As one of the project’s 5 target locations and a prominent industrial cluster for electrical and electronic industry in China, Shenzhen was selected by the consortium as host city for the first pilot SMEs workshop. With the support from the Municipal Promotion Center for Enterprise Technology Innovation and Shenzhen Resource Comprehensive Utilization Committee, the first 2-day training workshop organised for pilot companies was successfully held at Shenzhen Municipal Center on 28th and 29th of December 2009. More than 30 participants attended the event, including a high-level representative from the Energy Saving Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the head of Huawei Technology social responsibility department as well as managers and engineers from the pilot companies selected in this area. In order to increase the event’s outreach and use this opportunity to continue raising interest in the upcoming training programme for 500 SMEs, a handful of local enterprises in the electrical and electronic industry were also invited to attend the event as observers.

The agenda of the 2-days workshop consisted of detailed presentations by partners and experts on eco-efficiency, OHS and CSR measures detailed in the project’s Standards Guidelines and Conformity Model concept, interactive exercises and an on-site learning factory visit. The project Team Leader Mr. Igor Darbo gave a comprehensive introduction of the project latest status and answered questions raised by companies’ representatives regarding the expected commitments and benefits entailed by their participation in the capacity building programme. Observer companies were indicated how to register for joining in the project activities. Mr. Li Hongliang from MIIT explained how the sustainable production model promoted by the project incorporated the latest trends and requirements for SMEs in the areas of China WEEE and China ROHS. Mr. Mu Dejun introduced Huawei Technologies’ successful experience in Green Supply Chain Management and the synergies developed with the SWITCH-Asia project model. As a strategic partner of Deutsche Telekom (project associate), Huawei will continue to provide their expertise in supply chain management and CSR practice. In its capacity as the expert organization contracted by the project to provide technical assistance on occupational health and safety, Business for Social Responsibility introduced the key challenges of OHS management and a training framework tailored for Chinese SMEs consisting of case studies and learnt lessons based on BSR specialists’ hands-on experience of OHS and CSR practices in China and abroad.

Part of the workshop’s second day was dedicated to a learning factory visit on product life cycle management approach at Shenzhen GEM Co. Ltd., a local enterprise providing E-waste treatment and recycling services to the region electrical and electronics industry. The information and experience gathered from this onsite practice will serve as an important reference for the further training and assessment program of the project. Based on the first participants’ feedback, it is intended to include similar on-site learning visits in all subsequent training workshops.