How can your company benefit? Here are a few points to think about.

• Competitive advantage - in Hong Kong SAR and other major export markets, consumers have developed a preference for environmentally friendly products. For example, more than 20% of the total population in the U.S. and the U.K. prefer green products.
• Reduced costs - you can probably save money by designing products that use less material or use less energy in the production process etc.
• Compliance - to comply with increasingly stringent green product regulations such as WEEE and RoHS Directives in the EU and similar legislation in other countries, you must start from the design stage of your product.

Latest developments in eco-design requirement

• A new EU Directive on eco-design of energy using products has been published and became EU law on 11August 2005. The Directive provides a framework for setting eco-design requirements for everyday household items such as heaters, washing machines and computers, along with commercial equipment and components. Member States of EU have to transpose it into national law before 11 August 2007.