NTUC FairPrice gives out $350,000 in rebates to customers with own bags

Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia 3 Jun 09;

SINGAPORE : Singapore's largest supermarket chain, NTUC Fairprice, has given out more than S$350,000 in rebates to shoppers who brought their own bags to pack their purchases.

The FairPrice Green Rewards Scheme, started in 2007, and rewards shoppers with a 10-cent rebate for every S$10 spent.

The scheme is part of the nation-wide "Bring Your Own Bag" campaign.

The supermarket said it has saved more than 40 million plastic bags in the past two years.

The social enterprise has also collected and given out 1.6 million used textbooks to needy students since 1983.

It is now moving to set up its very first eco-friendly FairPrice outlet at City Square Mall, with features like energy-efficient lighting in chillers and freezers. - CNA /ls

Green light for the environment
Esther Ng, Today Online 4 Jun 09;

IN A bid to get Singaporeans to go beyond recycling and reducing the use of plastic bags, NTUC FairPrice wants consumers to think, choose and shop green.

For a start, customers can look forward to its Choose Green Roadshows which will offer eco-friendly products at reduced prices at selected stores throughout the year. FairPrice launched its first weeklong roadshow at Ang Mo Kio Hub on Monday.

Customers who bring in their old light bulbs can exchange them for a Philips energy saving one at a discount.

FairPrice is also partnering the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and North-West CDC on a youth project called Green Singapore (GS) 2050.

“We hope to find out what young people ... think about Singapore’s environment and what they want it to be in 2050,” said SEC’s executive director Howard Shaw.

GS 2050 has set up a web portal, www.youthhabitat.sg, for youth to network and build capacity.

Also in the pipeline is a joint bulb-replacing project for needy homes by FairPrice and Philips Electronics Singapore, where all existing light bulbs will be changed to energy-saving ones.

These initiatives are part of FairPrice’s year-long Green Lifestyle Campaign, which was launched yesterday.

“While we continue to focus our efforts in helping our customers and the community ride through difficult times, we believe it is also important to push on with our initiatvies to preserve the environment in the long run,” said FairPrice’s managing director Seah Kian Peng.

Since it launched its Bring Your Own Bag Day in 2007, FairPrice has saved more than 40 million plastic bags and given out in excess of $350,000 in rebates to shoppers who spend a minimum of $10 and use their own bags to pack their purchases.

Being eco-friendly: Supermarts can do more
Letter from Merrin McLennan, Today Online 5 Jun 09;

In "Green light for the environment" (June 4), it is suggested that NTUC Fairprice is going beyond recycling and reducing of plastic bags by offering more eco friendly products. But Fairprice, along with many supermarkets in Singapore, can go a lot further.

Take a look around the produce section - many items are wrapped in plastic, put on trays, or in 'clamshell' containers. Such packaging makes sense for some items such as strawberries which are packed at source into clamshells, but there are many others which do not warrant the amount of packing they are sold with.

Why can't bakery products be packaged in paper bags and not clamshells? Some stores in the United States offer items such as spices, cereals, grains etc in large dispenser units - you then select the amount you want to take home and put into your own containers. This practice cuts down hugely on the amount of waste packaging.

Come on Singapore supermarkets, raise the bar, and cut down on unneccessary packaging.