Hong Kong's top body of environmental professionals says it will push for its certifications to be accepted in the mainland under the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement.

The pledge came at an event held by the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals on January 25 to celebrate its recognition as a statutory body in November.

The recognition empowers it to play a more significant role in advancing environmental leadership within the industry.

HKIQEP president Freeman Cheung said: “We are actively pursuing inclusion in the CEPA to enable mutual recognition of qualifications, allowing more Hong Kong professionals and companies to obtain practising qualifications in the Chinese mainland.

“HKIQEP's role is crucial in enhancing green policies, construction, technology, and research, driving a powerful synergy and completing the cycle of green development.”

The body said companies can now use its certifications as a benchmark for identifying and hiring top environmental talent.

Currently, many government environment-related projects or tenders require service providers to have employees with HKIQEP qualifications, a requirement increasingly adopted by private businesses as well. This ensures the effective development of Hong Kong as a hub for environmental excellence, it said.

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said: “With the increasing demand for qualified environmental professionals to participate in large-scale regional infrastructure projects, HKIQEP’s statutory recognition is a response to the community's need for such professionals. We are confident that the organization will continue to lead the industry in creating more fruitful results.”

The HKIQEP was established in 2015 to develop and raise the standards of environmental professionals with a view to promoting Hong Kong as a hub of excellence in environmental services.
JUNE CHEN

At the event are, from left, lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok, Tse Chin-wan, Freeman Cheung, and deputy director-general of the department of educational, scientific and technological affairs at Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong Ye Shuiqiu.

The event celebrated a major milestone for Hong Kong's environmental profession.

HK green body to push for CEPA inclusion