Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA), together with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and a dozen other organizations, enacted the Technical Reference 109 Sustainable Packaging Guiding Framework and Practices, a set of guidelines to help enterprises adopt more sustainable packaging-related practices, as reported by Strait Times on October 7. The seven-chapter guidelines cover the whole lifecycle of packaging materials, ranging from the design of greener materials to reusing and recycling. Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, Amy Khor, suggested that adopting sustainable package design could create practical economic advantages for businesses, such as building brand affinity, as consumers have increased concerns for the environment.

The new guidelines are a supplement to the Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) framework launched by the NEA in January 2022, which required certain producers of packaged products to submit their packaging data and Reuse, Reduce, Recycle (3R) plans by March 31, 2022. The new guidelines showed producers how to make accurate and credible green claims about their packaging and the extent of its recyclability to avoid misleading consumers, as the definition of green packaging in the MPR was broad. The new guidelines, the MPR framework, and multiple schemes carried out this year to reduce packaging waste were intended to pave the way for Singapore’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Expected to start by 2025, the EPR scheme stipulated producers’ obligations for collecting and treating their products when they reach the end of service life.  

Sources:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/guide-launched-to-help-retailers-producers-reduce-packaging-waste

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/manufacturers-and-retailers-report-packaging-use-for-new-scheme-to-cut-waste

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=65880246-0867-45a4-b5a5-c1cbbdffd674

https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/e-waste-management/extended-producer-responsibility-(epr)-system-for-e-waste-management-system