Under the theme “Circularity 2030”, The 8th Responsible Business Forum (RBF) on Sustainable Development will focus on rethinking how our economies are structured. Through a 2-day plenary-based agenda, the Forum will focus on identifying drivers of and solutions for transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy.

This year, the Forum will seek commitments to scaling the start-ups, innovations and technologies that will drive the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the circular economy. Five SDGs most directly impacted by circularity will be addressed, those for water, energy, employment, sustainable consumption & production and land & biodiversity.

An audience of next generation leaders in business schools and universities around the world will connect with current leaders from companies, governments, academia and civil society. Together they will explore how circular economy ideas and models could be used to transform businesses, boost future job creation and help societies to achieve the SDGs for 2030.

Date: 18 – 19 November 2019
Venue: The St. Regis, Singapore

Register now at http://bit.ly/RBFSG19 and enjoy a member’s discount with this code: ZWSRBFSG19D

Zero Waste SG has launched the BYO Singapore Guide 2018 to encourage food and beverage (F&B) retailers to take more action in reducing plastic disposables. This guide provides a rating of 100 popular F&B retailers in Singapore based on their efforts to reduce single-use plastic disposables, encourage a Bring Your Own (BYO) culture among customers, and list recommendations for them to do more.

Single-use plastic disposables pose a serious environmental problem around the world because plastics are made from non-renewable fossil fuel resources, do not break down easily in nature, could release toxic chemicals under certain conditions, and contribute to marine litter that affects wildlife, human health and the environment. Plastic waste is the most common type of waste disposed of at the incineration plants in Singapore, and the burning of plastics produces greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.

Several countries and cities have taken steps to reduce or phase out plastic disposables. In Singapore, there are currently no regulations prohibiting or reducing the use of plastic disposables, especially in the F&B industry, where retailers use a significant amount of single-use plastic disposables. Zero Waste SG believes that it is time for F&B retailers in Singapore to be more serious and take bold actions to reduce our consumption of single-use plastic disposables.

Therefore, Zero Waste SG has conducted a public audit of 100 popular retailers to assess the extent of their efforts to reduce the use of single-use disposables and published the rating results in the BYO Singapore Guide 2018. Through the guide, Zero Waste SG hopes to urge the F&B retailers to assess whether they are ahead or behind their peers, and to take the appropriate and right actions to reduce the consumption of plastic disposables.

The retailers are selected from different categories such as coffee and tea cafes, bakeries, restaurants, tea and juice kiosks, food kiosks, and fast food restaurants. The audits were completed over 2 months from mid-Jul to mid-Sep 2018 by 53 auditors, who are mostly volunteers and also staff of Zero Waste SG. For each retailer, 3 audits at different outlets were randomly conducted in order for the data collected to be more representative, and the average audit result was chosen from the 3 audit results. All the audits were “mystery shopper” audits, where the identity of the auditor was not revealed to the retail staff, so as to ensure that the audit of the experience at the retail outlet is real.

A set of 12 “Yes/No” audit questions were used. Points are awarded only for “Yes” answers to the questions, with some questions being allocated more points as they reflect greater commitment by the retailer to reduce single-use disposables, such as charging a fee for the disposables, or providing incentives if customers bring their own reusable. The points are added up and each retailer was rated from 1 to 3 stars depending on the total points achieved. The audit results show the following:

• 3-Star Retailers: 3
• 2-Star Retailers: 14
• 1-Star Retailers: 83

Out of the 100 retailers, only 3 retailers were able to achieve the highest rating of 3 stars. They are Plain Vanilla Bakery, Common Man Coffee Roasters. and SaladStop!. These 3-star retailers should be commended for their holistic efforts in implementing schemes to influence consumer behaviour, altering their operations to reduce single-use disposables, and educating their staff to encourage and welcome a BYO culture.

Ms Stella Cochrane, Communications and Events Executive of Common Man Coffee Roasters, said, “As a business, Common Man Coffee Roasters aims to champion coffee knowledge, appreciation and sustainable practices throughout South-East Asia. This ethos runs from our relationships with coffee farmers through to our wholesale and cafe suppliers, and also our café customers. As such, we see it as our responsibility to help tackle the global plastic pollution problem we are facing in any ways that we can. We have bigger plans for the future but by taking our current small steps to change habits and increase awareness about the issue we hope to help our customers lead a more sustainable life whilst still enjoying our brunches and brews!”

Ms Katherine Braha Desbaillets, Director of SaladStop!, said, “We believe that environmental friendliness is a crucial responsibility and must be an integral component of our operational excellence. Our quest to improve SaladStop!â€s sustainability begins with our commitment to take responsibility and reduce our environmental footprint. Our report for 2018 establishes the five key goals weâ€ve set for the future: greener packaging, sustainable sourcing, water conservation, efficient illumination and cleaner cleaning.”

14 retailers were able to achieve the second highest rating of 2 stars. Most of them had an incentive or disincentive scheme, and also had some initiatives to nudge the customers in reducing plastic disposables or replaced plastic disposables with other sustainable alternatives. The majority of the retailers audited (83 retailers) achieved the low rating of 1 star. This meant that most F&B retailers are not taking enough action to reduce single-use plastic disposables and there is an opportunity for them to catch up with their peers who have achieved 3 or 2-star rating.

An encouraging result from the audits was that 94 out of 100 retailers accepted BYO requests from customers. This shows that the majority of F&B retailers are open to the idea of consumers using their own reusable cup, container and bag during purchase.

Ms Pek Hai Lin, Manager of Zero Waste SG, said, “We believe that it is time for F&B retailers in Singapore to place greater priority in taking bold actions to reduce their use of plastic disposables. More consumers are demanding that retailers play a stronger role in tackling the use of plastic disposables. Retailers can improve customer and brand loyalty by showing that they care for the environment and being responsible to our future generations in conserving non-renewable resources.”

F&B retailers who hope to achieve a higher rating can follow these recommendations that were distilled from the efforts of 3-star retailers: i) identify opportunities to track, reduce and replace plastic disposables; ii) start a plastic reduction and BYO scheme to educate consumers and train staff; and iii) provide incentives or disincentives to encourage customers to BYO. Zero Waste SG looks forward to working closely with the retailers to reduce plastic disposables in Singapore, and achieve a truly Zero Waste Nation.

Download the BYO Singapore Guide 2018 at http://www.zerowastesg.com/byorating/

#2 Singaporean response to a plastic bag charge:

“Wah lau eh, everything also Pay and Pay! Where got money to pay for plastic bags, we very poor thing one… Free bags always free what so should be free forever, why must we pay?

Our response:

Sayang poor thing… we understand that our living costs in Singapore are increasing, sometimes very jialat… but for the sake of our children, grandchildren and great great great grandchildren, and for our clean and green environment, we should do the right thing! (cue: everybody hold hands and sing “this is home truly, where I know I must be…”)

Actually come on lah, we Singaporeans should know that there is nothing free in life… there are environmental and health costs to “free” bags. The problem of excessive usage and wastage of plastic bags in Singapore contributes to the wasting of non-renewable oil resources, generation of carbon dioxide emissions from incineration, littering of bags which could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, posing harm to the marine lives when the bags ends up in the waterways and sea, and affecting our own health when plastics break down into microplastics and enter our food chain.

We should not let our children, grandchildren and great great great grandchildren pay for these environmental and health costs in the future so that we can enjoy our “free” plastic bags now. Sekali your children next time ask why you pollute our environment by die die wanting free plastic bags, how you explain? How, huh how?

We hope to share that the plastic bag charge would be affordable for most households… we never bluff you! Here’s the maths… abit cheem but bear with us:

Assuming residents bag their waste and throw it into the rubbish chute once every day and with the occasional disposal, each household would need about 10 bags a week or 520 bags a year. If a typical household takes 520 bags a year from the supermarkets and reuse them for bagging waste, and if there is a 10 cents charge on each plastic bag, it would cost a household $52 a year.

The annual cost of the plastic bags ($52) as a percentage of annual household income in 2015 for different types of housing ranges from 0.06-0.35%, which means that paying for the plastic bags would incur a cost which is still affordable to most households.

Also, you could take and pay for less plastic bags if you use the plastic bags that are exempted from the charge or other plastic packaging to bag your waste at home (see previous response at http://www.zerowastesg.com/2017/09/28/1-singaporean-response-to-a-plastic-bag-charge/). So the actual number of plastic bags that you pay for would be much less!

For lower income households, to further minimise the costs of plastic bags, the private sector could help to subsidise the costs of the plastic bags for households in HDB 1- and 2-room flats, or free reusable bags could be given to these households so that they can use them for shopping. The reusable bags could be donated from the public or from the private sector.

So, we should support the plastic bag charge as it would be affordable to most households and is the right thing to do to protect our environment, our health and the future of our children, grandchildren and great great great grandchildren. Steady lah!

#1 Singaporean response to a plastic bag charge:

“Die lah! No more free bags to bag my waste to throw in the rubbish chute… my flat is going to stink and pests will crawl all over… itâ€s the end of the world!”

Our response:

Relac lah, bro and sis… the plastic bag charge policy can be designed such that certain bags are exempted from the charge for hygiene and safety reasons… which means you still have some FREE bags although not as many compared to the past. Heng ah, you can still use these free bags to bag your waste!

In fact, some countries that have implemented a plastic bag charge have exempted these bags from the charge:

• Bags used for carrying food without packaging
• Bags used for carrying frozen or chilled food
• Bags used for carrying food in non-airtight or unsealed packaging
• Bags used for carrying prescription medicines

You can also use the plastic packaging that comes with other food or products for bagging your waste, such as the outer bulk packaging for coffee sachets, bread bag packaging, etc. As a famous contractor used to say, “Use your brain” and be creative.

Also remember that the smell and pest problems are caused by food waste, so we should bag food waste using the limited plastic bags (that we still get for free) or other plastic packaging. All other items that are recyclable such as clean and dry paper, plastic bottles, metal cans and glass bottles should be recycled via the recycling bins in your estate and not disposed in the chute. Other non-food and non-hazardous items that are not recyclable can be thrown into the chute without bagging.

If you have too much waste in your house that you donâ€t have enough bags to bag your waste, your first concern should not be whether you have enough bags, but why you generate so much waste and if you could reduce the waste generated.

So to double confirm, remember these 3 steps:

1. Bring your own reusable bags when shopping.
2. Use the plastic bags that are exempted from the charge or other plastic packaging to bag your waste at home.
3. If you really run out of plastic bags for bagging waste, take just enough plastic bags when shopping and pay for them.

By Siau Ming En, TODAY, 24 Nov 2016

From hotels throwing out leftover food to shopping malls discarding paper and plastic packaging, such large commercial premises alone churned out about 302,000 tonnes of waste last year, taking up 4 per cent of the total waste generated in Singapore.

And even though nine in 10 of such premises have their own recycling programmes, a report card on waste for the sector ” the first sector required to submit such data ” showed that its weighted average recycling rates remained below 10 per cent.

Click here to read the full article

Source: TODAY

Question: To ask the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider imposing a charge on plastic bags at supermarkets.

Answer:

In Singapore, households generally re-use plastic bags to dispose of their waste in a hygienic manner. In addition, plastic bags which are thrown away are incinerated safely at our waste-to-energy plants before they are landfilled as ash. This is in contrast to other countries where waste is directly landfilled. In these countries, plastic bags, which are not biodegradable, may remain in landfills for a long time or find their way into the sea.

2 Even though Singapore manages the disposal of plastic bags well, there is room for us to cut down on excessive usage. The recent discussions on the plastic bag issue reflect a greater environmental awareness among Singaporeans. I commend environmental groups for raising awareness on the need to curb the excessive use of plastic bags. For instance, ZeroWasteSG conducted a survey among supermarket shoppers and found that only about 15% of shoppers were using reusable bags or trolleys without taking plastic bags. I am heartened by recent media reports that major supermarket players in Singapore are open to considering measures to reduce plastic bag usage, such as a voluntary charge on plastic bags if imposed across the industry.

3 However, some concerns have been raised on implementing a plastic bag charge. For example, will there be unintended consequences, such as the substitution of plastic bags with paper bags or even wastage of re-usable bags? Additionally, how can sufficient educational and enforcement measures be put in place to complement the charge and reduce demand for plastic bags by shoppers?

4 My Ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) are looking into the responses to ZeroWasteSGâ€s survey and are engaging supermarket operators to explore potential solutions to reduce the excessive use of plastic bags. NEA has also recently published a tender to study the different types of single-use carriers and how they compare in terms of cost and impact on the environment. These will help in our formulation of any future policies on the use of different types of bags.

5 Ultimately, the excessive use of plastic bags can only be curbed with the support and participation of the community and retailers. Shoppers can play their part by taking just enough plastic bags for their needs and re-using them for bagging household refuse. They can also utilise re-usable bags as much as possible. With a strong partnership between the public, private and people sectors, I am confident that we can create a more sustainable Singapore together.

Supplementary Questions by Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang:

I thank SMS for the response. I thank you for also considering imposing a plastic bag charge. But is there a time frame before a decision is made? Secondly SMS has given some of the survey results from ZeroWasteSG but I ask whether the Ministry could also consider the other part of the survey which showed that 65% of shoppers would reduce the number of plastic bags they take from supermarkets, or 58% would actually bring their own reusable bag, if there is a 10 cents charge imposed by the supermarkets. I think what we are calling for here is not a ban on plastic bags, which we know we need to use to bag our rubbish, but I think this is a pretty good middle ground. It is win-win, because it is asking people to reduce the wastage and the survey results so far shows that people would reduce wastage if it is just a 10 cents charge.

Reply by SMS Amy Khor:

I want to thank the member for his supplementary question and comments. Let me first note that we recognise the importance and benefits of curbing the excessive use of plastic bags. In fact, we are looking at further measures to see how we can achieve this, as I have noted in my reply. But let me also note that, we need to recognise that our national circumstances are actually quite unique and different from those of many other countries. Together with the municipal waste, the plastic bags which are thrown away are actually incinerated and not directly landfilled. So concerns, for instance, regarding the non-biodegradability of plastic bags, which is really the key reason used to justify a levy on plastic bags in many other countries, is not applicable in our context.

Moreover we need to also recognise that a large majority of Singaporeans live in apartments and they dispose their refuse through the refuse chute, and they use plastic bags to dispose of their rubbish in a hygienic manner. I think it has taken us quite a long time to get this habit going. The other thing is, if you look at the views on this issue, which is imposing a charge on plastic bags, it is actually quite mixed. Through our consultations as well as through the media and social media, many are supportive of this, citing for instance excessive use of plastic bags as well as for countries that have imposed it, there is a significant reduction in the number of plastic bags used.

But there are also others who have objected, citing reasons like hygiene in terms of disposing using plastic bags, as well as some unintended consequences that may arise, for instance, substituting the use of plastic bags with paper bags, which is also a resource. In addition, wastage of reusable bags and such.

I think there are merits of the argument on both sides. So we really need to do a study on this. We need to engage the stakeholders, which we are doing. And we are also looking at the experiences of other countries, as well as a life cycle assessment study that we are conducting, which will look at the cost and environmental impact of the different types of bags used. This will help us to formulate policies, including on the use of plastic bags.

So I think we need to do this in order to come to a decision, and we will share the results of the study, and the decision on whether to implement a charge on plastic bags. If so, in what manner, for instance it is just major supermarkets or major retailers as well. We need to do this before we can give you a decision.

Supplementary Question by Mr Pritam Singh:

Can I confirm if the Ministry has done a study with regard to the emissions from biodegradable plastic bags, as opposed to one which is not biodegradable?

Reply by SMS Amy Khor:

In fact, this is exactly what we are doing. We have recently published a tender, and we have commissioned a study on the life cycle assessment on the different types of single use carrier bags used, as well as common forms of containers that are used for food and beverage. The idea is to look into how these different types of material compare in terms of cost, as well as environmental impact.

Source credit: MEWR

By Lim Jia Qi, Channel NewsAsia, 9 Nov 2016

A plastic bag charge could have “unintended consequences”, such as the substitution of these bags with paper bags or even wastage of reusable bags, Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor told Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 9).

Sufficient educational and enforcement measures also need to be in place to complement a charge and reduce shoppers’ demand for plastic bags, she said.

Ms Khor was responding to MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ngâ€s question on whether the Government would consider imposing a charge on plastic bags at supermarkets.

Click here to read the full article

Source: Channel NewsAsia

Homemakers can turn unconsumed food into a new dish instead of throwing them away

Singapore, 17 Oct 2016 – Zero Waste SG and ITE College West are co-organising the inaugural “Save Food Cut Waste” Recipes Competition 2016 for ITEâ€s culinary students to develop recipes for unconsumed food at home. Sheng Siong is the Food Sponsor and the National Environment Agency (NEA) is the Supporting Partner for this competition.

Families who prepare and cook food at home often have unconsumed food after their meals and end up throwing them away. A survey conducted by NEA last year found that 80% of participants prepare food at home, and 39% of those who prepare food at home have unconsumed food after a meal.

Therefore, the objective of this competition is to develop suitable recipes to help homemakers learn and cook their unconsumed food into another dish the next day, instead of throwing them away. More importantly, this competition would educate the culinary students about the problem of food waste and to be mindful about not wasting food when they are working in the food and beverage industry in the future.

Mr Eugene Tay, Executive Director of Zero Waste SG, said, “This inaugural recipes competition would help to inculcate the message of food waste reduction in the culinary students, and also gives homemakers more options to turn unconsumed food at home into new dishes.”

Dr Goh Mong Song, Principal, ITE College West, said, “We are happy that our culinary students can use their skills to help households save food and reduce food waste. Through this process, they have also sharpened their cooking skills by creating innovative recipes. We hope that this experience will help them remember the importance of saving food, especially when they enter the industry in the future.”

The recipes competition focuses on common unconsumed food at home, including ingredients such as cooked white rice, cooked chicken, and excess bread, vegetables and fruits. In line with the message of not wasting food, the food ingredients sponsored by Sheng Siong are nearer their expiry dates where possible. Vegetables and fruits that look “ugly” or have blemishes are also used for the cooking competition to highlight that those food are still edible after cooking.

Ms Lin Ruiwen, Director of Sheng Siong Supermarket, said, “The journey from farm to fork is not an easy one, and should never be taken for granted. Not all fresh produce can be perfect looking, but small blemishes can definitely be tolerated. With better understanding of the characteristics of fresh produce, storage and handling of fresh produce, and higher tolerance for cosmetics defects, we can definitely contribute to reducing food waste.”

Competition Details

The competition is open to ITE College West culinary students and has 2 rounds – submission of recipes in the Qualifying Round and cooking with the recipes in the Final Round.

During the Qualifying Round from 15 Sep to 6 Oct 2016, each group consisting of 2 students developed an original recipe for common unconsumed food at home. The recipe had to include at least 3 food ingredients from the following types of unconsumed food at home:

• Unconsumed Cooked White Rice
• Unconsumed Cooked Chicken Wings
• Unconsumed Cooked Chicken Fillet (breast meat)
• Unconsumed Cooked Cai Xin
• Excess Uncooked Carrot
• Excess Uncooked Tomatoes
• Excess Apples
• Excess Oranges
• Excess White Bread

The groups submitted their recipe with a photo of the dish, and the judges selected 18 groups to enter the Final Round based on the following criteria:

• Use of Ingredients (20%): at least 3 ingredients from the list of common unconsumed food at home
• Creativity (40%): good use of ingredients and creativity of the dish
• Presentation (40%): plating of food to ensure an appetising appearance

The Final Round will be held on 21 Oct 2016 (1-5pm), and the 18 groups will prepare and cook their recipe dishes with the food ingredients provided in the kitchen. Each group has 2 hours to prepare and cook their recipe dish for the judges to taste. The 3 judges are from ITE College West, Zero Waste SG, and NEA. The judging criteria include:

• Taste (40%): taste and flavour of dish is preserved; has appropriate seasoning; colour, consistency and texture
• Creativity and Presentation (40%): dish is presented in its correct temperature; creativity of the dish is presented; plating of food to ensure an appetising appearance
• Misc-en-place, Hygiene and Safety (20%): Good workflow and hygiene; correct utilisation of time and teamwork; clean proper working method and no wastage

The top 3 groups would be awarded with cash prizes and plaques. After the competition, the recipes and photos from the Qualifying and Final Rounds would be selected and posted at the Save Food Cut Waste website (http://www.savefoodcutwaste.com/recipes) and social media channels, and are available for the public to learn and cook their unconsumed food at home. In addition, an exhibition of the recipes would be held in the library at ITE College West to showcase the work of the students.

By Liyana Othman, Channel NewsAsia, 24 Oct 2016

More than 790,000 tonnes of food waste was generated in Singapore last year – almost the equivalent of throwing away two bowls of rice every day.

There are no official figures on the breakdown of food waste in Singapore, and also how throwing away blemished or oddly-shaped food may contribute to the problem. But studies have shown that globally, 46 per cent of fruits and vegetables never make it from farm to fork.

Click here to read the full article

Source: Channel NewsAsia

Zero Waste SG and Young NTUC are co-organising the first public forum to discuss about plastic disposables in Singapore. Join us to learn more about the problem of plastic disposables, the current initiatives from groups and organisations, and our plans for a new campaign to encourage reusables!

Date and Time: 5 Nov 2016, 2pm to 5pm

Venue: NTUC Centre, Level 9, Room 903, 1 Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018989

Programme

1.30pm – Registration

2.00pm – Welcome by Zero Waste SG and Young NTUC

2.15pm – Overview of plastic disposables in Singapore by Zero Waste SG

2.30pm – Green Canteens at NUS by NUS SAVE

2.45pm – Project bECOme to encourage lunchbox usage by Young NTUC

3.00pm – Biodegradable foodware by TRIA

3.15pm – Q&A

3.30pm – Break

4.00pm – Discussion on new BYO campaign

5.00pm – End of Forum

Co-Organisers

Zero Waste SG is a non-profit organisation helping Singapore to accelerate the shift towards zero waste and the circular economy. Zero Waste SG aims to promote education and engagement on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) among individuals and households; increase waste minimisation and recycling among businesses and organisations; and reduce specific waste such as plastic disposables and food waste. Find out more at http://www.zerowastesg.com/

Young NTUC is the youth wing of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Since our founding in April of 2005, Young NTUC has grown to over 190,000 working adults aged 35 years and below. As the largest youth movement in Singapore, we strive to give voice to the needs and aspirations of young workers. Find out more at http://www.youngntuc.org.sg

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