Janice Tai And Boon Chan MY PAPER AsiaOne 30 Sep 15;
Some 2,800 companies will soon receive pledge letters from the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) this week to get them to commit to buying only sustainable palm oil products.
The council said yesterday that it is working with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation to get all its members on board in adopting green procurement practices. Such a move is aimed to exert pressure on supply sources in Indonesia to have their palm oil products certified to be from sustainable sources.
Last week, then Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan mentioned green procurement as a way for the Government to influence the supply chains. The council said they are working with the ministry on this and will start off with paper products.
"When the public agencies practice it, hopefully the private sector will follow suit," said SEC chairman Isabella Loh.
"What is holding them back is that there is a lack of certified palm oil products in the market," she added.
For instance, only 10 per cent of palm oil products in Indonesia are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The council is working to raise the percentage of products that are certified to 75 per cent by coming up with its own palm oil certification scheme.
One of the five Indonesian companies believed to be causing the haze from the burning - Asia Pulp and Paper - has some of its products certified by the Singapore Green Labelling scheme run by SEC.
The council said it has started its own separate investigation and issued the company a letter of declaration to state its sources of wood, paper and pulp products. Asia Pulp and Paper has yet to respond.
SEC also called on governments to relook their biodiesel subsidies that incentivise companies to grow their palm oil production.
More than 30 per cent of palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia are diverted to make biodiesel blends. The Indonesian government tripled such subsidies to 5,000 rupiah (S$0.50) per litre, from 1,500 rupiah per litre in May this year.
Hazy conditions here worsened yesterday, with air quality reaching very unhealthy levels in some parts of the country, deteriorating from Monday's unhealthy levels.
Today's outlook does not appear to differ from yesterday's situation.
The National Environment Agency said in a 7.30pm update yesterday that the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the high-end of the unhealthy range (101 to 200) and the low-end of the very unhealthy band (201 to 300).
The "worsening and persistent haze situation" has also prompted the cancellation of the Spring Wave 2015 music festival here, said the event's organiser Friendly Dog Entertainment.
It added yesterday that those who bought tickets to the outdoor event planned for Fort Canning Green on Oct 10 can contact ticketing agents such as Sistic for refund policies.
In coming to a decision, the health and safety of concertgoers, artists including rockers Luantan-Ascent, Wu Bai and Chang Chen-yue, partners and staff was of the "utmost priority", said the organiser.
Singapore Environment Council pushes for green procurement in public sector
The Singapore Environment Council is urging the public sector to switch to using environmentally-friendly office supplies, starting with sustainable paper products.
Liyana Othman Channel NewsAsia 29 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) is pushing for green procurement in the public sector by working with the Environment and Water Resources Ministry in what is seen as top-down efforts to eliminate the recurring haze problem in Singapore.
SEC is urging the public sector to switch to using environmentally-friendly office supplies, starting with sustainable paper products.
Said Mr Edwin Seah, SEC's executive director: "What is important is the public sector as the major consumer base. If they can mandate or at least make it a commitment that they will procure goods from sustainable sources, I think that is a very important signal.
"But it will also trigger manufacturers and suppliers, who want to then do business with the public sector, to then think about changing their ways of procuring palm oil and paper products to ensure that these are sustainably procured."
Currently, many products on the shelves use sources that are not sustainably produced. Due to increasing global demand for palm oil and paper products, forests in Indonesia and Malaysia are razed by fire - the most economical way to clear land for plantation.
This causes the toxic haze which Singapore grapples with almost annually. That is why SEC is working with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation to get buyers to pressure suppliers in these countries, to produce sustainable palm oil and pulp.
It is also sending out letters to 2,800 companies - all members of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation - later this week, to seek their commitment.
CERTIFYING PRODUCTS MADE USING SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL
SEC is also joining forces with the Roundtable for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international non-profit association that certifies products made using sustainable palm oil, to work towards certifying 75 per cent of all palm oil produced.
Currently, only 10 per cent of palm oil produced has received the RSPO certification.
SEC itself has the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme, which endorses products that are environmentally-friendly. It currently has certified more than 3,000 products and has a reach in nearly 27 countries.
However, it was revealed that some products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a company that has come under fire recently for its alleged unsustainable practices, are certified by SEC. The Council has called in APP for questioning, but there is no response yet. If APP is found guilty, SEC will take action to blacklist the company.
CULTIVATING BIODIESEL
The Council believes another major factor causing the haze is the use of biodiesel as an alternative source of energy to non-renewable fossil fuels.
Right now, more than 30 per cent of palm oil is converted to biodiesel. Biodiesel is used, for example, in vehicles. This can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and could contribute in fighting global climate change. However, most of the time, it is unsustainably cultivated.
The Indonesian government, for example, has significantly raised biodiesel subsidies. It has also invested in research and development to boost palm oil production for biodiesel.
The Council is thus urging these countries to revisit such incentives and ensure that transboundary haze can soon be a thing of the past.
- CNA/ek
