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Month: June 2021

A solid step towards Green recycling of Cosmetic waste

Posted on by dishanth
A solid step towards Green recycling of Cosmetic waste

SINGAPORE, Apr. 15, 2021 — Makeup Artist Association (Singapore) is pleased to announce its partnership with ACE Recycling Pte Ltd to help reduce cosmetics wastage in Singapore.

In order to tackle the hefty issue of cosmetics wastage in Singapore, Makeup Artist Association of Singapore (MAA) has partnered with ACE Recycling Pte Ltd, a fully integrated global recycling platform.

“Our partnership with ACE Recycling Pte Ltd brings us one step closer to finding a sustainable solution to the cosmetic industry’s waste problem, and we’re very excited to see what it leads to,” shares Minakshi Sengar, Director of Makeup Artist Association Singapore.

In 2019 alone, more than 140 million units of cosmetics packaging were sold, with more than half of them ending up in Pulau Semakau, Singapore’s only landfill. The issue of cosmetics waste is a major problem in the industry. With high costs that come with collecting, cleaning, and repurposing makeup containers (like powder compacts, lipstick tubes), many companies find it hard to dedicate resources towards greener disposal methods.

Although MAA has been working with makeup artists through smaller campaigns to reduce cosmetics waste for some years now, Minakshi shares that “more needs to be done on this front and eco-friendly ways must be explored to handle waste from the cosmetic industry.”

While searching for a solution that would be a viable and long-lasting one, MAA reached out to ACE Recycling Pte Ltd. They invest in clean technology, responsible recycling, and help organizations extract maximum value out of their waste without compromising on any of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspects, while also providing traceability.

“We are excited to partner with MAA in developing a roadmap for the cosmetic industry to solve the issue of wastage,” shared Nishchay Chadha, CEO of ACE Recycling Pte Ltd.

Amongst other processes, ACE Recycling Pte Ltd is working on a plasma based solution, a waste-treatment technology that utilizes electricity to turn waste into usable by-products without the need for burning. This method does not combust or burn waste as incinerators do, thereby reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills.

Aside from liaising with companies to set up clean technology solutions in their warehouses, MAA is also committed to recycling brand-new leftover cosmetics, by donating them to needy families and communities.

 

 

Source MAU Association

Singapore and Gulf countries can be partners in fight against climate change

Posted on by dishanth
Singapore and Gulf countries can be partners in fight against climate change

SINGAPORE – Rising sea levels, higher temperatures and threats to water and food security are some of the climate change challenges faced by Singapore and Qatar as well as other countries in the Middle East.

They can thus work together particularly in the areas of climate mitigation, clean energy and green growth, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (May 25).

She was delivering the opening remarks for an online panel discussion jointly organised by the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and the Doha Forum, a global dialogue platform.

Ms Fu pointed to three opportunities for partnership between Singapore and the Gulf countries towards a more sustainable future.

First, they should exchange expertise and best practices. “For instance, Singapore and Qatar have invested in solar energy as part of our energy mix. Singapore is building one of the world’s biggest floating solar farms and Qatar is working on the Al Kharsaah project, which will be one of the world’s largest solar plants,” she said. “At the same time, Qatar’s electric bus project could offer useful lessons as Singapore moves towards greener public transport networks.”

Second, they could work together in transitioning to a low-carbon future. Ms Fu observed that Gulf nations had been actively investing in what she dubbed as “needle-moving” clean energy solutions such as hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and sequestration (CCUS) technologies.

 

 

Qatar commissioned a carbon storage plant in 2019 – the largest of its kind in the region – which aims to capture over five million tonnes of CO2 per year from the emirate’s liquefied natural gas industry by 2025.

“In Singapore, clean energy research is a core part of our investment of US$18 billion (S$23.8 billion)  in the next five years to strengthen the research and innovation capabilities of our companies,” said Ms Fu.

A third and prime area for cooperation lies in green growth and resilience, she said while praising Gulf countries for making “great strides” in renewable energy, circular economy, green cities and other aspects.

“On our end, we aim to develop Singapore as a carbon trading and services hub, and a leading centre for green finance to facilitate Asia’s transition,” said Ms Fu. “As a founding member of the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund initiative, which builds climate change into financial decision-making, the Qatar Investment Authority would boost green finance as it explores opportunities in Asia.”

She also noted that Singapore and Qatar share similar concerns around food security.

 

“We would be keen to learn more about Qatar’s strategies and share best practices. Singapore’s economic ties and relationship with the Middle East, and particularly the Gulf region, are on the upswing. Green growth and resilience have the potential to be new pillars of cooperation to deepen our ties further.” she Ms Fu.

 

Earlier, Ms Fu pointed out that Singapore has been an active member of international efforts to tackle climate change – by taking part in key negotiations, co-facilitating ministerial discussions, showing strong support for the Paris Agreement, and collaborating with global partners like the United Nations.

The Paris Agreement, reached in 2015, is a historic legally binding treaty which saw nearly 200 countries pledge to fight global warming and greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment’s permanent secretary, Mr Albert Chua, said Singapore would be involved in “some of the more delicate diplomatic manoeuvres” at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November.

Asked by panel moderator and former diplomat Bilahari Kausikan what he expected from COP26, Mr Chua said there were outstanding issues to be resolved, including on Article 6 under the Paris pact – which revolves around how countries can reduce emissions using global carbon markets.

“In the case of countries like Singapore, where we have no natural resources, the ability to secure carbon credits from elsewhere becomes very important,” he explained.

 

Indonesia’s former special envoy on climate change, Mr Rachmat Witoelar, said he hoped the landmark COP26 summit would lead to funds distributed to states making an effort to tackle climate change.

Fellow panellist and Nikkei senior staff writer Kiyoshi Ando said he expected more ambitious targets from the world’s biggest source of carbon dioxide – China.

“What I fear is that all the countries are raising targets… and in the next couple of years, most will find that these are unrealistic,” he added. “I hope the Paris Agreement is not going to break up.”

 

 

By Justin Ong Political Correspondent

Source The Straits Times