Introduction

     Green management has been one of the major commitments of the Information Services Department (ISD). In this 25th environmental report, we have reviewed the effectiveness of the various environmental initiatives and measures taken in 2023 and set out our green targets in 2024.

ISD’s Key Responsibilities

2. ISD serves as the Government’s public relations (PR) consultant, news and advertising agency and publisher. We provide a link between the Government and the media and, through the latter, enhance public understanding of Government policies, decisions and activities. We also advise on and formulate Government’s overall PR strategy, local and outside Hong Kong.

Expenditure, Establishment and Offices

3. As at 31 March 2024, ISD had an establishment of 452 posts and the revised estimate for 2023-24 was $655 million. ISD offices are mainly located at Harbour Building, Central and North Point Government Offices, North Point.

Environmental Goal and Policy

4. As in previous years, ISD is committed to ensuring that Government’s PR and information policies, both local and outside Hong Kong, are implemented in an environmentally responsible manner. Throughout the year of 2023, we have adopted the following policies in meeting our environmental goal -

    (a) issuing press releases and photographs electronically to all news organisations; promoting the use of the Internet for dissemination of information; uploading the Hong Kong Yearbook onto the Internet and reducing hard copies of publications produced;

    (b) promoting communication within the Department through electronic means via the Government Communication Network and the Intranet; working towards the concept of paperless office to reduce the use and dispatch of paper; adopting the principles of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” in the consumption of materials; and seeking continuous improvement in the efficient use of natural resources and energy, e.g. by re-engineering of work processes;

    (c) complying with the relevant environmental protection legislation;

    (d) providing training for staff to develop an environmentally responsible culture and increasing their awareness of continuous improvement in protecting the environment; and

    (e) recommending to clients the use of environmentally friendly paper and ink for printing publicity items and publications.

Environmental Management and Performance


5. With the green commitments in mind, we went through another year of green management in 2023 with the following fruitful results -

Environmental Aspects Measures Performance in 2023
A. Energy Saving and Green Buildings
(i) Energy saving Reducing fuel consumption and emission of air pollutants by rationalising the trips run by departmental vehicles and organising car pool. Effective compliance.
(ii) Green buildings (a) Implementing Government’s energy conservation policy of switching off lights, air-conditioning units, computer workstations including monitors, photocopiers and other office equipment whenever offices are not in use; and conducting regular checks on staff’s compliance. Effective compliance.
(b) Use of LCD monitors with LED backlight to reduce consumption of power and dissipation of radiation. Effective compliance.
(c) Use of energy-saving type fluorescent lights/LED instead of T8 type. Saved about 30% energy consumption in respect of lighting.
(d) Reducing energy consumption through adjusting the morning shift hours of staff in an office. Effective compliance.
(e) Turning off non-essential lights during the Earth Hour organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature to promote energy efficiency and conservation. The Flying Dragon LED lights on rooftop of the Queensway Government Offices were off during the Earth Hour on 25 March 2023.
B. Waste Reduction and Recycling
(i) Waste reduction, disposal and recovery (a) Collecting used printer cartridges and waste paper for recycling. 279 used printer cartridges and 11,761 kg of waste paper were collected for recycling.
(b) Distributing news photographs generated by digital cameras through the Digital Photo System to news organisations and other users in digital format. Full compliance.
(c) Use of “TV Box” (computer system) for monitoring and recording TV newscasts instead of using the Video Home System and video tapes. Full compliance.
(d) Use of electronic archive system for storage of Government publicity materials such as TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest (API), scripts and production related information. Effective compliance.
(e) Full implementation of file-based delivery of TV API to replace the delivery of HD Cam tapes to all TV stations. Full compliance.

(f)

Adopting virtual machine and cloud services as a means of server consolidation. Effective compliance.

(g)

Adopting environmentally friendly materials and reusable products in the design and production of BrandHK souvenirs. Effective compliance.

(h)

Use of reusable tableware sets in departmental functions to reduce plastic / paper waste. Effective compliance.
(ii) Reduction of paper consumption (a) Economising the use of paper by using the blank side of used paper for drafting; printing on both sides of paper; circulating daily press cuttings by electronic means rather than hard copies as far as possible; sticking large press cuttings on paper already printed on both sides; and reusing envelopes, etc. Effective compliance.
(b) Use of office automation equipment, e.g. high-speed scanners, multifunctional photocopiers with double-side printing capability to improve office efficiency and minimise paper consumption. Effective compliance.
(c) Use of the e-Leave system obviating the need for application on paper. Saved about 7,595 sheets of paper.
(d)
Sustaining the use of recycled paper for photocopying.

Effective compliance.
(e) Minimising the quantity of printed newspapers and magazines subscribed by critically reviewing the subscription lists on a regular basis, and adopting digital subscriptions as far as possible. Full compliance.
(f) Promulgating the Department’s performance pledge on ISD’s website, rather than paper booklet.

Full compliance.
(g) Use of the ISD Intranet to facilitate communication among officers in the Department and reduce the need for hard-copy circulation and facsimile transmission of papers and documents. Effective compliance.
(iii) Electronic communication and services for internal and the public (a) Maximising the use of the Internet and email facilities for communication. Effective compliance.
(b) Use of the Occurrence Log System in logging incidents, as well as to record, update, and retrieve press enquiry records, emergency operations manuals, contact lists, records of exercises and operation of the Combined Information Centre by electronic means. The system is linked to the ISD Intranet that facilitates information sharing among officers of the Department. Full compliance.
(c) Provision of online platforms (i.e. “news.gov.hk” website, BrandHK website and various social media platforms), enabling the Government to communicate directly with the public. Effective compliance.
(d) Disseminating press releases and other attachments in multimedia format through electronic channels, i.e. the Government News and Media Information System. Full compliance.
(e) Circulating agency reports, radio/TV news and important press releases to bureaux/departments by email. Effective compliance.
(f) Maximising the use of electronic means to send publicity materials including photos and video clips to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices and stakeholders. Effective compliance.
(g) Use of electronic means to deliver media related reports to Bureaux/Departments. Full compliance.
(h) Use of online system for booking conference rooms and departmental transport. Effective compliance.
C. Other Green Performance / Housekeeping Measures
(i) Green management Each sub-division/unit/section has nominated an officer to be the Green Management Co-ordinator who is responsible for gauging colleagues’ views on environmental improvement, relaying views to management and conducting regular checks and reviews on progress of green housekeeping measures implemented. Full compliance.
(ii) Air Quality (a)
 Conducting random checks to ensure the implementation of Smoke-free Policy for Government Offices following the enactment of the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2006. Departmental Circular on this subject is re-circulated to colleagues annually. Full compliance.
(b)
Regularly reminding all drivers of the need to switch off engines while waiting by circulating the relevant circular to all drivers and officers handling transport matters on a half-yearly basis. Full compliance.
(iii) Green procurement (a)
Wider use of green products, e.g. recycled photocopying paper, recycled paper hand towel, alkaline batteries, refillable ball-pens, energy-saving light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and LED lights, etc. Adopting the “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” principles in the procurement and consumption of materials to a wider extent. Effective compliance.
(b) Including “Trade-in option” for stores items in quotations. Effective compliance.
(c)
Purchase of environmentally sound products such as photocopiers with double-side photocopying feature. Effective compliance.
(d) Promulgating green specifications with a view to aligning with Environmental Protection Department’s initiative for green procurement in the Government. Departmental Circular is circulated regularly to enhance colleagues’ awareness on green procurement. Full compliance.
(iv) Staff awareness (a) Colleagues’ attention has been brought to the Government’s environmental policies and latest guidelines. Relevant circulars and guidelines, together with practical “Green Tips”, were circulated to colleagues regularly for information. Full compliance.
(b) Colleagues have been encouraged to participate in green activities organised in the community. Colleagues participated in the Community Chest Green Low Carbon Day in June 2023.
(c) Colleagues have been kept abreast of green housekeeping measures through seminars and workshops. Effective compliance.

Environmental Initiatives in 2024

6. The Department will continue to fully support the environmental protection policies and initiatives of the Government. We are committed to enhancing existing green management practices and pursuing new green initiatives. In particular, we have planned to implement the Electronic Recordkeeping System in the coming year.

7. Looking ahead, we will continue to work closely with Green Management Co-ordinators in the Department towards the goal of environmental protection and ensure that our businesses are carried out in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

Feedback and enquiries

8. If you have any suggestions or points to make on this report, you can telephone, fax or email to the Information Services Department (Telephone No. 2842 8777, Fax No. 2530 2426, Email: internet@isd.gov.hk).

Recent Environmental Reports

Last updated : Feb 2025