With a view to expanding the project pilot phase outreach to the Bohai Basin area, the 5th Pilot SMEs Training Workshop was held in the city of Beijing.

With the support from the China Electronics Engineering Design Institute (CEEDI) under Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the 2-day training workshop organised for pilot companies was successfully held at the Training Center of CEEDI on 2nd and 3rd of August 2010. 25 participants attended the event, including representatives from the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology 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 European project manager Mr. Igor Darbo gave a comprehensive introduction of the project latest status including the development of an online e-learning platform for SMEs 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. Ms. Yang Dongjing from CIE introduced the current development of the local electrical and electronic industry and explained how the sustainable production model promoted by the project incorporated the latest international trends and requirements for SMEs. Detailed presentations on eco-efficiency were delivered by project expert Professor Jin Min from Renmin University who introduced the state-of-play of EU legal and regulatory requirements for EE sector, market incentives for eco-design, and an eco-efficiency comprehensive toolbox for SMEs. Key challenges of OHS management and a methodological framework tailored for Chinese SMEs consisting of case studies and learnt lessons of OHS and CSR practices in China and abroad were presented by Mr. Jason Ho through training materials prepared by BSR experts.

Mr. Li Yong from Snowflake Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd., one of the pilot companies in the Bohai Basin producing Refrigerators introduced the enterprise and shared their experiences and challenges on resource management and RoHS compliance. An in-depth interactive discussion with the experts panel followed the pilot SME’s introduction in order to select the most appropriate approach for each company to initiate compliance/improvement measures and design an eco-efficiency/OHS/CSR Action Plan.