electrical and electronic sector, focusing on the
requirements of large multinational client corporations.
|
|
Section 4
|
Describes the latest and upcoming
international requirements to be imposed on the electrical and
electronic sector, focusing on developments in Europe, Japan
and the United States of America.
|
|
Section 5
|
Identifies the contact details of
professional and academic institutions in Hong Kong and the
Pearl River Delta (PRD) region that can offer tailor-made
expert advice and technical assistance to electrical and
electronic sector SMEs on local and international
environmental requirements, ISO14001 EMS, and pollution
control measures to suit the specific needs of individual
enterprises.
|
Information
in this report has been gathered through extensive web-based
and literature research, including reviews of corporate
environmental reports,
trade publications and international circulars, plus
consultations with relevant trade associations and interviews with
major client companies. Information sources are provided throughout the report and
compiled in Appendix A.
|
