Indonesia: Govt pushes joint ASEAN efforts on illegal fishing

Tama Salim and Fedina S. Sundaryani, The Jakarta Post 7 Oct 15;

Almost a year after placing a ban on renewals of licenses for large, foreign-built fishing vessels, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is devising a post-moratorium national plan of action (NPOA) that will focus on strengthening Indonesia’s maritime policies in the context of regional integration.

The NPOA will focus on policies promoting sovereignty, sustainability and prosperity, as well as optimizing the ability to detect, respond and punish perpetrators of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In order to ensure the success of its policies, the government is pushing for the recognition of IUU fishing as a transnational crime.

According to Mas Achmad Santosa, the head of the ministry’s illegal fishing prevention task force, the government is looking to enable the handling of IUU fishing and fisheries-related practices across national borders.

Illegal poaching, Ahmad said, was almost always accompanied by related crimes such as human trafficking, modern slavery or the falsification of documents.

“A network of illegal poachers at sea is usually controlled by identifiable entities or individuals. In Indonesia’s case, the strings are being pulled [by parties] in Thailand and China — and it starts out as a ploy with other countries to blur the legality of transfer ownership,” Achmad told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Since November last year, the government has enforced a ban on all foreign-built fishing vessels over 30 gross tons (GT) under the suspicion that the operation of these ships might be a ruse for poaching.

A total 1,132 ships owned by 187 fisheries firms underwent an analysis and evaluation (Anev) audit by the illegal fishing prevention task force, in which it was revealed that 907 ships — roughly 80 percent — had committed operational and administrative infractions.

As a result, the ministry revoked 15 business licenses (SIUP) and 279 operational licenses (SIPI/SIKPI), in addition to pressing criminal charges against 18 large fisheries firms.

Achmad claimed that IUU fishing practices in Indonesia took advantage of lax border control and discrepancy in maritime policies among neighboring countries, raising a pressing need for governments to synchronize their maritime law enforcement policies.

As a result of previous discussions, he continued, the government had started working on a multilateral framework involving Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Australia to combat poaching in the Arafura Sea.

“We have to strengthen cooperation among these countries so that we have a common standard for legal enforcement,” said the former antigraft activist.

Separately, Ono Surono, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV overseeing agriculture and fisheries and the environment, supported the initiative to have IUU fishing recognized as a transnational crime.

Ono urged countries sharing maritime borders — especially members of ASEAN, Timor Leste, PNG, China and Australia — to establish an institution for collectively handling IUU fishing practices, thus overcoming nations’ limited capability to monitor their territorial waters.

Last Friday, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said that the police force had joined efforts to establish illegal fishing as a transnational crime.

During the 10th ASEAN Minister Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia two weeks ago, Badrodin explained, Indonesia had highlighted the issue.

“We stressed that illegal fishing was a transnational crime, as it is a violation related to national borders and [occurs] across countries,” he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

ASEAN’s eight priority areas of transnational crime comprise counterterrorism, illicit drug-trafficking, trafficking in persons, money laundering, sea piracy, arms smuggling, international economic crime and cybercrime.

“Our focus is not on decreasing [illegal fishing] but on law enforcement. In law enforcement, for example, if a group of people suspected of a crime was caught here but several of them ran away to another country, or if someone was convicted of a crime here but fled the country, then how would we catch them?” the police chief asked.


Indonesia, Australia agree on fisheries cooperation
Tama Salim, The Jakarta Post 8 Oct 15;

In line with its plan to synchronize maritime law enforcement policies with its neighbors Indonesia has secured the support of Australia to protect the country from incursions by foreign fishermen who illegally enter the country’s vast territorial waters.

Australia has agreed to strengthen its cooperation with Indonesia on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices, and to engage at the operational level and promote sustainable fisheries governance.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti met with Australia’s Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce on Wednesday to sign a joint communiqué on the cooperation to combat IUU fishing.

“We want to strengthen this cooperation for collective gain — Australia will also sign the declaration to combat illegal fishing in Asia and the Pacific, especially on Indonesia’s borders with Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Fiji,” Susi told reporters during a press conference at her office on Wednesday.

Susi welcomed the improved cooperation with Australia in the maritime sector, acknowledging that without its southern neighbors, Indonesia would have a hard time monitoring the vast waters in the eastern part of the
archipelago.

“Our hope is that we will be able to enhance our cooperation to ensure that no one will poach fish on our borders with Australia, PNG and Timor Leste,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Minister Joyce praised Susi’s work in the sector and said that he looked forward to collaborating more in a global setting to better manage the fisheries sector.

“We are very happy with the work that Australians are doing with the Indonesians in making sure that we find out who is sneaking into other people’s places and stealing their fish,” Joyce told reporters on Wednesday.

“All I can say is it’s lucky that we caught them before Ibu Susi bombed them or burned them,” he added.

Joyce also stressed the importance of doing further work together in the fisheries sector so that all fishermen in the region got a fair deal.

“Otherwise it’s just going to get fished out and other people are going to steal a product that sustains their way of life, sustains their economic income — and that is just not fair,” he added.

As part of the proposed cooperation, Indonesia has invited Australia to expand coordinated patrols near the maritime borders of Timor Leste and PNG, as well as providing all necessary support and assistance in combatting IUU fishing.

Indonesia also asked Australia’s border officials to provide intelligence to assist in its crackdown on poaching.

In return, Australia will receive Indonesia’s support — among others — in its recently updated Sedentary Organisms Proclamation, in which Australia will be able to lay claim to areas “proximate to Indonesia and [which] sits beneath waters” within Indonesia’s fisheries jurisdiction under current arrangements.

The cooperation takes into account the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) to promote responsible fishing practices, the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI-CFF) and the declaration on strategic action programs for the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA), as well as other regional frameworks such as the Australia-Indonesia Fisheries Surveillance Forum (AISF).

Mas Achmad Santosa, the head of the IUU fishing prevention task force, said the government was due to meet with representatives of Timor Leste, PNG and Fiji in the coming months.

“We have to strengthen cooperation among these countries so that we have a common standard for legal enforcement,” he said.

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Indonesia: Dams closed; people use seawater due to dry season

Ganug Nugroho Adi, The Jakarta Post 7 Oct 15;

The prolonged dry season has forced authorities to close the Gajah Mungkur and Colo dams in Central Java and hundreds of families to use seawater in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) for their daily needs.

Head of the water resources and water services division of tap water company Perum Jasa Tirta’s (PJT) I Bengawan Solo River region, Winarno Susiladi, said the current elevation of Gajah Mungkur, one of the biggest dams in the country, was 129.39 centimeters and its water level had yet to increase because the stream in upper areas was not yet filled with water due to the prolonged dry season.

With such a volume, the turbine of Gajah Mungkur’s hydropower plant could not operate since the minimum water debit required for the turbine to work is 19 cubic meters per second.

“The water volume indeed is not sufficient to move the turbine, but we have no problem with electricity as the electricity network in Wonogiri is also connected to other regions,” Winarno said on Tuesday.

In normal conditions the electricity produced can reach up to three megawatts per second, he said.

He added that the decrease in the volume of the dams had also caused a decrease in the clean water supply from Wonogiri tap water company (PDAM) Giri Tirta Sari.

To deal with the problem, said Winarno, the company dammed up the Bengawan Solo River in Sanggrahan, Giripurwo.

“We apologize if the water supply from the company is disrupted. We are trying to increase the debit by damming up river,” Giri Tirta Sari’s president director Sumarjo said.

Doing so, according to Sumarjo, could increase the water debit. He said the measure had been taken for years by his company, especially during dry seasons when the water debit decreased.

PDAM Giri Tirta Sari currently services some 8,000 customers.

However, the Bengawan Solo River Management Agency (BBSBS) said that it had closed the water gates of the Gajah Mungkur and Colo dams, located in Wonogiri and Sukoharjo respectively, for the whole month for maintenance.

Closures were also effective on the dams’ irrigation canals, stopping water from flowing to some 23,000 hectares of rice fields.

“The closure will not influence the plants in the fields as most of the rice is about to be harvested. We have disseminated information to farmers,” the agency’s maintenance division head Danang Baskoro said.

Danang said the closures were an annual occurrence to maintain and repair the dams as well as their irrigation canals and water gates.

Separately, Wardiyono, a farmer in Sukoharjo, said the closure of Colo Dam would influence some 5 hectares of rice fields in the regency. He said not all rice plants in the region were ready for harvest.

“But, what else can we do? It’s time to close the dam. I can only surrender,” said the 54-year-old farmer.

Meanwhile, in NTB, some 500 families in Doro O’O subdistrict, Langgudu district, Bima regency, were reportedly forced to use seawater for their needs.

“It’s because no water is left that people were forced to drink from the sea,” NTB provincial councilor Misfalah said in Mataram on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Misfalah said that water scarcity had begun since drought had hit the region. Springs and people’s wells have also dried up.

“If they want to get water they have to walk for 10 kilometers, not to mention the location of the water sources on the hill and seawater entering water sources and wells,” Misfalah said.

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Indonesia: Jakarta sea wall an environmental disaster: Study

Corry Elyda, The Jakarta Post 7 Oct 15;

A study by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has revealed that the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project, known as the Giant Sea Wall (GSW) or the Great Garuda, would have a massive environmental and social impact on the city, including the disappearance of islands and damage to the maritime ecosystem.

Taslim Arifin, a researcher at the Research and Development Center for Marine and Coastal Resources at the ministry, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that his team had conducted an ecological and physical oceanography survey last year to see how the construction of the GSW would affect the environment around Jakarta Bay. “The results showed that the wall would affect the sea currents outside the wall, so it could potentially erode the islands in the western part of the bay, including Onrust Island,” he said, adding that the island could eventually disappear.

Onrust, like other islands such as Kelor and Cipir, is a historical site and has been declared an archeological park.

Taslim said that apart from eroding the island, the GSW would also destroy natural habitats in the waters north of Jakarta, including coral reefs.

“More than 50 percent of our coral reef has been destroyed. However, it still has potential as Jakarta Bay is also a spawning area for various fish species,” he said.

He added that although Jakarta Bay was heavily polluted, fish could still be found. “Their conditionswould be greatly affected,” he said.

The NCICD, previously the Jakarta Coastal Defense Strategy (JCDS), was introduced by Dutch consulting firms to then governor Fauzi Bowo. It is a giant project that aims to mitigate tidal flooding amid a worsening problem of land subsidence.

According to the NCICD’s executive summary published in June on ncicd.com, the first phase of the project would be the construction of 15,614 meters of dike segments in Jakarta and West Java.

The second phase would be the construction of the outer sea wall in the western part of Jakarta Bay, scheduled for 2018 and targeted to be completed in 2025. The last phase of the project would be the construction of the outer sea wall in the eastern part of the bay in 2025.

Taslim said that the water inside the GSW would also become a problem. “As the water is trapped, the pollutants deposited by the 13 rivers in Jakarta would accumulate in one place,” he said.

He said the accumulation would cause eutrophication that would be fatal for the biota in the water as the oxygen concentration fell.

“The water inside the seawall would become a big pond of pollution. It would become worse if the city administration did not start to tackle the pollution in the rivers,” he said.

According to Taslim, the project would also require the city administration to relocate 24,000 fishermen who live along the coast.

In the executive summary, the NCICD cites environmental impacts like the loss of coastal habitats and the transition to fresh water and poor water quality in the large reservoir after closing the sea wall.

It says the impact has been evaluated in a strategic environmental assessment report. “In brief, the outcome is that the NCICD project does have an environmental impact [as with any large project], but that this is not at an unacceptable level.”

Issues to be taken into consideration include the fact that “the quality of the habitat in Jakarta Bay is already so poor [due to pollution] that losses would be limited.”

The NCICD says it does not formally include the equally controversial development of 17 islands by the city administration, although it proposes “a synergy” with the reclamation project.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has been at odds with Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over the planned reclamation and creation of the 17 islands.


Giant Sea Wall urgent to save sinking Jakarta: Consultant
Corry Elyda, The Jakarta Post 8 Oct 15;

A water management specialist from Dutch research institute Deltares has confirmed that the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project, known as the Giant Sea Wall (GSW), will have an environmental impact, but says that land subsidence in Jakarta is a far greater threat and the wall is one of the solutions.

Jan Jaap Brinkman said on Wednesday that the project might affect the Thousand Islands as well as erosion patterns, coral reefs and biota.

However, Brinkman argued that the project was an urgent measure to protect four to five million people threatened by land subsidence that would see their current homes 4 to 9 meters below sea level.

“Everybody keeps forgetting and ignoring the land subsidence, this is the driving force,” he said.

Jakarta is sinking an average of 5 to 20 centimeters per year, with an average of about 7.5 cm per year.

Brinkman added that if the land subsidence continued like this, by the end of the century Jakarta would have sunk another 5 to 6 meters.

Brinkman said the “cheapest and easiest” solution to land subsidence is to stop groundwater extraction. Millions of households, offices, and industries rely on groundwater as the coverage of tap water is only about 60 percent.

“However, if the sinking does not stop, Jakarta has only two options to protect its people,” he said.

He went on to say that they comprised evacuating millions of people and buildings from northern Jakarta to higher ground or enclosing Jakarta Bay with a “good, very safe dike, good very large pumps and a very large lake to store the water: the giant sea wall”.

Recently, the Research and Development for Marine and Coastal Resources Department at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry showed that the giant sea wall would have large environmental and social costs, including the disappearance of islands and the damage of biota in the sea. The ministry’s study claimed that it would also destroy the biota in the water inside the wall because of eutrophication process from the pollution of Jakarta’s 13 rivers, and displace thousands of fishermen.

The study was conducted by more than a dozen researchers in 2014 by making a simulation of the GSW. The result was published as a book, Dinamika Teluk Jakarta; Analisis Prediksi Dampak Pembangunan Tanggul Laut Jakarta (The Dynamics of Jakarta Bay; Prediction Analysis of the effects of the Giant Sea Wall Construction), by IPB Press.

Separately, the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister’s assistant deputy for water resource infrastructure, Mohammad Zainal Fatah, said that he doubted GSW would cause great environmental damage, saying that it would instead have many positive effects.

“The project is urgent as North Jakarta is sinking,” he said.

Regarding the potential for eutrophication, Zaenal said the wall would not be designed like a big sewage pond.

“We will have a water treatment plant that can provide a raw water supply,” he said.

He added that the central government and the city administration were now speeding up construction plans of the liquid waste treatment system.

“We previously aimed to complete the project by 2050 but we are trying to finish it by 2022,” he said.

Separately, Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) Tuty Kusumawati said that the city administration and other entities would try to minimize the impact of the project on the fisherfolk.

“We will try to alter their profession from fisherfolk to fish farmers,” she said.

Read more!

Malaysia mulls over plan to buy electricity from Laos

The Star 8 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Laos, Thailand and Malaysia may proceed with a planned cross-border power trade minus Singapore, which had some concerns over the initiative, said Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister said his officers were exploring the possibility for the pilot project, known as the Laos PDR, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore (LTMS) Power Integration Project (PIP), to be carried out in two phases.

“Under Phase One, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia can embark on this project with Malaysia buying the proposed 100MW from Laos through Thailand,” said Ongkili during the opening of the 33rd Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (Amem) at Grand Hyatt Hotel.

The LTMS-PIP is part of the Asean Power Grid initiative to ensure energy security and greater utilisation of shared resources among member states.

The LTMS-PIP plan was initiated during the last Amem meeting in Vientiane, Laos, in 2014.

Officials from LTMS countries had met 11 times since then and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) among the partners was supposed to be signed during this week’s meeting.

“Unfortunately, I have been made to understand that due to certain reservations, this MoU will not be signed,” he said.

Ongkili said Singapore practised transparent and competitive bidding for its supply of power.

He said they were not prepared at this moment to impose and take a load of 100MW.

“Singapore needs more time to decide whether to make a direct award or direct absorption by-passing the normal competitive bidding process,” he said.

Ongkili is confident that these issues can be ironed out in the next six months while the three other countries can absorb the 100MW in the meantime.

He pointed out that the electricity utilities in the three countries were vertically integrated and only a Power Purchasing Agreement ­needed to be signed.

Ongkili said strengthening energy co-operation would bring the region closer to its goal of achieving greater energy security and realising Asean connectivity.


Laos, Thai, Msia & Singapore power deal delayed
VEENA BABULAL New Straits Times 7 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: The signing of the Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore (LTMS) Power Integration Project deal has been delayed for another six months.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the pioneer project's memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was due to be signed during the 33rd Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting and Associated Meetings which is being held here from Monday to Friday, has been stalled due to reservations by Singapore.

"The challenges are actually not big. It's mainly from Singapore but I am confident the MoU would be signed in six months,” he said.

He said Singapore needed some time to go through the agreement, which involves a direct award or direct absorption which bypasses the normal competitive bidding process.

"For now, Singapore needs more time because they need to go through a transparent and competitive bidding process. This PIP pilot project is carried out in two phases, where under phase one Laos, Thailand and Malaysia can embark on this project with Malaysia buying the proposed 100 megawatts from Laos and Thailand," he said.

"At this point they are not ready to just impose the MoU conditions and take on the power load through the system," he added.

Read more!

Progress made in fundraising for poor to fight climate change

Valerie Volcovici PlanetArk 8 Oct 15;

The world's richest countries mobilized $61.8 billion in public and private funds in 2014 to help poor countries combat and adapt to climate change, almost two-thirds of a goal to raise $100 billion a year starting in 2020, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Climate Policy Initiative aimed to provide the first clear snapshot of how far rich countries are from achieving the 2020 target, a key ingredient for a new global climate change deal later this year.

The estimate was based on flows of public-sector climate funds reported to the U.N. climate change secretariat from rich to poor countries through bilateral agreements, multilateral institutions and export credits, and private-sector money.

There has not been a clear system to track climate finance and ensure previous pledges are not double-counted, undermining trust between rich and poor countries in U.N. climate talks.

"This figure and the irreproachable methodology that underpins it is a major step in terms of credibility," said French Finance Minister Michel Sapin.

Ensuring wealthy countries are on the road to meeting their 2020 commitment, first made in 2009, is seen as crucial to achieving a climate agreement in Paris this December.

Many developing nations have accused rich nations of failing to increase their commitments after an initial $10 billion a year pledged for 2010 to 2012.

"The figures cited are well short of what even the most conservative estimates suggest are needed to help us adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts," said Amjad Abdulla of the Maldives, chief U.N. negotiator for island states.

The report estimates public and private climate finance mobilized by rich countries averaged $57 billion in 2013-14. Roughly 71 percent came from public funds, 26 percent from the private sector and 3 percent from export credits.

More than two-thirds of the money was allocated to projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in developing countries, with just 16 percent devoted to helping them cope with climate change impacts like flooding and droughts.

Developing countries have said grant-based finance for adaptation was a priority.

"There is no guarantee for any developing country that they are going to get any kind of reasonable support to cope with a changing climate," said Tim Gore, head of climate change and food policy for Oxfam International.

Brandon Wu, a senior policy analyst for ActionAid said the OECD estimates counted export credits and the full value of loans to poor countries as climate finance, making the report's estimates "misleading."

"The amounts committed to date fall far short of what's needed, and accounting tricks won't change that," he said.

The report will be discussed at a meeting of finance ministers on Friday in Lima, who are expected to use the findings to lay out a climate finance framework ahead of U.N. climate talks in Paris, which start on Nov. 30.

So far, Germany, France and the Asian Development Bank have announced new financial commitments by 2020. Last month the UK announced a new multi-billion pledge between 2016 and 2021 and China said it would offer $3.1 billion.

(Additional reporting by Michel Rose in Paris and Megan Rowling for the Thomson Reuters Foundation; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Cynthia Osterman)

Paris climate talks should not put figure on finance, says World Bank vice-president
Fiona Harvey The Guardian 7 Oct 15;

The Paris conference on climate change should not set a target for future financial assistance to developing countries, according to the World Bank’s top official on climate change.

The question of how rich countries should provide money to poor countries to help them cut greenhouse gases and cope with the effects of global warming will be crucial to success at Paris, and the World Bank’s intervention is likely to be controversial in some quarters.

At the last landmark climate conference, in Copenhagen in 2009, rich countries agreed that $100bn a year should flow to the poor world in “climate finance” by 2020, a figure still to be met. Most developing countries regard this as totemic issue, and it is likely to prove the make-or-break condition of the Paris meeting in December, where governments are hoping to forge a new global agreement for the decade beyond 2020.

Rachel Kyte, World Bank vice-president and special envoy for climate change, told the Guardian that she rejected the idea that a Paris agreement should contain a similar pledge.

She said: “I hope there is not a number [on climate finance] for beyond 2020 at Paris. I understand the need of developed countries to ensure that finance is going to those countries but that is not it.”

She accused governments at the Copenhagen meeting of making up a symbolic number in the closing days of the talks, just to try to get a last-minute deal.

“The $100bn was picked out of the air at Copenhagen,” she argued. “If you think about the global economy and the challenge for finance ministers in developed countries, I’m not sure that an abstract number like $100bn is helpful. It is not a meaningful number to a country managing its economy.”

Climate change now affects many aspects of a country’s development and economy, she said, so that it would be difficult in future to separate out “climate finance” from other funds.

The Paris conference is aimed at continuing where Copenhagen left off. In 2009, for the first time, developed and developing country governments jointly agreed targets on cutting or curbing their emissions up to 2020.

But the summit was marred by scenes of chaos and bitter recriminations, and the resulting deal - though still valid - was not enshrined in a formal treaty. As a result, the targets agreed there are not legally binding at an international level, though many are at a country level.

Hopes for Paris are for a treaty or another binding legal instrument that will ensure all the commitments on emissions are more formally treated. In order to gain developing country agreement, rich nations will have to show that they are fulfilling the $100bn pledge, as well as preparing to ramp up their contributions beyond 2020, when any Paris agreement would come into effect.

Kyte said that the new agreement would not need a similar pledge on post-2020 financial assistance, but would be better made with a clear commitment to provide clearly defined climate finance, without setting a specific number on it.

This was not only because a numerical pledge would be meaningless, but because the commitments on emissions (called Intended Nationally Defined Contributions, or INDCs in the UN jargon) are now much clearer than they were at Copenhagen. Countries will have to set out clear plans on how to meet them, and this will provide greater certainty on how much money will be required for that task.

She told the Guardian: “It’s now a very different dynamic to the one at Copenhagen. We have INDCs so we can build from the bottom up from those numbers. INDCs start to give you a true sense of what is needed.”

This would encourage further investment from the private sector, she predicted.

The World Bank is one of the most important global contributors to climate finance, and all development banks are expected to produce clear plans as to how they will step up their efforts on climate finance to meet the $100bn goal by 2020. Other sources of climate finance are rich country governments, pledging taxpayer-funded amounts, and the private sector, which is increasingly investing in clean technology, as the price of renewables and other low-carbon technologies continues to fall.

However, there is still a large gap between the sum of all the sources of climate finance and the $100bn pledge, and it must be shown that this can be closed if developing countries are to be satisfied. There is a “trust deficit” between developing countries anxious to receive the assistance, and the developed countries who pledged it six years ago, said Kyte.

Kyte was adamant that the World Bank would continue to play its part in closing the gap, and would continue to play a major role in providing climate finance beyond 2020. She said that all finance provided to poor countries for their development should take account of the likely future ravages of global warming.

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Best of our wild blogs: 7 Oct 15

The Pacific Swallow aka House Swallow
Bird Ecology Study Group

5 Terek Sandpipers @ Seletar - 24Sep2015
sgbeachbum

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Singapore waiting for Indonesia to respond to request for names of errant companies responsible for haze

Today Online 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE – The Indonesian government has yet to turn over the names of errant companies suspected of playing a part in causing the haze that has plagued Singapore since last month.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today (Oct 7) it has sent a formal request for the names of these companies to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore. “This was in response to the request by the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, who had previously said that if Singapore wanted the names of these companies to be officially sent to it, then this had to be done through the Government-to-Government channel,” an MFA spokesperson said. “We look forward to an early response from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on our requests so that we can take the necessary action against those who are responsible for the haze.”

In its note to the Indonesia embassy, Singapore also reiterated its haze assistance, which Indonesia has rejected several times, saying it has the resources to manage. “Singapore stands ready to assist Indonesia in its haze combatting and fire-fighting efforts,” the MFA spokesperson said.


Singapore has sent formal request to Indonesia for names of errant firms: MFA
Nisha Ramchandani Business Times 7 Oct 15;

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has sent a formal request for the names of the companies suspected of being linked to the haze in Indonesia and has also reiterated its offer of assistance.

"This was in response to the request by the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, who had previously said that if Singapore wanted the names of these companies to be officially sent to it, then this had to be done through the government-to-government channel," said an MFA spokesman in response to media queries."We look forward to an early response from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on our requests so that we can take the necessary action against those who are responsible for the haze."

The spokesman added that, in the same note, Singapore also reiterated its haze-assistance offer to Indonesia, which includes a team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to provide assessment and planning assistance as well as up to three C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations and to ferry the SCDF team.

In addition, Singapore is offering high-resolution satellite pictures and hotspot coordinates and a Chinook helicopter.

The spokesman added: "Singapore stands ready to assist Indonesia in its haze-combating and fire-fighting efforts."

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Haze fallout: NTUC FairPrice will withdraw all APP paper products

In a press release, NTUC FairPrice said it would withdraw all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) by 5pm on Oct 7, after SEC says it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for its products.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice announced on Wednesday (Oct 7) that it will withdraw all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for the Indonesian firm's products.

In a press release, FairPrice said it carries 14 Housebrand products that are certified with the Singapore Green Label. Among them, two are Housebrand tissue products sourced from APP through a licensed distributor. In addition, all 16 APP-related products from various brands carried by the chain also have the Singapore Green Label certification, FairPrice said.

Products affected by the withdrawal include FairPrice Softpack Tissue 200s, and FairPrice Gold 3 Ply Facial Tissue 140s, supplied by APP. FairPrice will also withdraw all APP-related products, including those from Paseo, NICE and Jolly, by 5pm on Wednesday, it said.

NTUC FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng said: “We have been proactively monitoring the situation over the past week. We initiated meetings with the various parties concerned when the list of firms including APP, was named by the authorities as suspects for contributing to the haze.”

“As a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities. Our decision to withdraw all APP products is a result of the temporary restriction of their Green Label certification,” he added.

“NO SUPPLIER HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE INVOLVED”: APP

APP has said it has "nothing to hide" and "no supplier has been proven to be involved" in raging forest fires in Indonesia contributing to hazy conditions around the region.

In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday (Oct 7), APP - which is a member of Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group and has an office in Singapore - said it received a notice from Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sep 25 and had responded in accordance to their deadline.

NEA had issued the notice under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, seeking information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions, as smoke from raging forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan had pushed air quality to unhealthy levels in Singapore.

APP added that it has invited NEA officials to visit its operations in Indonesia to demonstrate the company's no burning policy.

"If a supplier were found to have been involved in setting forest fires, our policy is clear and we would disengage that supplier. Thus far no supplier has been proven to be involved. It is premature therefore to make judgments until investigations by relevant authorities are completed," the statement said.

In the statement, APP said its list of pulpwood suppliers is public, and the company submits concession maps to the Indonesian government and World Resources Institute (WRI).

"We continue to implement our Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) round the clock, as well as deploying 2,900 trained firefighters and fire suppression helicopters to help deal with this tragic situation," APP said in the statement, adding that there are fires within their suppliers' concessions, but not started by the company or its suppliers.

"The fire situation is complex and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments and authorities are still investigating the situation."

APP products include Enlivo notebooks, Inspira paper and Paseo tissue paper.

- CNA/dl

Haze watch: Supermarkets, shops asked if paper products from sustainable sources
NTUC FairPrice, Watsons and IKEA are among seven companies that have been asked by the SEC and CASE to declare that they have not sourced products from companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Major supermarkets, pharmacies and furniture retailers in Singapore such as NTUC FairPrice, Watsons and IKEA have been asked to declare that their wood, paper and pulp products are procured from sustainable sources.

Seven companies and their subsidiaries will be asked to sign declaration forms stating that they have not procured or used materials from the companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said in a joint news release on Wednesday (Oct 7).

The seven companies are: IKEA, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong, NTUC Unity, Watsons, NTUC FairPrice and Dairy Farm Group, which operates Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, Market Place by Jason’s, Guardian and 7-Eleven.

“These major supermarkets, pharmacies and furniture retailers operate several outlets from which consumers purchase paper-based products. They are a good starting point for retailers to commit to a green procurement process and for consumers to show their support for brands that have environmentally friendly practices,” the joint release said.

Declaration forms will be sent to the companies on Wednesday, and they are expected to respond within one week.

On Monday, the SEC and CASE said 10 out of 17 companies that manufacture paper products sold in Singapore have declared that they do not use products from five companies in Indonesia suspected of contributing to haze pollution. Another two companies – Mukim Fine Papers, which manufactures Tauro paper, and Tipex, which manufactures Goodlife and Beautex products – have since signed the declaration.

The remaining five companies that did not submit a valid declaration form will be temporarily restricted from using the “Singapore Green Label” certification pending further investigations, the SEC said.

- CNA/cy


NTUC FairPrice to withdraw all Asia Pulp & Paper Group paper products
Today Online 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice announced today (Oct 7) that it will withdraw all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for the Indonesian firm’s products.

In a press release, FairPrice said it carries 14 housebrand products that are certified with the Singapore Green Label. Among them, two are housebrand tissue products sourced from APP through a licensed distributor. In addition, all 16 APP-related products from various brands carried by the chain also have the Singapore Green Label certification, FairPrice said.

Products affected by the withdrawal include FairPrice Softpack Tissue 200s, and FairPrice Gold 3 Ply Facial Tissue 140s, supplied by APP. FairPrice will also withdraw all APP-related products, including those from Paseo, NICE and Jolly, by 5pm today, it said.

NTUC FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng said: “We have been proactively monitoring the situation over the past week. We initiated meetings with the various parties concerned when the list of firms including APP, was named by the authorities as suspects for contributing to the haze.”

“As a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities. Our decision to withdraw all APP products is a result of the temporary restriction of their Green Label certification,” he added.

‘NO SUPPLIER HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE INVOLVED’: APP

APP has said it has “nothing to hide” and “no supplier has been proven to be involved” in raging forest fires in Indonesia contributing to hazy conditions around the region.

In a statement issued to the media today, APP — which is a member of Indonesia’s Sinar Mas Group and has an office in Singapore — said it received a notice from Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sep 25 and had responded in accordance to their deadline.

NEA had issued the notice under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, seeking information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions, as smoke from raging forest fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan had pushed air quality to unhealthy levels in Singapore.

APP added that it has invited NEA officials to visit its operations in Indonesia to demonstrate the company’s no burning policy.

“If a supplier were found to have been involved in setting forest fires, our policy is clear and we would disengage that supplier. Thus far no supplier has been proven to be involved. It is premature therefore to make judgments until investigations by relevant authorities are completed,” the statement said.

In the statement, APP said its list of pulpwood suppliers is public, and the company submits concession maps to the Indonesian government and World Resources Institute (WRI).

“We continue to implement our Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) round the clock, as well as deploying 2,900 trained firefighters and fire suppression helicopters to help deal with this tragic situation,” APP said in the statement, adding that there are fires within their suppliers’ concessions, but not started by the company or its suppliers.

“The fire situation is complex and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments and authorities are still investigating the situation.”

APP products include Enlivo notebooks, Inspira paper and Paseo tissue paper.


Haze fallout: NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong withdraw all APP paper products
NTUC FairPrice and supermarket chain Sheng Siong withdraw all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) after the Singapore Environment.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Supermarket chains NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong announced on Wednesday (Oct 7) that they would withdraw all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for the Indonesian firm's products.

In a press release, FairPrice said it carries 14 Housebrand products that are certified with the Singapore Green Label. Among them, two are Housebrand tissue products sourced from APP through a licensed distributor. In addition, all 16 APP-related products from various brands carried by the chain also have the Singapore Green Label certification, FairPrice said.

Products affected by the withdrawal include FairPrice Softpack Tissue 200s, and FairPrice Gold 3 Ply Facial Tissue 140s, supplied by APP. FairPrice will also withdraw all APP-related products, including those from Paseo, NICE and Jolly, by 5pm on Wednesday, it said.

NTUC FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng said: “We have been proactively monitoring the situation over the past week. We initiated meetings with the various parties concerned when the list of firms including APP, was named by the authorities as suspects for contributing to the haze.”

“As a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities. Our decision to withdraw all APP products is a result of the temporary restriction of their Green Label certification,” he added.

Meanwhile, NTUC Health Unity Pharmacy has announced that it does not purchase products from APP or any of the four companies in Indonesia suspected of contributing to the haze pollution in Indonesia.

In a statement on Wednesday, it said it has officially signed the form received from the Singapore Environmental Council and the Consumer Association of Singapore, which was issued to 17 firms calling on them to make this declaration.

"As the leading healthcare co-operative in Singapore, we are committed to being a responsible social citizen by advocating environmentally-friendly and sustainable business practices," said Mr Bernard Lee, managing director and head of Pharmacy and Health Food at NTUC Health. "We will continue to monitor new products, and work with companies that are certified under the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme.”

Sheng Siong said it would be pulling out all products by APP with immediate effect. Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia, a spokesperson said Sheng Siong's e-commerce team will also not fulfil orders that consist of Paseo and Nice products,

The spokesperson added: "As we are not the direct producers of the products sold in our supermarkets, we rely on our suppliers to produce the required certifications in terms of sustainable sources."

“NO SUPPLIER HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE INVOLVED”: APP

APP has said it has "nothing to hide" and "no supplier has been proven to be involved" in raging forest fires in Indonesia contributing to hazy conditions around the region.

In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday (Oct 7), APP - which is a member of Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group and has an office in Singapore - said it received a notice from Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sep 25 and had responded in accordance to their deadline.

NEA had issued the notice under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, seeking information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions, as smoke from raging forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan had pushed air quality to unhealthy levels in Singapore.

APP added that it has invited NEA officials to visit its operations in Indonesia to demonstrate the company's no burning policy.

"If a supplier were found to have been involved in setting forest fires, our policy is clear and we would disengage that supplier. Thus far no supplier has been proven to be involved. It is premature therefore to make judgments until investigations by relevant authorities are completed," the statement said.

In the statement, APP said its list of pulpwood suppliers is public, and the company submits concession maps to the Indonesian government and World Resources Institute (WRI).

"We continue to implement our Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) round the clock, as well as deploying 2,900 trained firefighters and fire suppression helicopters to help deal with this tragic situation," APP said in the statement, adding that there are fires within their suppliers' concessions, but not started by the company or its suppliers.

"The fire situation is complex and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments and authorities are still investigating the situation."

APP products include Enlivo notebooks, Inspira paper and Paseo tissue paper.

The remaining companies and their subsidiaries are expected to respond to the declaration forms within one week.

- CNA/dl/ww/hs


2 retailers pull products from firm linked to causing haze
FairPrice, Sheng Siong remove paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper from shelves
LAURA PHILOMIN Today Online 8 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Two major retailers — NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong — are yanking paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) from their shelves, as the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) continued to apply pressure on businesses over links to firms that could be partly responsible for causing the haze.

The SEC and CASE said in a joint statement today (Oct 7) that it has sent forms to seven retailers — including FairPrice, IKEA, Watson’s and Dairy Farm International Holdings — asking them to declare that they have not procured or used wood, paper and/or pulp materials from the companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia. It has also temporarily restricted the use of its Singapore Green Label certification for products made by the accused companies until investigations are over.

The five Indonesian firms that have been served preventive measures notices to deploy fire-fighting measures under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act are PT Rimba Hutani Mas, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, PT Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa, PT Wachyuni Mandira and PT Bumi Mekar Hijau. APP has not been served a notice by the National Environment Agency (NEA), but it was asked to provide further information, which the company acceded to last week.

FairPrice today pulled two of its housebrand products as well as 16 APP-related products, which include brands like Paseo and NICE, from its stores. All the products were certified under the SEC’s Singapore Green Labelling scheme. Sheng Siong, which has been selling NICE and Paseo products, began removing these products from its stores today, and the company will sign the declaration form.

Dairy Farm International Holdings, which operates Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, Market Place by Jasons and Guardian Singapore, said it will stop purchasing products linked to APP for its stores. But products already on the shelves will remain. A spokesperson said Cold Storage had begun phasing out its housebrand paper products — which comes from an APP linked supplier — before the haze started this year, while Giant is now looking into switching suppliers for their house brand paper products.

SEC and CASE also said that of the 17 companies — a mix of manufacturers and distributors — contacted earlier to declare that they procured their materials from sustainable sources, another two have submitted their declaration, up from the 10 announced on Monday.

FairPrice, which was approached earlier to sign the declaration, said it was unable to do so then as it was waiting for APP to confirm their compliance to SEC’s requirements.

Speaking to reporters at Nex’s FairPrice Xtra, NTUC FairPrice chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng said the products from suppliers will be returned while stocks of their affected house brand products will be stored for the time being, adding the withdrawal will cost the company “millions”.

Unity Pharmacy, also a labour movement co-operative, said it has not purchased any products from APP or the five Indonesian companies, and has signed the declaration. IKEA confirmed that it does not source products from these companies and is not opposed to signing the form, but will need time to go through the details.

Watson’s chief operating officer Dominic Wong said it has begun investigating any business connections with the alleged companies and will provide an update after getting more information.

In response to queries, APP said it understood why retailers felt the need to take urgent action, “but accuracy is just as important.” Adding that it is “fully committed to transparency” of forest fires, APP said they responded quickly to NEA’s notice for information, even inviting officials to visit its operations in Indonesia.

“We have nothing to hide. If a supplier were found to have been involved in setting forest fires, our policy is clear and we would disengage that supplier. Thus far no supplier has been proven to be involved. It is premature therefore to make judgements until investigations by relevant authorities are completed,” said APP.

Asked about the challenges in dealing with companies where middlemen are involved, Mr Seah said they will work to if check products are from sustainable sources, but will also rely on third-party independent agencies like SEC to guide them.

He acknowledged that it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions while investigations into APP are ongoing, but the company is “on the list” and this “requires us to certainly pay attention to it”. “If this suspension is lifted, … we will bring the products back,” he added.

Separately, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Singapore Business Federation urged their member companies commit to adopt green procurement practices and certify their plantations according to global industry standards by groups like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil for example. Companies should also work with both governments to extinguish fires and expose those who may be involved in illegal burning, they added.


Major retailers asked to declare wood, paper products are from sustainable sources
Today Online 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Major retailers in Singapore such as NTUC FairPrice, Watsons and IKEA have been asked to declare that their wood, paper and pulp products are obtained from sustainable sources today (Oct 7).

The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said in a joint news release that they will be sending out declaration forms to seven companies and their subsidiaries for them to state that they have not procured or used materials from the companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia.

The seven companies are: IKEA, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong, NTUC Unity, Watsons, NTUC FairPrice and Dairy Farm Group, which operates Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, Market Place by Jason’s, Guardian and 7-Eleven.

They are expected to respond within a week.

“These major supermarkets, pharmacies and furniture retailers operate several outlets from which consumers purchase paper-based products,” said the SEC and CASE shortly after they issued a statement on Monday informing that 10 companies with paper products certified under the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme have no links to those companies causing fires in Indonesia.

“They are a good starting point for retailers to commit to a green procurement process and for consumers to show their support for brands that have environmentally friendly practices.”

In a statement to TODAY, a Dairy Farm Group spokesman said that the company was suspending, with immediate effect, the purchasing of all Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) products across all its stores.

"We would like to reassure our customers that we have rigorous guidelines in place to ensure that our products comply with relevant requirements mandated by various regulating authorities in Singapore. We also seek to work with suppliers that are aligned with our values regarding sustainability and encourage others to adopt such practices for better business synergy," said the Dairy Farm spokesman.

The spokesman added that its Cold Storage chain had already started phasing out their House Brand paper products that were supplied by APP-linked suppliers even before the haze situation. The Giant brand is also now looking into switching suppliers for their House Brand paper products, said the spokesman.

"Our Private Label paper products are not supplied by Asia Pulp & Paper and our paper suppliers have assured us of their sustainability practices and all but one (pending) provided documentation such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to support their claims," the spokesman added.

An IKEA Singapore spokesperson also confirmed to TODAY that the retailer has not made any purchases from the companies named in relation to the burning practises in the Indonesia that have led to the regional haze.

"IKEA Singapore is not opposed to signing the (SEC) declaration form, however, we just received it this morning and as part of standard process we are currently going over the details and criteria’s with the relevant departments," the spokesperson said.


Supermarkets pull plug on haze-linked firm's products
Jessica Lim, The Straits Times AsiaOne 7 Oct 15;

Supermarket chains NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong and Prime Supermarket have pulled all Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) items off their shelves, including popular brands such as Paseo.

The Dairy Farm group, which operates chains such as Guardian, 7-Eleven, Cold Storage and Giant, has also stopped replenishing APP stock. It will continue to sell existing items till they run out.

FairPrice was the first to make the announcement yesterday morning, followed by the others later in the day.

Their actions came after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) temporarily suspended the green label of APP's exclusive distributor here, Universal Sovereign Trading.

On Sept 30, the SEC had also asked 17 firms, including FairPrice, to sign a form to declare that they do not carry products from five companies, including APP, which are under probe over their possible link to the haze-causing forest fires. The form also asks firms to state that they have not been convicted in any court in relation to the haze.

Yesterday, the SEC sent the same form to Prime, Dairy Farm, Sheng Siong, Ikea, Unity Pharmacy and Watsons.

Ikea said it does not buy from the firms under probe. Unity signed the form yesterday, while Watsons is still working with its suppliers and will make a decision soon.

FairPrice carries two housebrand goods supplied by APP and 16 other APP-related products including the Paseo, Nice and Jolly brands.

All these items were pulled off the shelves at its over 290 outlets, including Cheers convenience stores, by 5pm yesterday.

Late last month, the National Environment Agency began legal action against APP and four Indonesian firms it believes to be behind the burning. The haze from forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra has spread to Thailand after blanketing the skies and affecting the air quality in parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines in recent weeks.

FairPrice chief executive Seah Kian Peng said the chain took some time to decide to pull APP's products and sign the declaration because "as a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities".

The final decision was made after SEC temporarily restricted APP's green label certification. Mr Seah said APP's products would be reinstated if the firm is found to be innocent and gets back its green label.

The move to pull APP's products, he said, cost the chain "millions". "It does hurt us financially... but this goes beyond just the financial impact. I think it is the right thing for us to do, it is the responsible thing for us to do," said Mr Seah.

APP's managing director of sustainability Aida Greenbury said the firm "is firmly against forest fire" and that it deployed 2,900 firefighters and fire suppression helicopters to deal with the situation.

"We understand why FairPrice feels the need to take urgent action... but accuracy is just as important," she said. "The fire situation is complex and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments and authorities are still investigating the situation."

Mr Loh Weiwen, 33, an in-house legal counsel, hailed the supermarkets' move. "It is a very prompt response that is surprising to many shoppers in a good way. I hope other retailers follow suit ."


NTUC FairPrice withdraws 18 products sourced from firm suspected of contributing to haze
AsiaOne 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE - NTUC FairPrice has withdrawn today all paper products sourced from Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP).

A total of 18 APP related products will be withdrawn from all supermarkets island-wide.

Two of these are housebrand tissue products - FairPrice Softpack Tissue 200s and FairPrice Gold 3 Ply Facial Tissue 140s - which are sourced from APP through licensed distributor Universal Sovereign.

The remaining APP-related products, including Paseo, NICE and Jolly, will no longer be available at all FairPrice stores by 5pm today.

This announcement comes after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) imposed a temporary restriction on the use of the "Singapore Green Label" certification for APP products.

CEO of NTUC FairPrice Seah Kian Peng said that FairPrice has been proactively monitoring the situation over the past week and initiated meetings with various parties concerned when the list of firms, including APP, was named by the authorities as suspects for contributing to the haze.

"As a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities.

"Our decision to withdraw all APP products is a result of the temporary restriction of their Green Label certification," said Mr Seah.

APP is one of the world's largest manufacturer of tissue, stationery and paper products.

According to a report in The Straits Times on Sep 27, APP was ordered by the National Environment Agency (NEA) under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to supply information on its Singapore and Indonesian subsidiaries, as well as what its suppliers are doing to fight fires.

APP was singled out by Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan as a possible culprit behind forest fires in Indonesia.

FairPrice reiterated on Wednesday that it was unable to sign the declaration of the two APP-related housebrand products earlier as it was pending the paper firm's confirmation of their compliance to SEC's requirements.

Last week, SEC had requested companies with paper products certified under the Singapore Green Label Scheme to declare compliance with using sustainable materials.

More firms on board for 'haze-free' declaration
Jessica Lim, The Straits Times AsiaOne 7 Oct 15;

Even as more firms signed a declaration that their products are free of raw materials from companies being investigated for forest fires in Indonesia, many noted that it was hard to pinpoint an item's source.

Tissue paper distributor Tipex and printer paper supplier Mukim Fine Papers signed on Tuesday. FairPrice, Unity Pharmacy and Malaysia Newsprint Industries did so yesterday, bringing to 15 the number of firms that have signed.

Tipex said in a statement to The Straits Times that it does not own plantations and mills, and so does not make paper products itself.

"Rather, these are sourced from various suppliers, internationally," said its spokesman Cindy Lim. "Due to the involvement of many parties in the process, companies may not be privy to one another's internal business and work processes."

Mukim Fine Papers simply stopped ordering from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) - one of the five firms under probe - altogether.

Said its business development manager Ben Chua: "We cannot trace what is happening at APP so it's best that we just stop selling its products."

On Monday, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) released a list of firms that had signed the declaration. It has so far sent the form to 23 firms that manufacture or sell wood and paper products.

SEC's plan is to also start working with other industries known to contribute to the haze and deforestation - for instance, palm oil product manufacturers and retailers.

Errant pulpwood plantation owners typically burn land to clear it quickly after logging season, said experts. Many also burn adjacent forests to open up new land to expand their plantations. Wayward oil palm plantation owners are also known to clear land this way.

Culprits are difficult to trace as supply chain processes are muddied by factors such as a lack of land ownership information in Indonesia.

World Wide Fund for Nature Indonesia's Global Forest and Trade Network Coordinator Aditya Bayunanda said that for palm oil, for instance, mills - which extract crude palm oil - are supplied by hundreds of plantations.

Traders, he said, go round to small independently-owned oil palm farms, collect the fruit, then supply it to a main supplier, which trucks it to mills.

This, said Associate Professor Tan Yan Weng, head of SIM University's logistics and supply chain management programme, causes "everything to get mixed up".

There are other complications, said SEC's head of eco-certification Kavickumar Muruganathan. Retailers here typically obtain the rights to sell a product from distributors, which then arrange with overseas manufacturers to import the stock.

"Manufacturers might own plantations, but some strike deals with landowners on the side to use their land. Some also ask other suppliers to sell the fruit to them on an ad hoc basis if demand spikes," he said, adding that errant firms pay farmers to use their land for oil palm.

On paper, the land is owned by the farmer and the firm is not implicated. There is also no map of land ownership available, making the task of pinpointing the owners of a plantation difficult.

However, Nanyang Technological University's Professor Ang Peng Hwa, who co-founded the Haze Elimination Action Team volunteer group, urged retailers to stop "putting up a smokescreen".

"It is true it can be difficult. But retailers have to ask suppliers to show them certification," said Prof Ang. "Consumers also have a role to play to demand higher standards."

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organisation, has certified 111 companies here to use its trademarks on products. FSC's Asia-Pacific regional director Alistair Monument said that every player in the supply chain for these products is audited yearly.

Paper mills involved, for instance, have to keep records of inputs and outputs so that the origin of the fibres can be checked.

Read more!

NEA studying regulated way to manage e-waste

Janice Tai, The Straits Times AsiaOne 6 Oct 15;

With residents here getting rid of their old laptops and cellphones without a second thought, Singapore is churning out 60 million kg of electronic waste (e-waste) every year - more than the combined weight of 220 Airbus A-380 aircraft. Only a fraction of that is recycled or disposed of properly.

So far, the most extensive community e-waste recycling programme here has managed to collect only 22,000kg of it from 214 recycling bins islandwide this year. That is less than the weight of two buses.

The project is managed by StarHub, DHL Express and home- grown recycling firm TES-AMM.

The South East Community Development Council (CDC) restarted its heartland e-waste recycling programme in February after a pilot in 2013 collected 10,000kg of items.

That is why the National Environment Agency (NEA) is studying the option of having a regulated national system to collect, recycle and manage e-waste .

The study will review the laws and enforcement frameworks in place in other countries that require consumers to recycle and dispose of e-waste separately for "potential application" here.

In the NEA tender that was called last month, it wanted a survey to be done of the entire e-waste collection and recycling value chain.

In the tender document, it said: "The amount of e-waste is rising with today's ubiquitous use of computers, smartphones and other equipment. E-waste contains substances that may lead to adverse health impact and environmental degradation when improperly collected and treated."

E-waste contains valuable and scarce materials, but also small amounts of hazardous substances such as mercury and cadmium.

Currently, used electrical and electronic equipment is mostly taken away by second-hand dealers to be scrapped or refurbished. Some manufacturers also run schemes to take back used IT equipment.

"However, recycling avenues for some types of equipment, such as bulky consumer electronics and home appliances, are few and far between," NEA told The Straits Times last week. "A more comprehensive system needs to be established."

The agency has been meeting companies, manufacturers, retailers and recycling service providers to set up more recycling points for the public, raise recycling standards and collect data to come up with a regulated management system.

The project led by StarHub started in 2012 with 2,700kg of e-waste collected from five bins. By the end of the year, there will be 235 bins located in offices, schools and shopping malls islandwide.

"The project is not yet self-sustaining. For instance, the cost of collection is about $3,000, double the returns from recycled materials," said a StarHub spokesman.

Other challenges in the way of e-waste recycling taking off in a big way here include a lack of awareness. "Typically, people either trade in their unwanted e-waste during electronic fairs, sell it off to karung guni or treat it as general waste because of the convenience or lack of awareness of recycling platforms," said a spokesman for South East CDC.

Its 2013 pilot partnered Panasonic Asia Pacific, which donated energy-saving light bulbs to less-privileged families in Marine Parade and Mountbatten based on the amount of recyclables collected.

Ms Bernadette Ng, 37, has donated an iPad, old remote controls, CDs and cables over the last few years. "I started to donate when there was a recycling bin at the Kembangan Community Club near my home and I always do it with my children to show them the importance of caring for our environment," said Ms Ng, who works in the aviation industry.

"It must be consistently practised so that it becomes part of our daily behaviour."

Read more!

Sustainable investing picking up pace in Singapore

There is now a growing push on companies to be aware of the role they play in preserving the environment, and MAS wants financial institutions in Singapore to take the lead through responsible financing.
Patrick John Lim Channel NewsAsia 6 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Haze-causing forest fires in Indonesia have thrust corporate sustainability practices in the spotlight, and there is now a growing push on companies to be aware of the role they play in preserving the environment.

Investing with an eye on sustainability may still be a relatively new concept in Singapore, but it is one that is beginning to gain momentum.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) wants financial institutions in Singapore to take the lead through responsible financing. In a statement on Monday (Oct 5), the central bank said it supports plans to provide guidance for investors - specifically institutional investors - when engaging investee companies, on sustainability, social and environmental issues.

Industry experts said the statement comes at a good time, as interest in sustainable investing mounts.

Said Mr K Sadashiv, partner for Climate Change and Sustainability Services at EY: "You are beginning to see change already and I would say it is a positive signal. From what we see, what MAS and SGX (Singapore Exchange) are doing is to further galvanise that and give a little push, fillip to that whole activity."

Mr Melvyn Yeo, co-founder and partner of Trirec, noted: "The overall landscape is definitely moving toward more sustainable investing, and more focused on CSR (corporate social responsibility) related to the environment.

“Looking at our country in the last couple of years, we are seeing more green buildings, there is a bigger push for Smart Nation and a lot of that is to ensure efficiency and productivity to reduce waste from a variety of factors. There is a lot that has being done and creating the awareness that … gets all of us - whether in the financial world or the layman - to be involved in this space.”

Trirec is an investment firm which focuses on renewable energy and cleantech investments, having invested in local solar leasing company Sunseap Leasing earlier this year. It said companies should be given time to change their practices, to take on a more sustainable focus.

Said Mr Yeo: "Whether or not we should discourage people from investing in companies which are deemed to be not sustainable, that might be a bit extreme in my view. Because there are certain companies that exist for a certain reason and as a market practitioner, I do not think we should in any way necessarily over-penalise companies for what they do. We should gently let market forces take its due course."

Singapore is taking steps to beef up guidelines on investing in sustainable development. The Association of Banks in Singapore is expected to release a set of criteria for responsible financing in Singapore soon.

- CNA/ms

Read more!

Channel NewsAsia announces top performing Asian companies in 2015 Sustainability Ranking

The ranking identifies the top 100 companies in the region with the highest sustainability performance, based on a broad range of environmental, social and governance indicators.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Regional broadcaster Channel NewsAsia and its partners, CSR Asia and Sustainalytics, announced on Wednesday (Oct 7) the list of top performing Asian companies for the 2015 Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking. The exclusive ranking, launched at the CSR Asia Summit held at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, rates the corporate sustainability performance of businesses in Asia.

The Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking identifies the top 100 companies in the region with the highest sustainability performance, based on a broad range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators. The ranking provides investors and consumers with insights into corporate sustainability practices, and aims to provide businesses with a way to benchmark their performance against other regional businesses.

Based on specific ESG indicators and methodology developed by Sustainalytics, a leading provider of ESG and corporate governance ratings and research, the ranking highlights the overall top 20 companies as well as the top three businesses per country. The territories covered are China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and new for 2015 – Japan.

Ms Debra Soon, Head of MediaCorp’s News and Premier, said: “Channel NewsAsia believes in promoting excellence in Asia, in all fields. With this annual ranking, we celebrate business excellence, the need to set global standards for what we do and are associated with, and to constantly strive to improve. Sustainability and corporate responsibility are important themes as Asia progresses; we cannot be content to just celebrate financial success in businesses, we must strive for better corporate practices and help Asian companies benchmark themselves against the finest and adopt best practices.”

“Sustainalytics is delighted to support the Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking, and we applaud this year’s top performing companies for their sustainability efforts,” said Sustainalytics’ CEO Michael Jantzi. “We believe this initiative plays a critical role in helping to raise awareness of sustainability best practices in the Asia-Pacific region, and hope the ranking will inspire more companies to embed sustainable practices in their business operations.”

Dr Richard Welford, Chairman of CSR Asia, said: “The Channel NewsAsia Sustainability Ranking allows companies to assess how their sustainability performance compares with other businesses in the region. Demonstrating the social and environmental responsibility of a company is becoming increasingly important for investors and consumers alike – and companies that don’t feature should be asking themselves if this may affect their competitive advantage.”

2015 CHANNEL NEWSASIA SUSTAINABILITY RANKING

Wipro has emerged at the top of the ranking for its strong corporate governance and ESG practices. The company has a chief sustainability officer and a detailed sustainability strategy to address risks and opportunities on both environmental and social fronts.

United Microelectronics is ranked second for demonstrating a robust water risk management programme, followed by Tech Mahindra for its SMART (Skills-for-Market-Training) and SMART+ (for persons with disabilities) programmes, which encourage and facilitate employment opportunities for youth from marginalised communities.

For the full list of the top 100 companies, visit http://sustainability-ranking.channelnewsasia.com.

The ranking was unveiled at the CSR Asia Summit, one of the largest CSR conferences in the region. The annual summit brings together a unique mix of business, government and civil society stakeholders to address pressing concerns and understand important emerging trends. The focus of the summit this year is sustainable business strategies that bring shared value to business, community and society.

During the two-day summit, Chloe Cho, Channel NewsAsia’s Presenter and Executive Producer, will be co-moderating two forums. The panel discussions will delve into the value of the ranking, how companies can get on the index as a measure of their corporate sustainability, and the crucial role inclusive business plays in contributing to economic and social development.

- CNA/cy

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Becoming a ‘car-lite’ society

Today Online 6 Oct 15;

Singapore has focused on liveability and sustainability way before these words became fashionable in urban planning. A key part of this is urban mobility.

The city-state’s overall urban development strategy has been guided by an integrated approach to transport and land-use planning. The 1971 Concept Plan provided a fundamental framework for physical development to cater to the needs of a population that was projected to reach 4 million by 1992.

To attract investors and residents, Singapore had to reduce congestion and provide roads that moved goods and labour efficiently. Singapore took strong early steps to slow motorisation rates by implementing high vehicular taxes and road pricing to manage demand.

At the same time, Singapore invested heavily in public transport. Truth be told, the Government was divided initially, and there was intense debate about whether a cheaper all-bus system was preferable to a mass rapid transit (MRT) system, which took massive capital investment.

The turning point came with the renewal of our vision for Marina South as an extension of the existing Central Business District (CBD) area, where MRT access would raise land values and enable land sales there to subsidise MRT costs.

The pro-rail argument prevailed and in 1983, we started construction of the first MRT system in Singapore. Today, life in Singapore without the MRT would be unimaginable.

Over time, the public transport network has evolved to provide citizens with a sustainable low-pollution environment and a high quality of life. However, gaps remain in Singapore’s provision and design of our urban transport systems.

To ensure sustainability, liveability and equitability for their citizens, and to attract and retain talent from around the world, cities such as Seoul, New York and London are planning and designing urban spaces to focus on the needs of ordinary people.

For space-and-resource-crunched Singapore, re-thinking the way we plan and design our urban spaces is just as imperative — if not more.

For one, emphasising the smooth movement of vehicles around the city has served Singapore well in the past, but has contributed to an urban environment that is less friendly to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.

Until recent years, non-motorised forms of transport such as walking and cycling had not been given adequate attention. There is little dedicated cycling infrastructure. Many parts of the urban landscape are still dominated by pedestrian-unfriendly overhead bridges and narrow pavements.

Even at major pedestrian thoroughfares, such as the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road, cars are given absolute priority, while people are forced to make use of underground road crossings.

The focus on road expansion to tackle anticipated traffic congestion also does not necessarily optimise land and resource use. Already, 12 per cent of our valuable land has been set aside for transport-related use, of which a significant amount is for building roads.

Furthermore, it has been well proven that no city can build its way out of congestion. Roads are built based on the projected number of vehicles, but when there are more roads, people tend to drive more.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s parking policies appear to have over-provided cheap parking, a perverse incentive that encourages drivers and seems in direct conflict with the goal of increasing the share of trips taken on public transport. A monthly season parking in the CBD area averages out to be a low S$10 to S$15 per day, cheaper than a one-way taxi trip from most housing towns during peak hours.

In theory, our public policies are meant to promote more sustainable travel behaviours. But in practice, we are at risk of creating an urban ecosystem in which cars, instead of people, take centre stage. Inevitably, to re-work this ecosystem will involve de-prioritising some of the privileges enjoyed by car users today.

DISCOURAGE DRIVING

Much effort has already gone into enhancing the attractiveness of public transport. Commuters, especially those who own cars, also need to be convinced that public transport can be a fast, reliable and comfortable alternative to private vehicles.

Reducing car dependency, however, is not a task for the transport authority alone. A multi-pronged approach will be needed to prepare ourselves for a “car-lite” future in an increasingly complex and inter-dependent urban environment.

At the strategic level, urban planners have a major challenge in bringing jobs closer to where people live. While many more recent housing projects have been built in the north, north-east and east of our island, key employment activities continue to concentrate in the west and the city centre, resulting in long commutes.

To address these issues, urban planners are creating new commercial centres outside the city centres; for example, in Jurong Lake District, Paya Lebar Central, and the North Coast Innovation Corridor around Woodlands and Seletar.

More must also be done to discourage people from driving. Even with excellent access to public transport, workplaces that provide ample parking spaces at affordable rates will tend to prompt both staff and visitors to drive. Similarly, the generous supply of residential car-parking facilities could encourage car ownership and reinforce the notion of parking as an entitlement.

Rather than seeking to accommodate car-parking demand, future policies should take limited supply as a given and focus anew on effective demand management.

It is also important to provide a safer and more conducive ecosystem for sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling. It would not be necessary to set aside space for designated cycling lanes on every street; similarly, the movement of cars need not be prioritised across the entire road system. Instead, key corridors could be identified within “community links” to key local destinations such as public transport nodes, shops, schools and other amenities.

Finally, culture, behaviour and perception matter a lot in promoting active mobility. In Singapore, cars remain an aspiration or status symbol, in part because of their high price-tag engendered by the very measures introduced to slow the growth in car population. Meanwhile, motorists view pedestrians and cyclists as annoying encumbrances, and concern about safety and the weather still stigmatises cycling.

Meaningful change on sustainable urban mobility will be driven by two key factors: Whether our city’s leaders walk the talk on ‘car-lite’ travel behaviour; and whether the vision is followed up by concerted efforts to drive and support this change. It is our choice whether to, henceforth, build a city for cars or for people.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Khoo Teng Chye is executive director at the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Ministry of National Development. Remy Guo and Mina Zhan are senior assistant directors at CLC. This commentary is adapted from a longer piece in Beyond 50: Re-imagining Singapore, a book of essays by different authors on the country’s future challenges and opportunities. The publication, which is available both in print and online, is supported by the SG50 Celebration Fund. This is part of a series of pieces from the book that TODAY is publishing.

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