Debated in Parliament on 10 Jan 2024.
Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the Ministry's assessment of the public sector's achievements of the targets to go green following the launch of the GreenGov.SG initiative; (b) what yardsticks does the Ministry intend to use to assess the greening efforts of the private sector; and (c) what are some of the immediate areas that the private sector, in particular small and medium enterprises, can address in their efforts to go green.
Under the GreenGov.SG initiative, the public sector has committed to achieve net zero emissions around 2045, five years ahead of the national target of 2050. We have also committed to reduce our energy and water use by 10% and waste disposed of by 30% in 2030.
To achieve these targets, the public sector has introduced various measures to reduce its environmental footprint. For instance, new and existing public sector buildings that undergo major retrofitting are to achieve Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy standard. Since 2023, all cars newly procured and registered will also need to be clean energy vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions.
Since the announcement of the GreenGov.SG initiative in 2021, we have established baseline measurements for our emissions, energy and water consumption. These have been published in the inaugural GreenGov.SG report. We aim to start tracking and publishing our waste data beginning from the next report. We expect to see progress towards our targets, as public sector operations stabilise post-pandemic and various measures that are being implemented start to yield results. It is premature to assess the public sector’s current progress at this point.
As to the private sector, my Ministry has mandated companies with large energy or water consumption to report their resource use and submit improvement plans annually. In addition, large commercial and industrial premises must report their waste data and submit their waste reduction plans. The Singapore Exchange has also mandated climate reporting for listed companies on a "comply or explain" basis.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can do their part. They can start by tracking and reducing their electricity and water consumption. They can improve their energy efficiency by switching to more energy efficient cooling and lighting systems or invest in water recycling systems. In the GreenGov.SG report, we highlighted some actions that have been adopted by government agencies, which companies can reference. The Energy Efficiency Technology Centre, set up by the National Environment Agency and the Singapore Institute of Technology, offers affordable consultancy services to help SMEs identify energy efficiency improvement opportunities, while the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has published a Best Practice Guide for Water Efficiency to help companies identify opportunities to reduce water consumption. Interested companies can utilise grant support schemes such as the Energy Efficiency Fund and Water Efficiency Fund to implement these initiatives.
Sustainability is a whole-of-nation effort. The private sector, including small and medium enterprises, can contribute to building a greener Singapore. Such efforts will also help companies reap cost savings, and enhance their long-term competitiveness and resource resilience.
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