Energy management and preservation of natural resources should be prioritised by organisations: it reduces wastage and leads to costs savings.
Choosing energy efficient equipment, avoiding disposable utensils and harmful substances are some impactful actions you can take.
The NEA provides guidelines and resources to take action towards more energy efficiency.
Audit and monitor the energy consumption of the whole kitchen and set targets for reduction.
Optimize the energy usage of equipment such as chillers, exhaust, aircon, ventilation, cool rooms, heat stoves... Thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), systems like Smart Energy Management or Smart Sensors & Controls can contribute to achieve energy efficiency, cost savings and operational excellence.
If you must purchase new equipment, choose energy efficient certified items and consider the equipment's life-cycle costs in your buying decision process.
Retrofit old equipment with high efficiency parts and accessories.
Seek professional help to identify and incorporate kitchen equipment or design features that use less energy and recover capital costs more quickly.
2.5x
more energy per square foot are consumed by commercial kitchens compared with any other commercial space in the US.
(green hotelier)
up to 40%
energy savings can be achieved, equating to 3%-6% of operating costs.
(green hotelier)
Energy efficient certifications:
- Energy Star (US)
- European Energy Label (EU)
TablePointer helps restaurants and F&B shops unlock as much as 29% of energy cost savings and carbon emission reductions. With their Energy Savings Guarantee for F&B, their customers pay Zero Costs upfront and Zero Pay unless-we-save.
The TablePointer Intelligent Energy Manager works for any brand of equipment the customer has, plug & play with no renovations, and is easy to get started for immediate cost savings and sustainability gains.
Consider investing in reusable compartmentalised trays and crockery instead of disposable ones. If you contract your canteen, take a look in the General section at the "Choose sustainable food service contractors" solution.
Use dispenser for sauces, soft beverage, ice cream, coffee and tea instead of single dose packaging. Allow self service for napkins, bread, sugar, etc.
If reusable is REALLY not an option, consider using compostable dining ware suitable for a food waste digester if used. Otherwise, use disposable ware with first lower carbon footprint and then from sustainable sources
4% only
of plastic waste is recycled in Singapore. One major hurdle is waste contamination.
(NEA)
10 Olympic swimming pools
This is the volume of single-use items such as plastic bags and takeaway containers used in Singapore every year.
(SEC)
By influencing the behaviour of your suppliers towards the environment, you can shape a more sustainable way of doing business.
When purchasing new equipment, choose items that are certified as energy efficient and consider the equipments' life-cycle costs in your buying decision process.
All furniture, fixtures and fittings have socio-economic and environmental impacts associated with their manufacture, use and disposal. By considering these issues as part of the purchasing process, you can greatly reduce your overall environmental impact.
Some energy efficient certifications:
- Energy Star (US)
- European Energy Label (EU)
Prefer reclaimed materials for flooring, fixtures and restaurant furniture, instead of purchasing something brand new.
For temporary needs, renting equipment, furniture or fixtures can be a sustainable alternative to buying and may contribute to a more circular economy. Since rental companies will repair their goods hence extend their longevity, natural resources will be preserved and waste will be avoided. Renting also allows you to upgrade the equipment at any time or stay well along with the trend.
Flexisnug offers designer furniture rental solutions in Singapore.
They wish to contribute to a zero-waste future by encouraging customers to rent rather than buy. Their offer include furniture for home office as well as kitchen/dining.
Instead of throwing away properly functioning kitchen equipments, do consider selling/blessing them to give them a second life or trade them in.
Broken items can be repaired or, as a last resort, disposed through Public Waste Collectors, depending on the type of waste.
Advanced Kitchen Equipment Pte Ltd has been established since 1990, but they have over 70 years of experience at professional kitchen design and technology.
They offer a wide range of services such as selling and rental of equipment, equipment repair, kitchen planner, stainless steel fabrication.
reXtore provides a collection service for unwanted items (subject to appraisal) and restores, re-sells, rents through our re-commerce marketplace. We also offer a sustainable design and build service for the retail, commercial, travel and hospitality sectors.
If you haven't set up a Sustainable Procurement Policy yet, please refer to the global Sustainable Procurement Policy page in the Resources section for a step-by-step guidance.
Prefer non-toxic, chemicals-free or biodegradable material.
For packaging, opt for refillable options or recycled ones.
If the choice of cleaning products is made by your cleaning agents, discuss with them how to use eco-friendly products.
11%
of work-related asthma attacks are due to VOCs in California (Volatile Organic Compounds) in cleaning products.
(Safe Household Cleaning)
Bewoki stands for BEtter WOrld for our KIds and is the exclusive distributor of aquama® in the SEA region. They import unique machines from Switzerland that empower everyone from individuals to corporates to produce onsite a disinfectant and detergent 100% ecological (based on salt, water and electricity) that replaces 90% of polluting chemicals.
So upstream you eliminate the CO2 footprint of current chemicals production, downstream you release only salty water in the nature while in the process you do not create any additional plastic waste!
Moreover aquama® machines are seamless to use so everyone can connect to any of them with a mobile app. to get its own spray of hand-sanitizer for example thus contributing to a sharing economy which can be crucial in pandemic situations.
In the workplace, aquama® machines offer a safer work place by providing a disinfecting solution with no allergen, no chloramine and no endocrine disrupter that is both bactericide and virucide. On top of cleaning the common areas of the office, the machine is accessible by all staffs or employees so they can use it at their work station or home.
Aquama® machines are available in various size and some of them like the Freedom® or the Freedom® S are meant for home use. Aquama®Freedom® S is a perfect corporate gift in this COVID-19 period that will enable you to create your own aquama® solution for safe disinfection anywhere any time and portable! The disinfectant solution can be used for various purposes e.g general cleaning, disinfection of clothes, fruits and vegetables disinfection, home and office disinfection etc.
Founded in Singapore in 1977, Calfarme develops and manufactures biotech hygiene solutions that are respectful of the environment and safe for the users.
Duprex is a Singapore-based company operating for more than 20 years in cleaning and washroom hygiene industry.
They are not specialised in sustainable products but provide a range of green detergent, soap and surface cleaners.
Specialised in hygiene, food safety and contamination prevention, Ecolab provides comprehensive sanitization programs, products & services mainly to F&B manufacturers, but also to the hospitality, healthcare, industrial and oil and gas markets.
SynTech is a local brand launched in 1999, specialised in high-quality cleaning products and hygiene solutions. Their customers are the food and hospitality industries, as well as institutions. They have developed a range of products that are less harmful for the environment and the users.
If you haven't set up a Sustainable Procurement Policy yet, please refer to the global Sustainable Procurement Policy page in the Resources section for a step-by-step guidance.
Prefer recyclable, recycled or biodegradable material:
If the choice of cleaning products is made by your cleaning agents, discuss with them how to use eco-friendly products.
30 to 50%
higher risk of developing asthma when using spray cleaners at least once a week.
(ewg.org)
7.4 tonnes
of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are released per day from cleaning products alone in California.
(Safe Houseold Cleaning)
Zero plastics, no chemicals, no fragrances, and no BPAs. The Nurturing Co created Bambooloo as Singapore's first plastic packaging free consumer product range.
They offer sustainable toilet rolls, hand towels and other paper-based products from 100% sustainable bamboo, and 0% one time use plastics. They also have The Nurturing Co range of liquid food grade sanitisers and anti-bac wipes (refill canister, 300 wipes).
The Nurturing Co. is a next generation sustainable consumer products company that creates, manufactures, and sells earth friendly, modern brands answering today’s consumer needs for tomorrow.
The Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS) was launched in May 1992 to endorse industrial and consumer products that have less undesirable effects on our environment. Administered by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), the SGLS is the region’s most established ecolabelling scheme with over 3 000 products certified across 28 countries.
The Singapore Green Label acts as a seal of endorsement on the environmentally-friendly claims to prevent the abuse of green-washing. Singapore Green Label certified products have become more marketable and readily accepted by consumers or businesses when making a purchase.
Application for the Singapore Green Label is open to both local and foreign companies.
SimplyGood is a consumer brand created by the UglyGood team. They shine the spotlight on plastic waste with their line of sustainable cleaning products, such as cleaning solutions in refillable tablet form and reusable bottles.
To support the fight against the recent COVID-19 outbreak, SimplyGood has also launched a pack of reusable masks & hand sanitisers to help Singaporeans stay safe and protected. These 70% Ethyl Alcohol sanitisers are derived from organic wheat and are non-toxic, yet highly effective (kills up to 99.99% viruses) for various usage purposes. These sanitisers are also available in refill packs to reduce plastic wastage.
Products:
SimplyGood provide refillable cleaning tablets are 100% non-toxic, naturally derived and cruelty-free. They are also eco-friendly as its packaging utilise up to 90% less plastic than traditional cleaning products.
SimplyGood also provides food-grade sanitisers naturally derived from organic wheat and comes in refill packs to reduce plastic wastage. They are very versatile in terms of application, and can be used on not just skin but also food contact surfaces (i.e. knife, cutting board, ...)
Prefer recyclable or biodegradable material:
Opt for eco-certified products, e.g. the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
For logistics, go for local sourcing.
For clothes production, choose manufacturers with social-consciousness: - safe work environment to prevent work accidents or illness- employees wellbeing- ethical work conditions (minimum salaries levels, no forced labor, no child work...).
2,700L of water
are used to produce a non bio t-shirt.
(pSEau.org)
Established since 1981, Deo Silver Pte Ltd is a uniforms and apparel manufacturer, with a factory here in Singapore. They are part of the local manufacturing eco-system.
In addition, they give customers the option to choose sustainable materials for their corporate apparels. This empowers them to give Earth a helping hand by reducing the amount of waste and energy used to make their uniforms. They provide alternate fabric solutions such as Recycled Polyester / Bamboo Dri Fit / Organic Cotton.
These seem like niche markets, but their belief is that soon one day, these materials will be the norm for the clothing that people wear.
Merchandise.blue is committed to offering companies alternative textile merchandise, from uniforms to trade show giveaways to towels/napkins to tote bags and other accessories, that are made sustainably and fairly to ensure the long-termwell-being of the planet and for all of us living on it.
They offer both ready-made styles and custom sustainable merchandise items using carefully selected materials and partner with environmental impact in mind. A few examples of the environmentally progressive fabrics used in their products include recycled fishing nets, recycled polyester, recycled cotton, seaweed, organic cotton and Tencel.
Consider giving a second life to your old uniforms by having them reused or recycled. Good quality recyclables can be sold to second-hand importers in developing countries to enable the less fortunate to buy clothing at an affordable price. Textile that cannot be reused can be recycled and used as industrial cleaning cloth.
Nearly 100%
of textiles and clothing are recyclable.
(the balance smb)
Only 9%
of corporate workwear is recovered for reuse in UK.
(WRAP)
Greensquare focuses on textile recycling services for organisations and household.
Their objective is to double the current textile recycling rate from 7% to 14% by 2020. They are committed to educating Singapore's population on the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), especially the youth in schools.
The « green journey » may feel overwhelming sometimes, but you are not alone.
Our Buddies have tried, succeeded, failed to implement change in their companies. They share their experience so you can learn, take shortcuts, get inspired and ask questions.
Everybody can become a Buddy and give back to the community; if you are keen, get in touch with us.
My first job was with a major consulting company in Japan. I appreciated my time there, but was always yearning to do something with a greater direct impact, and something that gives me a greater sense of purpose. I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world, and be exposed to different perspectives, ways of living and available alternatives!
A series of serendipitous events led to the founding of merchandise.blue with two highly experienced and interesting friends. Merchandise.blue offers merchandise like uniforms, towels and bags in more environmentally progressive textiles made of materials like seaweed, organic cotton and recycled fishing nets.
When the opportunity to open Kizuna arose, it was clear that I wanted to apply similar values and principles to this physical space.
Duncan, originally from the UK, has been living & working in Asia for the last 16 years. He runs a creative interior design & project management company delivering projects across the Asia Pacific Region; specialised in retail, F&B and commercial sectors. Duncan is passionate about creating interiors that excite and engage Clients and Customers alike, all through the lens of sustainability.
Tomo is a seasoned development professional having lived and worked in various corners of the world from the Tibetan plateau, Indian drylands, Indonesian tropics, to Japanese metropolises. He has extensive field experience working for international and local development NGOs across Asia and Africa, including Kopernik, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the World Bank. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at the Global Leadership Program at the University of Tokyo.
Tomo has a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and was an Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellow (2008) and Innovation Fellow (2020) at the East-West Center. In 2014 Tomo was awarded the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award.
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