Tag: sustainability practice

Singapore – Around 70% of Singaporeans have adopted carrying a reusable shopping bag as a common practice to cut back on plastic use, a survey from YouGov revealed. 

According to the survey, Singaporeans are now taking more drastic steps to reduce the use of plastic in their daily routine as problems with plastic pollution increase. 

A top action across all age groups is the carrying of reusable shopping bags, which 70% of Singaporeans have now adopted to cut back on their plastic use. This is followed by using reusable containers for storage (55%), and reusing old plastic shopping bags (52%).

Additionally, reusing takeaway containers for storage (48%), avoiding plastic cutlery (45%), carrying a reusable bottle or cup (44%), reusing plastic bottles for future use (42%), and avoiding plastic straws (41%), are some of the other ways in which Singaporeans are checking their plastic usage.

Interestingly, the survey also showed that baby boomers and GenX are the ones most likely to take all the listed actions as compared to GenZ and millennials. 

YouGov’s survey also revealed that Singaporeans largely favour plastic items being banned, with the population being more likely to support than oppose a ban across all the listed products.

Over half of the Singaporean respondents support the ban on drinking straws, disposable coffee cups, and foam egg boxes. 

Furthermore, almost half are proposing a ban on plastic bags in supermarkets (50%), takeaway containers (49%), coffee machine capsules, and condiment sachets (47% each).

However, it is worth noting again that the ban on items on the list was supported more by baby boomers, especially when compared to the younger generation.

Based on the data, it shows that boomers and GenX are more likely than the younger generation to reduce the use of plastic in their daily lives.

A part of the reduced and more conscious usage of disposable plastics, especially when shopping, can also be attributed to a regulation passed in 2023 by Singapore, where the country required supermarket operators with an annual turnover of more than S$100 million to charge customers at least S$0.05 for each disposable carrier bag.

A year after the regulations were placed, the survey recorded that more than four in five Singaporeans believed that the rule changed their usage of plastic bags, with one in eight (12%) saying it changed to a very large extent.

Seven in ten residents claim they have started carrying their own shopping bags since this rule was implemented in supermarkets (69%). However, one in eight end up paying extra for disposable carrier bags (13%). 

Meanwhile, a small proportion (6%) shared that they have started shopping online instead, while one in ten (11%) reported not experiencing any changes to their shopping behaviour.

Consistent with the data reported by YouGov on the survey, baby boomers are shown to be more likely to carry their own shopping bags, while younger consumers like Gen Z and millennials are more likely than others to pay for a bag or resort to online shopping.

Chi Wei Teo, general manager at YouGov Singapore, said, “It is delightful to see people embracing and making conscious efforts to reuse plastic and to show support for initiatives limiting the use of plastic. As the data shows, the older cohort seems to be taking more responsibility for reducing plastic usage as compared to their younger counterparts. However, there needs to be greater understanding and involvement from youth to build momentum. Not just the government, but companies, brands, and the general public need to create awareness about preserving the environment and adopting a greener lifestyle.”

Kunshan, China – Multinational coffeehouse company Starbucks has announced the opening of its US$220m Coffee Innovation Park (CIP) in China to advance its global sustainability agenda. 

Starbucks’s Coffee Innovation Park is a fulfilment of the company’s first-ever scaled vertical integration ‘from bean-to-cup’ across one market. 

The CIP also holds the distinction of being Starbucks’s most energy-efficient and sustainable coffee manufacturing and distribution centre in the world. With the company making two additional rounds of investments since its announcement in March 2020, the CIP has the largest investment in any Starbucks coffee manufacturing and investments outside of the United States.

Located in the city of Kunshan, an hour from Shanghai, the new coffee manufacturing and distribution centre is designed and built based on LEED Platinum and China Green Building Three Star, leading sustainability standards for carbon emissions, energy and water use, and waste. It houses a roasting plant deploying Starbucks’ energy-efficient technology, a state-of-the-art integrated distribution centre (IDC), and an immersive experience center.

Around 20% of the energy supplied to CIP will be from its 26,000 m2 of installed solar panels. The company is also projected to achieve 90% of recycled waste annually.

Starbucks’ CIP has the capacity to supply all of the company’s locations in China. It will also use advanced eco-friendly technologies to blend and roast high-quality Arabica green beans sourced from more than 30 countries around the world, including China, to develop a variety of unique blends and roast profiles to meet the evolving tastes of Chinese customers.

The integrated distribution centre (IDC) in CIP will serve as the centre of Starbucks China’s distribution network to directly supply thousands of its stores in the region with freshly roasted coffee. The IDC uses advanced automation technologies and a 34-metre-high fully automated storage and retrieval system, which makes it six times more space-efficient compared to a conventional Starbucks warehouse.

However, the CIP is more than just a manufacturing site. It will also feature an immersive Experience Centre that provides a creative and unique interpretation of industrial tourism with an authentic, vivid showcase of the ‘bean-to-cup’ coffee journey.

The experience centre comprises 12 touchpoints where visitors will be transported virtually across the world to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of faraway coffee origins, from China’s Yunnan province to the farms in Costa Rica. They will witness roasting in person and up close as they learn about the latest innovations and sustainability practices at different parts of the coffee value chain.

Laxman Narasimhan, CEO at Starbucks Coffee Company, said, “As one of the largest consumer markets in the world, China presents tremendous opportunities for Starbucks. The Coffee Innovation Park highlights Starbucks foresight in elevating the supply chain through digitalization and advancing our sustainability agenda, enhancing our unique competitive advantage as we accelerate our global growth.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the China team’s visionary thinking. As Starbucks largest and fastest-growing international market, we will continue to deepen our investment and reinforce our unwavering long-term commitment to the China market,” he added. 

Speaking on the launch, Belinda Wong, chairwoman and CEO of Starbucks China, also said, “The Coffee Innovation Park holds important significance for Starbucks in China and globally. It not only showcases Starbucks unrivalled coffee leadership, fulfilling our scaled vertical integration in China ‘from bean-to-cup’, but also sets a new benchmark for sustainability in China’s coffee industry. Its immersive experience center further elevates China’s specialty coffee industry with a multi-sensory showcase of the coffee journey. The CIP is yet another testament that Starbucks’ purpose and commitment to China go far beyond a cup of coffee.”

Singapore – With more consumers in Asia seeking to make a positive impact through their consumption, Ogilvy Consulting, the global growth and innovation arm of advertising agency Ogilvy, has launched its sustainability practice in Asia to help brands shape sustainability priorities and solutions in the region.

Ogilvy’s new practice will focus on Asia’s myriad pressing environmental, social, and inclusion issues. This includes the continued fight against poverty, the balancing of a growing middle-class and urbanization with the environmental impact, the stress for companies to move faster to net-zero emissions, as well as the desire to transform to alternative energy, and the complex and diverse cultural context for equity and inclusion improvements. The agency said that while many of the topics are global in nature, clients will be seeking solutions tailored to Asia’s unique market situations and social issues.

Jerry Smith, Ogilvy Consulting’s CEO for Asia, said that sustainability has become a greater priority for businesses, brands, and people, and the urgency and importance of this topic mean they need to build a more structured solution for their clients. 

“Our work now needs to take the corporate strategy and mandate and create practical ways to activate that at a regional and local level,” said Smith.

The new practice will be headed by Andy Wilson, former head of strategy at advertising firm BBDO Singapore. He brings with him over 25 years of experience in innovation, brand building, and strategic communications planning.

Commenting on his new role as Ogilvy Consulting’s senior partner of sustainability for Asia, Wilson said that he is thrilled to be able to accelerate this positive transition and help the clients across the region grow profitably while solving sustainability issues.

“We are on the brink of a radical paradigm shift in how we manufacture, market, and consume products and services. We have a critical role to play in helping organizations and brands develop environmentally and socially sustainable solutions and practices,” noted Wilson.