APP hit by another product withdrawal as haze lingers in Singapore

BARELY two weeks after major supermarkets in Singapore pulled all paper products sourced from Indonesia-linked Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), RedMart, an online grocer, said it too will be following suit.

The Singapore-based online grocer said its voluntary withdrawal of all paper products sourced from APP follows the ongoing investigations by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the National Environment Agency and the temporary restriction of APP's "Singapore Green Label" certification.

"RedMart remains deeply committed to supporting sustainably and responsibly sourced products; and encourage our suppliers and partners to adopt sustainable practices in their operations,'' it said.

Products affected by the withdrawal include Paseo and NICE brands. The withdrawal will be in effect on the RedMart website from 6pm on Monday.

On Oct 7, NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong announced their withdrawal of all APP paper products after SEC said it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the "Singapore Green Label" certification for the Indonesian firm's products.

The Dairy Farm group, which operates chains such as Guardian, 7-Eleven, Cold Storage and Giant, has also stopped replenishing APP stock but will continue to sell existing items till they run out.

APP, a member of Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group, is among the companies in Indonesia suspected of contributing to the haze pollution in Indonesia. Its managing director of sustainability Aida Greenbury had said the firm "is firmly against forest fire" and that it deployed 2,900 firefighters and fire suppression helicopters to deal with the situation.