In Hong Kong, there was a total of 118 manufacturing establishments as at September 2005. Most of these establishments were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Hong Kong toy manufacturers produce a wide range of toys with particular strength in plastic toys.

The Toy Industry is not a significant water user. Its environmental characteristics may include:

• A minimum of recycle water used for cooling.
• Some emissions of VOCs as a result of solvents or inks used as colorants or for printing.
• The only major sources of chemical wastes are spent oils and lubricants from injection moulding machines, disposal of which is not anticipated to present problems of compliance.
  

Thus, toy manufacturing is not expected to be an industry which is subject to significant problems of compliance.

(Source: Hong Kong Trade Development Council & Trade and Industry Department)

Challenges for SMEs

Owing to regulatory requirements which are becoming more stringent, toys industry will suffer from environmental pressure if they could not find cost-effective ways to tackle their environmental problems.

However, SME manufacturers face a number of barriers during the course of looking for self-improvement and becoming a green and responsible industrialist. The main barriers for SME in improving their environmental performance are:

• Ability in adopting the right cleaner production concepts in production process
  
• Know-how in eco-product design
  
• Identifying a cost-effective pollution control technology
  
• Understanding the local and global legal requirements in environmental protection
  
• Proper ways in responding global environmental supply chain pressures
  
• Strategic planning for long-term environmental improvement
  
• Constraints from capital and human resources
  

Want to know more about the Key Environmental Issues of Toys Industry? Go to the section of Key Environmental Issues.