The energy and resource consumption of the Chinese manufacturing industry, particularly within the electrical and electronics sector, remains high compared to international best practices. SMEs in the electrical and electronics industries form the backbone of the Chinese manufacturing
sector but devote only limited investment to addressing non-core business requirements such as eco-efficiency, OHS and CSR improvements. This project will address a number of specific a number of issues facing SMEs in the electrical and electronics industry in China including:
Low resource and energy efficiency
Low awareness of eco-efficiency production processes, environmental protection and effective environmental management
Unhealthy and unsafe working conditions, including nonessential use of toxic and hazardous substances in the production process
Limited understanding of eco-design for electrical and electronic products
Little knowledge on corporate social responsibility related to the environment and product safety
Insufficient recycling of electrical and electronic waste from production lines
Activities
Over the next four years this project seeks to improve the performance of Chinese SMEs in the electrical and electronics sector focusing on:
Eco-efficiency
Occupational Health & Safety
Corporate Social Responsibility
Main activities that will be implemented under this project include:
Review of European and Chinese eco-efficiency, OHS and CSR standards & best practices
Development of eco-efficiency, OHS and CSR Guidelines, Conformity Model and customized training materials for SMEs
Training for 12 pilot SMEs and development of case studies
National and regional launch events
Training for over 500 SMEs
Establishment and training of an SME assessment team
Voluntary auditing, evaluation and awards to superior SMEs
Business facilitation events
European policy tours and regional policy awareness workshops
