Singapore Green Labelling Scheme

(SGLS)

Kelvin Lai
By: Administration Manager
Green Label and Certifications /
Partnerships Development
November 1st, 2013
Trend for Green Products and Services

• 45% of people seek out environmental information.

• 40% of all people think “green” or “environmentally friendly” means

the product has a positive impact on the environment.

• 71% of consumers consider the environment when they shop.

• 85% of people want companies to educate them on how to use or

dispose of their products responsibly.

Survey conducted by Brady Hamed, Sustainable Brands Newsletter

Why Green Products and Services

Challenges caused by:

• Pollution
• Greenhouse gasses
• Climate change
• Activist groups
• Global governments
What is Carbon Footprint?

The amount of carbon (C02) emitted individually

in any one-year period.

C02 is produced from many sources and is the primary

gas responsible for Global warming and the resulting
alarming changes in our climate.

Details at: http://www.marioninstitute.org/what-carbon-footprint

Global Green Growth Summit

Global Green Summit 2013 (10-11 June 2013, Songdo, Korea)

The third annual Summit focused on the nexus between finance,

innovation and policy.

A unique window onto international best practice in

accelerating the transition to an inclusive, green growth pathway.

Details of the Summit was available at www.gggsummit.org

Outcome of GGG Summit 2013

• Critical investment requirements, including those needed to

ensure energy, water and food security, and other elements of
developing countries’ green growth plans.

• Innovative approaches to delivering the required financing,

institutional innovations;

• Fiscal instruments as public procurement, trade policy and the

redeployment of subsidies for renewables subsidies.
Outcome of GGG Summit 2013 …contd.

• Made substantive progress on green growth by exploring specific

and practical measures to accelerate transformation into green
growth through linkages between finance, innovation and policy.

• The Summit cultivated the importance of green technology, fiscal

instruments for green growth, and how to best measure progress.

Details of the Summit was available at www.gggsummit.org

Demand for Green Products and Services

Research conducted by TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific*:

In Singapore, there is escalating consumer demand for

Green products and services as a result of the concerns
about climate change. This demand has posed to local
businesses significant untapped opportunities.

Note*:
• The study, named the TÜV SÜD Green Gauge 2010, is the first to investigate, compare & contrast consumer and corporate
attitudes to Green products, services, policies and certifications in Asia.

• It revealed that 94 percent of consumers in Singapore are interested in Green; 72 percent are willing to pay a premium for
Green certified, and 62 percent claim to purchase Green products and services.

Source: Adapted from the survey done by TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Pte Ltd about the TUV SUD Green Gauge 2010
Demand for Green Products and Services

Generally, there is a high level of interest in Green issues by both

businesses and consumers.

“Businesses appeared to be unaware of the intensity of interest among

consumers and how this translates into demand for Green products
and their willingness to pay premiums of over 10 per cent for them.

This shows a large and potentially lucrative opportunity in the market.”

Mr Ishan Palit, CEO of TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific,

The TÜV SÜD Green Gauge 2010
Green Certification is Important to Consumers

Findings show:

• Consumers are more aware of Green certifications than businesses

• Consumers have a greater understanding of their importance.

Half of consumers polled were aware of such standards

• Forty - two percent said they are “very important” and Green
certifications adds credibility to the product.

• Consumers will purchase green products and services that are

independently certified to green standards.

• Businesses, on the other hand, appear to be slow on the uptake.

This is surprising especially considering the demand is there.

Mr Ishan Palit, CEO of TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific,

The TÜV SÜD Green Gauge 2010
Who to take the Lead?

Businesses suggested that

• Government should take the lead on solving Green issues with

businesses in Singapore.

• Industry and Government regulations are the main reason why they
would implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and
sustainability policies and guidelines.

Mr Ishan Palit, CEO of TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific,

The TÜV SÜD Green Gauge 2010
Climate Change Driving Demand

• The concerns about climate change are fuelling the rising demand
for Green products and services in Singapore.

• On a global scale, nearly half (48 percent) believe climate change is

the world’s most critical Green problem.

TUV SUD Green Gauge 2010 conducted by TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.
Green Certifications important to consumers

• Consumers in Singapore are showing increasing demand for Green

products and services, especially when additional health, safety and
financial benefits are clearly communicated to them.

• This offers a very real business opportunity to consumer brands

• Green makes good business sense.

Mr Chong Weng Hoe

CEO of TÜV SÜD PSB, Singapore
 How Businesses in Singapore are Going Green?

• The adoption of green practices among entrepreneurs has become

prevalent.

• In addition, as more consumers are willing to spend more on green

products.

Source : Lucas Chua’s Article from Tech in Asia on March 23, 2012
 Government support and incentives

• Governments see a need for industries and companies to tap into

renewable energy and become sustainable businesses.

• The Singapore government has schemes and funding to encourage

firms to take the leap and adopt green practices.

• Government funding and incentives plays an important role in

helping companies in various industries go green.

• Building and Construction, Manufacturing, Research, and Transport

industries stand to gain the most from government incentives.
Government support and incentives

Some schemes that help businesses:

• Water Efficiency Fund (WEF )

• which encourages companies to manage their water demand more
efficiently
Details at www.pub.gov.sg/wef

• Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)

• a co-funding scheme administered by the National Environment Agency
(NEA) to encourage companies in the manufacturing and building
sectors to carry out energy appraisals and identify potential areas for
energy efficiency improvement.
Details at http://app2.nea.gov.sg/grants-awards/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-improvement-assistance-
scheme-(ease)
Green Labels and Certifications

• Becoming more important in the eyes of companies and

consumers.

• Greater impetus within the business environment to seek

out certification and external validation for their green
efforts, and display eco-labels that distinguish them from
other competitors.
Adopting green labels and certifications

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

• Provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying

and implementing practical and measurable green building design,
construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

BCA Green Mark Scheme

• Encourages the construction of environment-friendly buildings in

Singapore.

• This benchmarking scheme incorporates internationally recognized best

practices in environmental design and performance that has a positive
effect on corporate image, leasing and resale value of buildings.
Adopting green labels and certifications

The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) has:

• Singapore Green Labelling Scheme,
• Eco-Office Certification and
• Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards

Encourage companies who are genuinely promoting behavioural

change amongst their workers, to achieve soft changes in their
corporate image.
Monitoring and Managing Environmental Risks and
Impacts

• A growing awareness among companies to give back as climate

change and environmental disasters impact everyone.

• The Body Shop, an ideal example of a company engaging in green

practices.
Our Current Projects
Labelling and Community Awards
Certifications Outreach &
Education
Programmes
Singapore Green Earth Helpers Singapore
Labelling Scheme Environmental
(SGLS) Achievement Awards
(SEAA)

Eco-Office, Eco-Food ABC Waters Learning Asian Environmental

Court Trails Journalism Awards

Eco-Shop Green Champions School Green Awards

Our Partners

And many others….

Singapore Green Labelling Scheme(SGLS)
• Launched in May 1992 by the Ministry of the Environment by
Minister of Environment, Dr. Ahmad Mattar

• Administered by SEC since June 1999

• SEC became a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network

(GEN) in October 2003

• SGLS passed the Global Ecolabelling Network International

Coordinated Ecolabelling System’s (GENICES) Audit and was
awarded the certificate of accreditation on 27 October 2011

• More than
– 2,500 products certified
– 600 companies
– 10 countries worldwide
SGLS 20th Anniversary Celebrations
16th March 2012
SGLS - Print Ads in Today
SGLS Outreach – New marketing collaterals
SGLS Eco-product database
Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards

• Launched by former Minister for the

Environment Mr Yeo Cheow Tong in 1997

• Reward companies that have taken

proactive steps to minimise the impact of
their business on the environment

• Stringent criteria and assessment make it

one of the most prestigious local
environmental awards

• 42 companies have been awarded since the

launch

• Ernst & Young are the official auditors

SEAA 2013
• GOH: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Environment and Water Resources
• Venue: Conrad Centennial Hotel
• Date / Time: 22 August 2013
• Attendance : 271 guests
• Total PR Value garnered : S$277,236
• Number of submissions : 21
• Winners :
– Kimberly-Clark Singapore Environmental Achievement Award (Services)
• Winner: Keppel Land Limited
• Merit Winner: Keppel DHCS Pte Ltd
– Lee Foundation Singapore Environmental Achievement Award (Public Sector)
• Winner: Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
• Merit Winner: East View Primary School
– DFS Singapore Environmental Achievement Award (Regional)
• Winner: KUB-Berjaya Enviro Sdn Bhd
– SEC-Senoko Energy Green Innovation Award (Product)
• Winner: Housing & Development Board (HDB)
– Setsco Singapore Environmental Achievement Award (Manufacturing)
• Merit Winner: M Metal Pte Ltd
– CDL Outstanding Singapore Environmental Achievement Award
• KUB-Berjaya Enviro Sdn Bhd
Asian Environmental Journalism Awards
• Launched in 2011
• Annual awards held in 2012
• To recognise and reward excellence in
environmental journalism
• Open to individuals and media organisations
• With support from Coca Cola Singapore, City
Developments Ltd and CITIC Telecom
AEJA 2013
• Launch Date: 22 April 2013
• AEJA 2013 was celebrated in a standalone Ceremony.
– Venue : Hotel Intercontinental Grand Ballroom
– Date: Thursday, 17 Oct 2013
– GOH: Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister of Communications and
Information
• Two new categories:
– Environmental Blogger of the Year
– Environmental Photograph of the Year
ABC Waters Programme

Active,
Beautiful,
Clean Waters
Programme

– Nation-wide programme to transform our drains, canals &

reservoirs into beautiful & vibrant water bodies for the public to
enjoy
– Enhances value of surrounding properties
ABC Waters Programme

• PUB re-appointed SEC as the vendor to manage Learning Trails for a period
of 18 months from 9 July 2013.
• Target outreach to 15,000 new students
• Target 20 non-Our Water Adopters
• Total of 12 Learning Trails (Bedok Reservoir, Marina Reservoir, Lorong
Halus, Lower Seletar Reservoir, MacRitchie Reservoir, Kallang-Bishan Park,
Alexandra Canal and Seng Kang Floating Wetland).
• Yishun Pond & Jurong Lake was developed by SEC last year
• Engage and retain dedicated pool of facilitators to lead students.
ABC Waters Learning Trails

Alexandra Canal Bedok Reservoir Kallang River-Bishan Park

Lorong Halus MacRitchie Reservoir Marina Reservoir

Lower Seletar Reservoir Seng Kang Floating Wetland

Earth Helpers
• Launched in April 2011
• To match businesses interested in green projects
with volunteers who have the specialised skills or
experience required.
• There are currently more than 350 registered
Earth Helpers
Project: Eco-Office
- Launched in 2002 in partnership with City
Developments Ltd. to raise awareness among
office workers on the benefits of going green in
the office.

- SEC offered workshops, educational materials and

company talks to help offices go green.

- SEC introduced an online Eco-Office Rating System

in 2003 to enable organisations to be certified for
successfully implementing office greening
programmes.

- A total of 186 individual offices have been certified

since 2004
Project: Eco-Office
• Focus on the heart-ware of offices.
– Gear human behaviour to change towards being
more environmentally conscious and sustainable
in daily work operations
– This complements efforts to develop the green
infrastructure in buildings and offices

• Cost savings in the thousands, as offices work

towards keeping targets to lower
consumptions for paper, utilities and so on
School Green Awards
• Schools are judged based on
the self-audit forms submitted
online
• Each question has a specific point allocation
• Answers and total score is tallied and verified
by SEC
• Club 21 and SPH are sponsors for SGA 2013
School Green Awards
• In 2013, New Daisy Award for Pre-schools and open to other
non-mainstream schools
• Answers and total score is tallied and verified by SEC
School Green Awards
• In 2012, a total of 284 schools have submitted their
application and 261 obtained this award.
• ABC Learning Water Learning Trails has been
featured as part of SGA since 2012.
• Preschools and special needs schools are included in
2013 programme.
• NEA’s 3R Awards for schools has been subsumed
under SGA 2013
• Constant look out for programs to include in panel of
program to enhance SGA
SGA OUTREACH
• Grew to 261 schools in 2012
SGAA Statistics
300

250

200

150

100

50

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012
Project: Eco-Shop
• Collaboration between SEC and SMRT
• Launched on 1 July 2013
• To certify all Woodlands Xchange retailers by
September 2013
• Program will be extended to all retailers in
Singapore
Project: Eco-Shop
• It is a certification programme aimed at guiding and encouraging
retailers to fit out their shops in an environmentally-sustainable
manner, as well as to adopt eco-friendly habits and implement
green practices in their daily operations.

• Other than receiving recognition for their commitment in being

green, retailers can also reduce their energy consumption and
utility bills in the long run.

• The Eco-Shop Label is based on a scoring system to evaluate the

environmental performance of retail shops in the areas of
Environmental Management & Awareness, Purchasing &
Operations, Air Quality, Energy Conservation, Waste Management,
and Water Conservation.
Green Champions
• The Environment is the third dimension of
Olympism after Sport and Culture
• MOU with SNOC
– Joint workshop to promote sports and environment to
athletes heading for SEA Games 2013
– Preparation of an athletes’ kit for overseas
competition
– Partner in the Olympic Day Run 2013 (13 July)
– Identification of athletes as Green Ambassadors
Launch of Green Champions
8 July 2013
Green Champions Collaterals
MOU Between SEC and Singapore
Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)
• 3 year collaboration
• Reach out to SFIC partners and encourage their participation in SGLS.
• Encourage SFIC members to take up our certification program and take
advantage of the competitive advantage that SGLS offers.
• Extend the outreach and awareness of the SGLS so that more can be done
in the areas of environment protection through daily purchasing decisions.
• Market our SGLS in trade shows organised by SFIC (eg International
Furniture Fair Singapore [IFFS])
• Provide additional platforms such as Singaplural where SGA participating
schools are able to showcase their creations
MOU Between SEC and
Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan
• Share best practices in spearheading environment and
public health protection.
• SEC's first ever collaboration with an overseas government-
linked environmental organisation
• For 2013, the following areas have been identified for
collaboration
– Joint development of program for online Uzbekistan Youth
Forum
– Joint workshops for development of eco-tourism, renewable
energy, measures to improve the environment and human
health in ecologically unfavorable region of Uzbekistan
– Legal framework and best practices in public ecological control
– SEC to be represented in Uzbekistan’s environmental journalism
contest
MOU Between SEC and
Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan

MOU with Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, in Tashkent 3 April 2012.

Witnessed by Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli
and Singapore’s ambassador to Uzbekistan Mr Zulkifli Baharudin
Media Coverage
The Business Times, 24 Aug 2012
Advertorial Centrespread showcasing SEAA 2012 winners
The Straits Times, 24 Aug 2012
Schooling students in green efforts
The Straits Times, 24 Aug 2012
ST Reporter wins “green” award
AsiaOne Edvantage, 23 Aug 2012
Woodgrove Sec wins environmental
achievement award
The Straits Times, 4 Aug 2012
Green Collar Asia
ST vying for green reporting awards
Jose Raymond: Linking the envt to other sectors of society
Media Coverage
Upcoming Programmes
Project: Eco-Manufacturing
• Collaboration between SEC and Singapore
Manufacturing Federation (SMF)
• Available to all SMF members as well as
interested manufacturing facilities
• Focus on the heart-ware of manufacturing
operations
• In line with Eco-Establishment concept
 THANK YOU
www.sec.org.sg
+65 6337 6062
@SECSingapore SingaporeEnvironmentCouncil