Singapore, September 11, 2018: The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) today announced products from two companies – Scanpap (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd and APRIL Group – have been certified under its enhanced Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS) for pulp and paper products.
The enhanced SGLS uses a risk-based evaluation system to complement its more extensive qualification criteria, and facilitate the development of a risk mitigation plan. It enables SEC to supervise and address pulp and paper industry players that have received the enhanced SGLS certification, with improved surveillance over all supply chain management end to end, from plantations to manufacturing and packaging of products.
Certified products are subjected to an objective evaluation including extensive ground audits and undergo rigorous checks on the company’s forestry practices. During the process of certification, companies need to demonstrate they comply with each of the 25 audit criteria under the enhanced scheme. SEC also engages companies to address existing gaps or risks.
The enhanced SGLS incorporates internationally recognised best practices in creating the criteria. This includes peatland management, relevant International Organization for Standardization (ISO) environmental management standards, forestry standards such as those from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and fire management standards1 from the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS). The criteria were also established and benchmarked against the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL) Codes of Good
Currently, five companies have their pulp and paper products certified under the enhanced SGLS. These companies have demonstrated a commitment to transparency in their supply chains, as well as meeting high standards of sustainable forestry and manufacturing practices.
Another eight companies have submitted applications for pulp and paper products and are currently undergoing the enhanced SGLS evaluation process.
Ms Jen Teo, Executive Director of SEC said: “The Singapore Green Label is a symbol of sustainable manufacturing and good environmental practice. The enhanced SGLS criteria is benchmarked against other countries with tough environmental labelling standards, such as the EU, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Our criteria place a strong emphasis on peatland, fire and forest management.”
Mr Terry Ang, Managing Director, Scanpap (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, said: “Sustainability is not just the responsibility of the paper industry’s stakeholders. We need to encourage more consumers to buy pulp and paper products that are made sustainably. Since the outbreak of fires contributing to the haze in Singapore, our converter and tissue paper mills follow strict chain-of-custody procedures. This ensures that all raw materials are from legal and sustainable sources. We also offer intelligently-designed touch-less dispensing systems in addition to other complementary systems. These systems reduce waste, increase productivity and reduce the paper industry’s carbon footprint.”
Mr Praveen Singhavi, President, APRIL Group, said: “Obtaining the enhanced Singapore Green Label is particularly meaningful for two reasons. First, it’s a testament to the high standards of APRIL’s operations and our commitment to continuous improvement. For us, the enhanced SGLS has been a multi-year process which started with participating in 3 industry consultation on its criteria to more recently, undergoing a series of field audits. Second, APRIL’s flagship brand PaperOne celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, so this is a great way to mark the milestone. PaperOne was actually launched in Singapore, and we’re proud that it continues to be a choice paper product for homes and offices, known not only for premium quality but also for its sustainable production.”
For more information for on the enhanced SGLS certification, please refer to the media release published here.
