Background

To raise local business awareness of the global environmental challenges addressed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), the World Green Organisation (WGO) initiated a programme, namely Green Office Awards Labelling Scheme (GOALS) in 2013, to support offices and retailers to go Green in 8 stipulated aspects of operations. Participating offices that demonstrate sufficient achievements in green workplace practices will be awarded with WGO’s Green Office Awards label, Eco-Healthy Workplace label together with a new Certificate with the United Nations PRME logo. Press here for details of application procedures and here to see some of our case sharing.

WGO sees the importance in taking the lead to build a primarily basic threshold to encourage more companies, including large corporations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get involved, be inspired, educated and motivated to make the first step to go Green. Such steps include implementing straight-forward green best practices in their offices based on  WGO’s guidelines and with the support of Green Auditors, who are university students trained by WGO.

Objectives of the scheme:

  • To recognise and honour the companies who had made efforts to ‘green’ their offices by awarding them with WGO’s “Green Office” label and “Eco-Healthy Workplace” label.
Political elites and business celebrities attended the grand award ceremony
Government representatives and business celebrities attended our grand award ceremony
  • To provide Hong Kong businesses with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills on environmental protection and sustainability, so as to facilitate them to take an active role in improving their office environment.
  • To help local businesses evaluate their environmental footprint, as well as identify and apply reduction opportunities, ranging from energy, water and paper consumption to carbon at their offices.

Around 150 feasible green criteria are grouped into the following 8 categories: Energy Conservation, Water Conservation, Waste Reduction, Paperless, Green Procurement, Integrated Environmental Management , Education and awareness, Green Innovation

  • Ensure the physical and mental health of employees
  • Enhance productivity and competitiveness
  • To provide opportunities for large corporations to coach and share their go green experience with SMEs.
  • To help breakthrough the barriers of SMEs in implementing green practices.
  • To provide an internship and training for university students so as to equip them for their future employment where they can be a green ambassador and bring green practices to their working environment.

Remarks: Only applicable to the offices/companies that met the minimum criteria of “Green Office Awards Labelling Scheme” from 2013-2016

University students trained as Green Auditors
University students trained as Green Auditors

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