Central Mail Centre
Atrium and glass walls to allow natural light to the operational floors
Hongkong Post advocates green management throughout the department. Our Environmental Enhancement Steering Committee steers the direction of departmental green initiatives, oversees the implementation of environmental conservation measures, monitors the progress of environmental programmes and audits, as well as fosters a green culture among staff. Building on the achievements in recent years, Hongkong Post has continued to make good progress in promoting green management.
In 2013/14, we achieved the government-wide saving target of 5% in our overall electricity consumption after discounting activity changes, compared to the 2007/08 consumption level. Hongkong Post observes the Government’s recommendation to maintain the indoor air temperature at 25.5°C, and closely monitors energy consumption at all premises. While most of the lightings have already been replaced with energy-efficient fittings such as T5 lightings and light-emitting diode (LED) lights, we watch out for opportunities to introduce more energy-efficient lightings during office renovation in order to further reduce our energy consumption.
Housekeeping measures are implemented to ensure prudent energy consumption such as dividing office areas into separate electricity control zones, removing unnecessary lights in offices and common areas, shortening the operation hours of lifts and regular cleaning of air-conditioning systems to enhance energy efficiency. Staff are reminded to switch off lights and air-conditioners when leaving the office and turn off electrical equipment that is not in use. Posters on energy saving are displayed in workplaces to promote staff awareness of the importance of energy conservation.
Hongkong Post continues with its efforts in minimising paper consumption. Our staff exercise economy in making physical copies of documents. If hard copies of service leaflets are required, they are printed on recycled paper or paper made from wood pulp derived from sustainable forests. In 2013/14, recycled paper accounted for one-third of our total paper consumption.
We disseminate postal information to the public and our staff through the Hongkong Post website (www.hongkongpost.hk), mobile application and intranet. Customers can access our services through online platforms instead of using paper order forms. The content and functions of these online platforms are regularly enhanced to provide more convenience to users. 17 e-forms are available in the Hongkong Post website for the convenience of the public and this helps minimise paper consumption at the same time.
Our new Central Mail Centre commenced operation progressively from December 2013. Adopting a green building design, the Centre is installed with glass walls to allow natural light and reduce energy consumption. The office areas are divided into separate electricity control zones to facilitate energy monitoring. The operation of mechanical-electrical equipment, illumination and the air-conditioning supply are monitored by a building energy management system, and the facilities on each floor can be operated with a pre-set time schedule according to operational needs. Various eco-friendly and energy-efficient installations, such as solar power lighting, occupancy-sensor-controlled escalators and motion-sensor faucets for basins, have been installed. In addition, around 40% of the center’s floor area is devoted to landscape planting, including vertical greening and a roof garden. It achieves the Gold Standard under the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) for New Buildings.
Central Mail Centre
Atrium and glass walls to allow natural light to the operational floors
Outdoor landscape planting
Roof garden
Solar-powered lights at roof garden
To sustain the green culture, the Green Action Team has been set up to implement green initiatives and monitor resource consumption at the Central Mail Centre. Meetings are held regularly to review the implementation progress of various green measures and activities, such as preparing conservation messages in working areas, displaying green action charts and achievements to recognise staff effort made, and further encourage staff to enhance established green practices. The Team works closely with EMSD’s on-site staff to identify energy-saving opportunities.
In support of the Government’s initiative to promote effort in combating climate change by carrying out carbon audits on major Government buildings and public facilities, we have identified selected post office premises to participate in the Energy-cum-Carbon Audit Programme organised by the Environmental Protection Department. In addition, under the Carbon Reduction Programmes of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), we monitor carbon emissions at our Air Mail Centre. The amount of greenhouse gas emission of the Air Mail Centre in 2013 decreased by about 16% compared to 2012. As a result of the joint effort of business partners at the airport, HKIA received the Airport Carbon Accreditation “Optimisation” certificate – the second-highest level of accreditation in the programme – from the Airports Council International (ACI) for its management and reduction of carbon emissions.
Hongkong Post adopts the green specifications promulgated by the Environmental Protection Department in arranging procurement as far as practicable. Green guidelines are built into new cleansing contracts, and emission standards are incorporated into the invitations for tenders for vehicle hiring service. In 2013, the department’s green purchase value accounted for 85% of its total expenditure on products on the green procurement list promulgated by the Environmental Protection Department, against 64% in 2012.
We ceased to offer free-of-charge plastic satchels to our Speedpost customers from September 2013. This has reduced the consumption of these satchels by 80% and helped promote green awareness among our customers.
We adopt various measures for our postal vehicle fleet to meet statutory environmental requirements and support Government’s green initiatives. As at March 2014, we had 113 environmentally-friendly vehicles and trucks, representing 42% of our vehicle fleet (against 39% as of March 2013). In addition, we had 8 electric vehicles in our fleet. In some rural areas, bicycles rather than automobiles are used for mail delivery.
Electric Saloon Car
Using bicycle for mail delivery
We engage the service of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) for the maintenance of our postal vehicles and we ensure that they are well-maintained. The EMSD’s environmental performance is governed by their Environmental Management System, which conforms to the internationally recognised ISO 14001 standards.
Our stamps are printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Mix paper, which is sourced from forests that operate with strict FSC environmental guidelines and is easily recycled. We also use environmentally-friendly paper to print our other philatelic products, e.g. first day covers and souvenir covers.
Through Stamp OnNet, our customers may subscribe stamps and philatelic products online through the Local Standing Order Service. As at end March 2014, more than 16 000 local standing order customers and 1 700 overseas mail order customers had registered to make stamp purchases via Stamp OnNet instead of using paper forms . In 2013/14, the total number of online stamp orders increased by 2.5% over 2012/13. Over 24 000 local standing order customers have chosen to receive philatelic newsletters and stamp order collection letters by email, thus helping us to further reduce paper consumption.
Stamp OnNet
Our staff training programme includes an environmental protection module to introduce the corporate Environmental Management System and provide useful tips on energy saving, water conservation and waste minimisation. In 2013/14, 660 staff members took this module. Our staff also attended various seminars on green issues, e.g. the“Energy Efficiency and Conservation Public Seminar” organised by the EMSD.
Environmental protection issues are regularly covered in management and staff briefings as well as staff newsletters. In addition, internal environmental guidelines are circulated among staff to encourage them to put environmental protection measures into practice, both in the workplace and at home. During festive seasons such as Christmas and the Lunar New Year, green tips are circulated among staff to remind them how to reduce and recycle waste in order to enjoy a green festival.
In 2013/14, Hongkong Post participated in a number of campaigns organised by external organisations to protect the environment, including the “Green Day” organised by The Community Chest of Hong Kong, “Hong Kong No Air-Con Night” by Green Sense, “Earth Hour 2014” by World Wide Fund for Nature and “Tree Planting Challenge 2013” by Friends of the Earth (HK).
Hongkong Post colleagues planted more than 80 trees in the Tree-Planting Challenge 2013
We also encouraged our staff to support various environmental protection initiatives, such as the “Use Less, Waste Less in My Hands” campaign, the mobile service for collection of used electrical and electronic equipment, Biz-Green Dress Day for managerial staff and sustainability-conscious food consumption in official entertainment.