Local firms saved 12m pieces of single-use plastics in 2019: WWF-Singapore

MORE than 12 million pieces of single-use plastic packaging and items were saved in 2019 by local companies under the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore's Pact (Plastic ACTion) initiative, the conservation organisation said on Thursday.

For instance, Grand Hyatt Singapore has saved items such as 120,000 cotton buds and 130,000 bin liners across its 677 guest rooms, food and beverage (F&B) services and meeting venues.

Homegrown manufacturer Cloversoft has eliminated bundle packaging for its antibacterial wipes to remove the additional plastic wrapping used to bundle the packs, and e-commerce pet care store perromart has saved more than 500 kilometres of tape since it committed to redesigning its packaging guidelines.

WWF-Singapore has been guiding the companies in their journey, helping them conduct pilot testing for new solutions, and gathering industry peers to share experiences, best practices, brainstorm and test solutions, said Kim Stengert, chief of strategic communication and external relations.

"Through extensive commitments, research and pilots, we are glad to see how Pact has helped companies overcome their challenges and reduce their overall plastics use significantly," said Mr Stengert.

"Going forward, we hope to see more businesses coming on board Pact to create a systemic change for the future."

The conservation organisation shared details of the initiative's progress in a Pact Impact report published on Thursday.

Launched in 2018 with a vision of no plastics in nature by 2030, Pact's goals are to eliminate all unnecessary plastics, reduce single-use plastics by at least 50 per cent, support a circular economy using 100 per cent reusable or recyclable product or packaging design models, and remove plastics from nature by making a net positive impact.

Grand Hyatt, Cloversoft and perromart are among 22 Pact Champions that signed individual commitments to meet time-bound targets and specific goals in reducing plastic use, such as through replacing disposable items with reusable options and increasing the recycled content of packaging and products. These companies hail from the e-commerce, F&B, hospitality, manufacturing and retail property management sectors.

The report noted that Pact has also encouraged industry-wide collective action through its pledges to reduce the use of straws, disposable utensils and single-use bags.

More than 300 F&B outlets have signed the No Straws Pledge to remove straws from their operations from July 2019 onwards.

Under the Retail Bag Charge pledge, Lego certified stores, H&M, SaladStop!, The Body Shop and Wing Tai Retail have been charging customers for single-use bags and donating the proceeds to WWF-Singapore for conservation efforts.

The Food Delivery Pledge signed by the three major food delivery companies Deliveroo, foodpanda and Grab has already helped to save 30 million disposable utensils to date, or one million per week, and the companies have committed to providing their F&B partners with guidelines that aim to remove unnecessary packaging by 2024.

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