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Times Forum 8 Jun 07 Good to cut unnecessary packaging Letter from Grant W. Pereira Singapore Representative Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Business Times 6 Jun 07 NEA inks maiden packaging waste reduction pact The agreement will run for five years from July 1 By Lynette Khoo Today Online 6 Jun 07 Cutting down on waste before it's wasted Move to reduce excessive packaging in F&B industry sees 31 signatories Gracia Chiang Straits Times 6 Jun 07 Major push to cut waste from packaging F&B groups to relook product packaging and use recyclable materials under new pact By Arti Mulchand Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 07 New Packaging Agreement aims to reduce waste SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) feels it is time to take a harder look at reducing waste. So it has teamed up with over 500 industry partners (companies from five industries) to cut down on the amount of packaging waste produced. Singaporeans dispose of nearly 7,000 tonnes of solid waste everyday, according to 2006 figures. Most of it comes from packaging. According to the NEA, the volume of solid waste has increased by nearly six times in the last 30 years. The NEA believes building more landfill sites and incinerator plants is not a long-term solution. One way forward is to reduce the amount of packaging produced. And the Packaging Agreement, which takes effect in July, is a positive step towards this. It is based on the idea that those who make, sell or use products should be responsible for their environmental impact. This is called product stewardship. And industry players say they support the move which they feel comes at the right time. "I think industry is ready, because a lot of us are exporting, and some of them are also facing problems with regulations on packaging in some other parts of the world," says Albert Lim, Chairman of the Packaging Council of Singapore. So the information-sharing processes provided for in the agreement will allow them to better understand and comply with these regulations. "Right now, with the cost of packaging going up so high, the freight costs going up so high, the logistics costs going up so high, they may want to cut back. But can the consumer accept? That is one big question mark," says Sunny Koh, Chairman, Food & Beverage Industry Group, Singapore Manufacturers' Federation. "Now the only fear ... is whether the consumer can accept, or whether they will be seen as cutting corners." But others believe Singaporeans will come round to the idea. "The agreement also tries to drive more eco-friendly types of packaging, packaging that can be more easily recycled for example, or packaging that is derived from material that is sustainable in nature. "So in a way you can have your elaborate packaging, you have to be a bit more innovative about how that packaging is designed and what it's made from," says Howard Shaw, Executive Director, Singapore Environment Council. The Packaging Agreement lasts for five years, and will first target the Food and Beverage industry. The NEA says this is because the level of recycling of F&B packaging waste is the lowest compared to say, the construction industry. This is partly due to stricter regulations on food-safe packaging that limit recycling. F&B packaging waste also tends to be contaminated by other waste, making it costly and difficult to recycle. It is also voluntary. "Voluntary agreements allow some scope to be flexible, because once you insist on legislation then what will happen is that it will become hard and fast, and costs will go up. "What we want to do is for people to learn as we go along, what is the best way to adopt environmentally-friendly packaging design," says Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister, Environment and Water Resources. Fast food chain KFC has done away with paper mats on its trays, an example cited by Dr Yaacob on how companies are cutting down on waste. - CNA/yy Today Online 6 Jun 07 Cutting down on waste before it's wasted Move to reduce excessive packaging in F&B industry sees 31 signatories Gracia Chiang gracia@mediacorp.com.sg THE next time you step into a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, don't be surprised if chilli sauce is not given away in packets, but is instead available at a central dispenser. Dine-in paper shells for your chicken are also likely to become thinner and paper mats will no longer be found on your trays. These are examples of what food and beverage (F&B) companies can do to reduce packaging waste, under a voluntary Singapore Packaging Agreement signed yesterday. For a five-year period, 31 organisations including industry associations and public waste collectors will work towards cutting down the 100kg of waste thrown away by each person in Singapore every year. Explaining why the measures were not made mandatory, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said: "We've studied a lot of other agreements around the world. Voluntary agreements allow some scope to be flexible because once we insist on legislation ... it is very hard and fast and costs will go up." However, if not enough progress is made in reducing packaging waste, legislation could eventually be imposed. Pact signatories will have to aim to meet voluntary recycling targets of materials such as glass, paper and plastic, and apply a code of practice that guides packaging decisions, among other commitments. Packaging waste accounts for a third of all household waste by weight. To start with, the agreement is targeting the F&B industry, where packaging waste is often hard to recycle because of food and drink contamination. Response has been encouraging, with companies already beginning to rethink their packaging. For example, JJ Drinks Manufacturing is in the process of changing its cans from steel to aluminium "because it is the preferred material for recyclers", while can lids are being redesigned using less aluminium, said general manager Alan Kay. Nestle Singapore is looking at how to use less tin plate for Milo cans and thinner-grade paper for its wraparound packaging. Parties stressed, however, that consumers have a key role to play. They need to be educated that "bigger packaging" does not mean "more content". Only then can producers cut back on packaging without being perceived as cutting corners, said the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation F&B industry group chairman, Mr Sunny Koh. "Look at potato chips: I think whatever is inside the bag is only about one-third. Two- thirds is waste," he said. The agreement, which takes effect on July 1, is just a first step — signatories are expected to develop labels and other means to inform consumers if the packaging materials used are recyclable, and what options they have to dispose of the product. NGOs like the Singapore Environment Council and the Environmental Challenge Organisation will support the agreement by educating target groups, such as housewives, on how to choose packaging that is less wasteful. Straits Times 6 Jun 07 Major push to cut waste from packaging F&B groups to relook product packaging and use recyclable materials under new pact By Arti Mulchand THOSE little foil sachets of sauces have disappeared from some outlets of McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. In their place are condiment bars with pump dispensers, which do away with the need for the sachets - tens of millions of which are usually dished out a year. This change comes ahead of the biggest push so far by the National Environment Agency ( NEA) to tackle packaging waste at the source. It also brings Singapore towards its 2012 national recycling target of 60 per cent of all waste, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim yesterday. To this end, the five-year Singapore Packaging Agreement, which officially takes effect on July 1, was signed yesterday - World Environment Day - by five food and beverage ( F&B) industry associations, four public-waste collectors and two environmental groups. Dr Yaacob said that while little can be done about the packaging for imported goods, efforts can be made to cut back on unnecessary packaging for those made here. The associations that signed the agreement have made a commitment to relook product packaging and switch to recyclable materials. These groups represent 500 companies in the F&B industry, including Boncafe International and F&N Coca Cola (Singapore). The industry, partly constrained by food- safety requirements, traditionally has lower recycling rates. If the drive to cut back on packaging is successful with these F&B businesses, the agreement could cover other industries in as early as a year or two, said NEA chief executive Lee Yuen Hee. Of the total 7,000 tonnes of waste collected and disposed of at the four incineration plants and Semakau Landfill here, packaging waste - paper, plastics, glass and metal - makes up 1,200 tonnes. It comprises a third of the waste coming out of homes. Participation in the agreement, modelled on New Zealand's, is voluntary, said Dr Yaacob. He explained: 'Once you insist on legislation, then what will happen is that it becomes very hard and fast and costs will go up... 'I'd rather see this as a learning curve on our part, and I think, with this method, we can start plucking the low-lying fruits as quickly as possible.' Changes to the weight of packaging materials are likely to come ahead of modifications to packaging size, because fewer changes to the production process will be needed for the former. Even small changes to packaging can have a big impact on the environment and production costs. A case in point: Chinatown Food Corporation, which makes frozen roti prata and glutinous rice balls, is going to bag its products in thinner plastic - 60 microns thick instead of 70 microns, said its group managing director Sunny Koh. A micron is a millionth of a metre. The reduction by 10 microns will not be felt by the consumer, but will mean a reduction of tonnes of waste for the company, which makes 15 million plastic bags yearly just for its rice balls. The company ends up saving money on the bags, transport and storage. The cost savings can be just as alluring to consumers. Mr Koh reckons that the company's savings of 0.5 to 1 cent per bag could add up to triple that amount in savings for consumers. One challenge remains: Convincing consumers that lighter or smaller packages do not mean they are getting less value for money. Mr Koh, who also chairs the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation's F&B Industry Group, said: 'Brand owners will always welcome the reduction in packaging...but they don't want to be viewed by consumers as cutting corners ...It boils down to education.' Business Times 6 Jun 07 NEA inks maiden packaging waste reduction pact The agreement will run for five years from July 1 By Lynette Khoo (SINGAPORE) The National Environment Agency (NEA) signed the first Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA) yesterday with five industry associations representing about 500 companies, two non-government organisations and four public waste collectors in a bid to cut packaging waste. The voluntary agreement, through which the government, industry and the community will collaborate to reduce waste, will run for five years from July 1. The signatories will apply a packaging code of practice within three months, work towards targets to recover packaging materials and develop education and communication programmes to raise public awareness. For a start, the agreement is aimed at the food and beverage industry, and may eventually be extended to other packaging such as personal care products, said NEA chief executive Lee Yuen Hee at a briefing. 'We are encouraged by the fact that some of the big names in the F&B industry have signed up for the agreement,' he said. F&B signatories include Asia Pacific Breweries, Carlsberg Singapore, F&N Coca-Cola, Nestle, Subway Singapore Development and YHS. Mr Lee said it will cost money upfront to implement the agreement, but the long-term savings will outweigh the initial expense. According to NEA, packaging waste accounts for a third of total household waste by weight. From 1970 to 2000, the amount of solid waste disposed of in Singapore jumped six times to 7,600 tonnes a day. The agency estimates that if this rate of increase were to continue, it would need to build a new incineration plant every five to seven years and a new landfill the size of Sentosa island every 25-30 years. 'To avoid such a day - a day when we run out of landfill and land for our incineration plants - we have to start now to reduce waste,' Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said at the SPA signing yesterday. Packaging is essential to contain and protect consumer products and keep food products fresh, but consumers need to be wary of excessive packaging that uses up resources unnecessarily, he said. The Packaging Council of Singapore said it will work with the industry and NEA to reduce packaging waste through better design, improved production processes and reuse or recycling. To raise consumer awareness, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said it will work with NEA, the industry and the public on continuous education programmes. 'Consumers can play an important role in minimising packaging waste, for example, by going for products with less packaging and segregating packaging waste for recycling,' said SEC executive director Howard Shaw. The SPA was conceived after a review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012 in 2005, a study of packaging policies adopted in other developed countries and consultation with the industry. Straits Times Forum 8 Jun 07 Good to cut unnecessary packaging Letter from Grant W. Pereira Singapore Representative Sea Shepherd Conservation Society I REFER to the article, 'Major push to cut waste from packaging' (ST, June 6). I am glad to hear that something is being done to eliminate unnecessary packing. One good example of excessive packing is when one buys a loaf of bread. It's already packaged yet you're given another plastic bag to carry it in. All bakeries need to do is make some holes at the top of the bread packet and it can be carried without an additional bag. I have also noticed that more and more fast-food chains give out plastic toys with meals bought. These toys are usually superheroes of a new movie in town. These toys are probably given out by the million and most are discarded. These multinational fast-food chains should implement a responsible recycling programme for toys they give out. These toys will definitely pollute Singapore and the world. It's actually their social responsibility to help the environment and not just think of their bottom line. links Related articles in Singapore: reduce, reuse, recycle |
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