Environmental Report


Green Management Policy

The Inland Revenue Department is committed to providing a green office environment and operating in an environmentally conscious and responsible manner. Reducing consumption of paper and energy in the office is the Department's green target in view of its office-based operations. We strive to protect and conserve the environment through :

Green Management and Promotion of Green Awareness


Green Management

The Environment and Records Management Committee is chaired by the Departmental Secretary, the Department's Green Manager, and is composed of green executives from various Units and Sections. During the year, the Committee continued to seek staff's suggestions, set directions in our green policies, issue green office guidelines and update staff on new green initiatives adopted. The appointed floor green ambassadors assisted the Green Manager in promoting green awareness and implementing environmental programmes on a floor basis.

Green Education

Various measures were taken during the year to promote environmental awareness amongst staff, including:

The Department also participated in various activities such as The Community Chest Green Day with a view to arousing the staff's awareness on environmental protection. Besides, the Sports Association also assisted in promoting green awareness and healthy lifestyle among staff by organising a variety of activities in the year, including the Chinese New Year Gift Transfer Programme, thematic talks and outings to the countryside.

Environmental Protection Performance

To balance operational needs with environmental care and social responsibility, the Department focuses its efforts to provide a healthy working environment with satisfactory indoor air quality, and to conserve energy, reduce paper consumption, minimise waste production and encourage waste recycling.

Smoke-free Workplace

Starting from 2007, it is a statutory requirement that all indoor areas in workplaces are smoke-free. Indeed, smoking has been prohibited in Revenue Tower since 1996. No-smoking signs are displayed at conspicuous locations in the office. Circulars are re-circulated regularly to remind staff about the importance of maintaining a smoke-free working environment and providing green healthy public areas to visitors.

Indoor Air Quality

We attach great importance to good indoor air quality. During the year, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department commissioned a contractor to conduct a comprehensive indoor air quality measurement in offices located in the Revenue Tower. Revenue Tower was again awarded the “Indoor Air Quality Certificate (Good Class)” in September 2011. It shows that our office fully meets the requirements in this respect.

Energy Conservation

The Department is proactive in energy conservation and has implemented various energy saving measures to reduce electricity consumption. An overall drop of 3.9% in electricity consumption was observed over the past four years. The following energy saving measures have been adopted :

These measures will continue to be implemented in the Department to conserve energy.

Adherence to the “3R” Principle


The Department continued to adhere to the 3R principle - “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” in the consumption of materials.

Reduction and Reuse of Paper

In specific, the Department adopted the following measures in the year to reduce paper and envelope consumption :

Waste recycling


The Department encourages all staff members to participate in the recycling programmes. Bags and recycling boxes are placed at various conspicuous locations on all floors of the Department to facilitate the collection of three recyclable wastes, namely papers, aluminium cans and plastic bottles. Besides, used printer cartridges are also collected for recycling. Throughout the year, the Department collected 324,571 kg of waste paper, 112 kg of aluminium cans, 362 kg of plastic bottles and 8,033 used printer cartridges.

New Initiatives and Targets


The Department will strive to enhance its green performance through formulating and taking forward new initiatives and targets for environmental protection. The Intranet and the Departmental Portal will continue to be widely utilised for the enhancement of e-office facilities. Continuous efforts will be made to economise on the consumption of electricity and papers, and to promote the selection of recycled papers and green products in our procurement.