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Singapore steps up regulation on local market products to go haze-free

Xinhua, October 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

In order to further tackle the haze that has been lingering around the region for decades, Singapore has requested seven major local supermarkets, pharmacies and furniture retailers to declare that their relevant products are procured from sustainable sources, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said in a joint news release on Wednesday.

This year's haze has been going back and forth for two months, with the fire points in Indonesia expected to further increase in the upcoming month. The haze was mainly caused by slash-and-burn agriculture in Indonesia, a traditional way to pave room for planting palm oil trees, a major economic engine for Indonesia.

According to the introduction on the PM.Haze website, palm oil and paper, made from the palm oil trees, are produced in a way which is "unsustainable" because it causes long-term harm to the environment and people.

Therefore, Singapore has called on seven major retailing markets including NTUC FairPrice, Watsons, Guardian, 7-Eleven and IKEA to declare that their wood, paper and pulp products are procured from sustainable sources, namely not from the companies accused of causing fires in Indonesia.

"These major supermarkets, pharmacies and furniture retailers operate several outlets from which consumers purchase paper-based products. 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," the SEC and CASE said. Endi