Carrie Tan on Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill

Reducing the use of plastic bags in brick-and-mortar businesses is an excellent start, but Singapore must go beyond that by looking into the rapidly growing online retail space where large amounts of packaging are often used. The Government could introduce a sustainable packaging mark, working with packaging companies and environmental groups on the minimum standards that must be adhered to. It can also work with online retail aggregating platforms like Alibaba Express, Taobao, Lazada and Shopee to enrol consumers to rate retailers on their packaging practices. MP Carrie Tan made these proposals in Parliament on Wednesday (Mar 22). She also suggested taxing the manufacturing, import and procurement of plastic or single-use packaging products to increase the costs to merchants, so that it will make more economical sense to adopt greener packaging practices. The Government could also develop the necessary infrastructure for a network of localised facilities to collect and reuse packaging.