Business owners around Hong Kong who have been fighting for years to boost the efficiency of their operations while at the same time reduce their impact on the environment are about to receive recognition for their efforts as the countdown to the 2004 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards has begun.

Since the inception of the Hong Kong Eco-business Awards in 1999, more than 670 organizations have participated in the scheme. Speaking at the launching ceremony of the awards on August 9, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping, said efforts to protect the environment have never been more important, both for the health of the environment and businesses' bottom lines.

"The business sector in Hong Kong is becoming more conscious of the importance of environmental management in their operations," he said. "An increasing number of enterprises have been adopting environment-friendly practices in their operations. They are doing it not only for the sake of complying with statutory standards and regulations, but also out of the sincere wish to make the Earth a better place to live now and for the future generations."

Now in its sixth year, the scheme introduces various sector-specific award categories each year, depending on the social, economical and environmental changes of the community. This year, three distinctive awards have been designed, namely, Green SME Award, Green Construction Contractor Award, and the Green innovative Practice Award.

During the launching ceremony, 61 organizations were awarded the Wastewi$e Logo in recognition of their waste reduction efforts. These included promotion of waste reduction, collection and recycling of recyclables, and buying or manufacturing of recycled products.

This year, the Grand and Gold Award winners of 2003 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards shared their experience in environmental management at the ceremony with the audience.

The deadline for entries for this year's awards is September 30, after which all entries will start the assessment and interview process. The final judging will take place from December 2004 to January 2005, and the winners will be announced in an awards presentation ceremony in March 2005.