The Environmental Campaign Committee and Environmental Protection Department recently joined nine organisations in presenting the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence for the year 2019.
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) received the Gold Award in the Public and Community Service sector. Marking the fourth time that the Company is recognised at the Awards and the second time it has received the Gold Award since 2011, the honour underscores the wide recognition of the Company's efforts towards achieving its sustainable development goals.
Over 2,500 organisations from 15 sectors took part in the fierce competition for this year's Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence, for which representatives from government departments, chambers of commerce and professional associations formed a judging panel. In addition to the participants' presentations, the panel also conducted in-depth on-site surveys at the respective organisations to understand the operations and effectiveness of their environmental protection projects. The opinion presented by the panel is the result of a stringent selection process which incorporates comprehensive consideration of multiple criteria.
Mr Alfred Chan Wing-kin, Towngas' Managing Director, expressed his delight in seeing Towngas awarded. 'With sustainability as its goal, Towngas currently operates over 260 projects in Hong Kong and mainland China, providing safe and reliable town gas and city gas for residents across the country. We have introduced state-of-the-art technology to utilise waste and transform it into treasure, which serves to conserve energy and reduce emissions as part of our effort to foster a symbiotic relationship between our business growth and social good. Receiving the Award again testifies to the success of the Company's green business in promoting long-term community development while adhering to international environmental protection standards as we join the rest of the world in protecting our planet.'
In recent years, Towngas has applied innovative technology to the establishment of multiple waste-to-treasure projects in Hong Kong and mainland China, focusing on both resource recycling and profit generation as the key criteria in its corporate development. The results of the Company's commitment to realising a circular economy is commended by the judges, which saw it emerge from among numerous candidates as the winner.
A circular economy epitomises sustainable development. Through the application of innovative technology, resources and waste are recycled and reused in the process with a view to reducing the consumption of energy and resources through upcycling waste for further use. Towngas' landill gas utilisation project in Hong Kong and food waste and wastewater processing project in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province on the mainland are two success cases.
Towngas' project at the Suzhou Industrial Park incorporates a food waste processing and utilisation plant, waste water processing plant, and natural gas receiving station. Together they form a comprehensive recycling system with the nearby sludge treatment facility and thermal power plant. The food waste processing and utilisation plant currently handles 500 tonnes of waste a day, with a forecasted daily capacity of 1,000 tonnes upon the completion of its second phase (equivalent to the weight of 200 adult elephants).
Mr Chan added, 'Renewable energy application is one of contemporary human's key technological advancements in response to climate change. The fruits of the Towngas Group's research, such as technology on food waste transformation and agricultural waste processing, have now seen commercial applications. We plan to gradually promote such technology to various locations on the mainland as part of our contribution towards building a sustainable society.'
Going forward, Towngas will continue to invest resources in the research and development of more innovative green technology. In addition to providing safe and reliable energy to users, the Company aims to shoulder its corporate social responsibility in protecting our planet's environment and building a sustainable future.
Contact:
Tel: 2963 3300
Fax: 2516 7722
THE HONG KONG AND CHINA GAS CO LTD 
