To protect the environment and in support of sustainable development, HKP operates its postal business in an environmentally responsible manner.
In 2014/15, we continued to implement green measures and reduce our energy consumption. In support of the Government’s effort in combating climate change, seven post office premises participated in the Energy-cum-Carbon Audit Programme organised by the Environmental Protection Department. In addition, the Air Mail Centre took part in the Carbon Reduction Programme of the Hong Kong International Airport. The amount of greenhouse gas emission of the Air Mail Centre in 2014 reduced by about 13% compared to 2013. Incorporating various eco-friendly and energy-efficient installations, the new Central Mail Centre adopts a green building design, which helps foster a culture of environmental conservation among staff working in the Centre.
HKP adopts the green specifications promulgated by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in arranging procurement. In 2014, our green purchase value accounted for 92.7% of the total expenditure on products on the green procurement list promulgated by EPD, compared to 84.5% in 2013.
In order to minimise waste, around 140 tons of wooden pallets received from bulk mailers along with their postings were collected from the Central Mail Centre for recycling. Recycled paper accounted for one-third of our total paper consumption in 2014/15. Over 1 500 kg food waste was collected from the staff canteen in the Central Mail Centre and wasconverted to organic fertilizer during the year.
HKP maintained a postal vehicle fleet of 159 environmentally-friendly vehicles, including 81 vehicles which comply with Euro V emission standards and eight electric vehicles. Bicycles are used in some rural areas for mail delivery.
HKP’s philatelic products, including first day covers and souvenir covers, use environmentally-friendly paper. The stamp paper is made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved pulp and is recyclable. The base paper for use in stamp printing is made by an ISO 14001 certified company, which adopts an environmental management system in its operation.
The new set of definitive stamps issued in 2014, featuring the distinctive landforms of Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, promotes public appreciation of nature and raises awareness of the importance of geoconservation.
As at end March 2015, more than 16 500 local standing order customers and 1 750 overseas mail order customers had registered to make stamp purchases via Stamp OnNet, our online ordering platform. Over 24 500 local standing order customers had chosen to receive philatelic newsletters and stamp order collection letters by email. We will continue to promote electronic communication and transaction with our customers so as to further reduce our paper consumption.
In 2014/15, HKP participated in and encouraged our staff to support a number of campaigns to protect the environment, including:
Environmental protection issues are regularly covered in briefings for our managerial and frontline staff as well as staff newsletters to promote green awareness in our workforce and green practices in our daily operation.
Please click here to download Our Environment [PDF, 2 pages of 601KB]