The Environmental Protection Department has launched a package of Environmental Management Information and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System tailor-made for small and medium-sized enterprises in the electrical and electronics sector.

The package was introduced to more than 100 participants at a seminar on the system for the sector today.

Acting Deputy Director of Environmental Protection Elvis Au said the support package and the seminar represent the department's efforts to explore and develop ways  to assist SMEs.

"They aim to help SMEs in the electrical and electronics  sector understand the local and global environmental pressure from different stakeholders and stay competitive in the environmentally conscious world business market," he said.

83% of SMEs have no EMS knowledge

An SME study commissioned by the department and completed in 2001 concluded majority of ISO 14001 certified companies are large ones rather than SMEs and that about 83% of local SMEs have little or no knowledge of EMS/ISO 14001 EMS.

The SME study identified the construction sector and the E&E sector as high priority sectors which warranted support for EMS implementation.

Mr Au said the department has already launched a similar support package and held a similar seminar for the construction sector early last month.

Support package available online

The support package for the sector includes a review of updated environmental management information related to the latest trends in supply-chain pressure in the sector, a set of user-friendly generic ISO 14001 EMS templates, and a user manual with sector-specific practical examples to facilitate their adoption and implementation of the ISO 14001 EMS.

Benefits of adopting EMS include fulfilling supply-chain requirements, ensuring continual environmental improvement, helping reduce legislative non-compliance, improving company image, enhancing favourable customer relationships, reducing environmental risks, enhancing staff environmental awareness, and increasing financial savings resulting from resource savings and cost reductions.