Private sector in action

In the 1980s, there were multiple everyday reminders of the careless use of Hong Kong's environment: smoke spewing from factories; islands of floating refuse in the harbour.
 
It was such reminders of a general lack of environmental awareness that prompted the then-Chairman of HSBC to declare that "something must be done".
 
Something was.
 
The Hongkong Bank Foundation funded the creation of the Centre of Environmental Technology for Industry to provide small- and medium-sized industrial companies with practical and cost-effective pollution control methods.
 
In addition, HSBC launched the Private Sector Committee on the Environment (PSCE), an initiative which brought together leading Hong Kong businesses to demonstrate an alternative 'private sector approach' to environmental protection.
 
Today, the Centre and the PSCE have been combined to form the Business Environment Council (BEC). The Council remains a private, non-profit organisation focused on helping businesses identify solutions for environmental problems. BEC members also continue to fund pilot projects to help government assess the suitability of new clean-up methods.