Southeast Asia SINGAPORE — Banned products from Indonesian firm linked to forest fires causing haze.
FairPrice pulled two of its house-hold products as well as 16 APP-related products, which include brands like Paseo and NICE, from its stores, report said.
This announcement comes after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) imposed a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for APP products.
The council had released a statement saying that it took action after an Asia Pulp & Paper subsidiary was “one of five companies named by the National Environment Agency (NEA) suspected to be contributing to the haze pollution.” APP is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of tissue, stationery and paper products.
Singapore’s largest supermarket chain released a statement saying it had pulled from its shelves toilet paper and other products sourced from Indonesia’s Asia Pulp & Paper, Southeast Asia largest paper producer and one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies.
The supermarket said it had made the move “following notification from the Singapore Environment Council that it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the ‘Singapore Green Label’ certification for A.P.P. products,” the statement said.
Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability for Asia Pulp & Paper, said in a statement on Thursday that the company was “firmly against” the intentional setting of forest fires and would disengage from any supplier proven guilty of illegally starting one.
“We understand why FairPrice feels the need to take urgent action and we feel the same urgency also in addressing this haze issue, but accuracy is just as important,” she said. “The fire situation is complex, and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments, and authorities are still investigating the situation.”
In Southeast Asia, Dairy Farm International Holdings, which operates Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, Market Place by Jasons and Guardian Singapore, said it will stop purchasing products linked to APP for its stores. But products already on the shelves will remain, according to Today Online Report.
FairPrice reiterated on Wednesday that it was unable to sign the declaration of the two APP-related housebrand products earlier as it was pending the paper firm’s confirmation of their compliance to SEC’s requirements. Image Credits/ Straits Times
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