Organiser
103 Penang Road, VisionCrest Commercial
Level 7, Singapore 238467
The 3Rs known as “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is the cornerstone of environmentalism, but the value of recycling has come under intense scrutiny in recent years.
China’s ban on waste imports revealed a broken global waste management system and the unsustainable practices of developed countries shipping their waste to developing ones for disposal. Countries are grappling with how to deal with growing waste generation and providing the right infrastructure to manage and dispose this waste, even as climate change and resource scarcity accelerate.
Recent reports state that only 9 per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, with much ending up in the ocean. Singapore’s own domestic recycling rate remains flat at 21 per cent.
But this is set to the change—Singapore this year announced a new Resource Sustainability Bill and Zero Waste Masterplan to raise overall recycling rates to 70 per cent and domestic recycling to 30 per cent by 2030.
In Singapore’s Year Towards Zero Waste, there has never been a better time to relook and reimagine how we handle waste, and ask critical questions about the future of recycling:
• Recycling consumes energy and resources; repurposed material seldom retains the same quality as virgin material—what are some innovative solutions today that will define our future?
• Will a policy of extended producer responsibility fill the gaps when it comes to material innovation, design for recovery, and collection?
• What are viable alternatives for decentralised and localised waste recycling, and how can this be implemented within Singapore and in countries around the region which are struggling to take on the world’s waste problems?
This year’s Eco Action Day Roundtable will gather experts in manufacturing, waste management and civic society to deep dive into an issue that is coming to define our time, and to come up with concrete solutions and actions to advance SustainableDevelopment Goal 13, climate action.
Eco Action Day is Singapore’s largest and longest-running business-led environmental initiative held in celebration of the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day every year by Ricoh Asia Pacific. It is observed by calling on organisations and individuals to pledge positive action for the environment in Singapore.
This event is by invite-only with a passcode. If you are interested to join, please contact Christina at events@eco-business.com.
This event is by invite-only with a passcode. If you are interested to join, please contact Christina at events@eco-business.com.
Yuji Hiruma, Director & Senior General Manager of Digital Workplace Marketing Division in Ricoh Asia Pacific
CEO, National Environment Agency (NEA)
General Manager, Service & Environment Division, Ricoh Asia Pacific
Mikako Suzuki, General Manager, Sustainability Management Division of Ricoh Company Limited
Participants break into groups of 10 to discuss the topics at hand, facilitated by a pre-appointed spokesperson. Each group must agree on 3 actionable outcomes based on the topic at their table to advance sustainable waste management.
The five themes are:
• The role of manufacturers
• Social behaviour
• Effective policymaking
• Designing for a circular economy
• Business models and innovation
In the Year of Climate Action in 2018, Singapore’s recycling rate fell by one percentage point even as domestic recycling improved. Despite years of awareness raising efforts and incentive schemes, household recycling rates have not improved, pointing to a continued lack of understanding around the need to move away from resource-intensive modes of production and consumption. With 12 years left to ramp up climate action and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, is it time to move the conversation away from recycling? In Singapore’s Year Towards Zero Waste, is it time to look towards a new message for sustainability and environmentalism?
The moderator will invite speakers to share the 3 actionable outcomes his or her table has come up with to take concrete steps towards sustainable waste management.
Executive Director, Deloitte Singapore
Executive Director, Zero Waste SG
CEO, National Environment Agency (NEA)
Head of Sustainability, Deputy General Manager of Sustainable Urban Renewal, Keppel Land
Director Global Packaging – Asia Pacific, Johnson & Johnson consumer
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
This event is by invite-only with a passcode. If you are interested to join, please contact Christina at events@eco-business.com.
This event is by invite-only with a passcode. If you are interested to join, please contact Christina at events@eco-business.com.
