Eligibility
for HKGLS Application |
APPLICATION
AND ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
Eligibility
for HKGLS Application
HKGLS is open to application by local
and overseas businesses and industries
with the intention to enhance the
market competitiveness of their products
by means of the Scheme. The prerequisites
of application are:
(a) The label is applicable only
to product categories promulgated
by HKGLS;
(b) The applicant must be a legal
entity (e.g., a legally registered
company, sole proprietorship or individual);
(c) The product in application has
to satisfy the relevant product environmental
criteria set by HKGLS and, if applicable,
other statutory performance criteria;
and
(d) The product in application has
to satisfy the requisite quality and
safety requirements set forth in the
ordinances concerned.
(e) Subject to the approval by the Green Council, discount on application fee for each first application for “Hong Kong Green Label” certification may also be offered to the Environmental Label(s) holders and winners of the Sectoral Awards under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE)
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Application
Procedure for HKGLS |
To
apply for a HKGLS label, please complete
Application form Doc. No.: 003, with the
necessary supporting documents (e.g.
certificates of other environmental
labelling schemes, product testing reports/certificates
issued from accredited laboratory, and
appropriate declarations) and send them
to GC. The HKGLS label application form
is also available at the office of GC.
Alternatively, it can be downloaded
from the HKGLS website: www.greencouncil.org
Green Council
Room 710 New World Tower I
18 Queen's Road Central
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2810 1122
Fax: (852) 2810 1998
HKGLS Website: http://www.greencouncil.org
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Notes for
Applicants |
(a) The applicant
has to submit one application only
for all products that are evaluated
under one set of Product Environmental
Criteria.
(b) Upon request
from GC or the Advisory Committee
or authorised agent, the applicant
has to arrange the necessary random
sample check of the product in application
and/or on-site assessment.
(c) The Regulations
governing the HKGLS and use of the
HKGLS Label may be obtained from GC
and they are subject to revisions
when necessary.
(d) Any questions
on the use of the HKGLS label should
be directed to GC.
(e) The decision
of GC in certifying a product will
be final. |
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Product Assessment
and Approval |
Upon receipt
of an application with associated
supporting documents, GC will conduct
a product assessment based on the
pre-defined product environmental
criteria for the product category
concerned. The environmental features
of the product as claimed will be
verified. The assessment consists
primarily of a detailed review of
the supporting documents, and where
necessary, staff interviews and site
visits. The assessors may also collect
information on the manufacturing process
directly from the manufacturers.
In the course
of product assessment, GC may, when
necessary, invite experts, scholars
and other relevant professionals and/or
organisation representatives to assist
in the product assessment, and provide
professional judgement and technical
recommendations as appropriate.
In some circumstances
where analytical testing is necessary
for product assessment purpose, the
applicant will need to provide the
testing reports or will be referred
to qualified testing laboratories
for the requisite analyses.
After the product
assessment, GC will recommend to approve
or disapprove the application. The
Advisory Committee will be consulted
prior to endorsement of the recommendation.
Whenever deemed necessary, GC or the
Advisory Committee may invite representatives
from the applicant organisation and/or
other relevant parties for further
discussion/clarification. Under normal
circumstances, applicants will be
notified of application results within
two months upon receipt of all necessary
information from the applicant.
In case the
submitted documents are found to be
insufficient, GC will notify the applicant
to make up and/or re-submit the required
documents within one month. Should
the applicant fail to do so, the application
will be disapproved. |
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HKGLS Label
Approval and Validity |
For an approved
application, GC will sign a licensing
contract with the applicant, giving
the latter permission to use the HKGLS
label. The contract will contain details
of:
(a) the licensee;
(b) the product
that complies with the environmental
criteria and is approved to bear the
HKGLS label;
(c) the validity
period; and
(d) confirmation
that the applicant is bound by and
will adhere to the Regulations and
any specific terms and conditions
governing the licensee's display and
use of the HKGLS label.
On signing
the contract by the licensee, GC will
issue a certificate on the right to
use the HKGLS label. The certificate
is normally valid for three years. The
licensee may apply for renewal at
least 3 months before expiry of the
licence. |
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| Compliance
Monitoring |
During
the licence validity period, GC or authorised
agent may from time to time carry out
sample checks and/or site visits without
prior notice to the licensee. This aims
to ensure that the relevant product
environmental criteria and licensing
conditions have been observed at all
times. In the event that the licensee
is found to have failed to comply with
the criteria/conditions, GC will demand
proper rectification work to be completed
within a specified time frame. Should
the licensee be unable to rectify the
situation, the licensing contract will
be terminated and the certificate will
be revoked. |
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| Product
testing |
Analytical
testing to fulfill HKGLS requirements
shall be performed by laboratories that
meet the requirement laid out in the
EN45001 standard or any equivalent systems
(e.g., HOKLAS, ISO-IEC Guide 25), or
ISO/IEC/EN 17025 which replaces ISO-IEC
Guide 25 and EN45001.
The Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation
Scheme (HOKLAS) is an accreditation
scheme operated by Hong Kong Accreditation
Service (HKAS) of the Innovation and
Technology Commission. Its internet
directory at http://www.itc.gov.hk/en/quality/hkas/hoklas/directory/directory.htm
provides the most up-to-date scopes
of accreditation of HOKLAS accredited
laboratories.
To find a laboratory accredited for
a particular type of test, click on
the required Test Category (e.g. Environmental
Testing) in the list. A list of available
tests under that Test Category will
show up. The laboratories accredited
for each of these tests will be shown
on the column next to the test description.
Click on the registration number to
display its scope of accreditation.
Tests can also be performed by laboratories
outside of Hong Kong because HOKLAS
has concluded mutual recognition agreements/arrangements
(MRA) with 53 laboratory accreditation
bodies (55 accreditation schemes)
in 42 economies. For contact details,
please see http://www. itc.gov.hk/en/quality/hkas/hoklas/agreement.htm.
You can access the website of HOKLAS’s
MRA partner by clicking the name of
the organisation.
Please note that tests contained
in Laboratory Reports submitted by
the applicant under the requirement
of HKGLS have to be performed within
4 years from the date of application. The applicants may required to re-perform all the test if the laboratory reports were expired and/or there are significant revision on the HKGLS product criteria.
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| Modification
of Existing Products |
When
an existing product is modified after
obtaining the HKGLS Label, the applicant
will notify GC in respect of the modification
and a new application may be required
depending on the type of modification
being made. |
Hong Kong Green Label Scheme
Eco-product Certification Scheme
China Environmental
Labelling Program
