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Major retailers asked to declare wood, paper products are from sustainable sources

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).

TODAY file photo

TODAY file photo

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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.

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