Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and Singapore Environment Council (SEC) have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the areas of environmental protection and promotion of ecolabel certification.
The agreement, signed by SEC executive director Jen Teo and GECA CEO Michelle Thomas, was facilitated by the governments of Australia and Singapore under the auspices of the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement (GEA).
The GEA supports green growth and jobs and decarbonisation and aims to strengthen international governance on trade and environmental sustainability.
GECA and SEC are members of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), a network of the world’s most credible and robust lifecycle ecolabels.
According to the organisations, by mutually recognising each country’s ecolabelling schemes, the MOU will contribute to expanding the market for greener products and services to meet the growing demand for genuinely eco-friendly products.
The MOU will provide a framework for both organisations to forge deeper collaboration in addressing environmental issues at regional and global levels, including advocating for ecolabel certification and sustainable consumption.
“By encouraging the inclusion of our MOU into the GEA, Australia and Singapore are taking a crucial step toward embracing a holistic view of green trade to include social and health issues,” said Michelle Thomas, GECA CEO.
“This step could catalyse action across various impact areas, including climate change, modern slavery, chemicals of concern, biodiversity conservation, and reduction of waste to landfill.”
Mutual recognition for products and services certified under the GECA ecolabel and the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS) will allow Australian companies to expand into a significant international market.
Teo said the collaboration with GECA opens many opportunities in enabling both countries to move closer towards balancing resource sustainability and economic growth.
“On a national scale, SEC believes this is a significant step towards a key tenet of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 – Green Economy. The increased economic competitiveness due to the expansion of the market for sustainable products and services will spur businesses to conduct R&D. This will allow for more sustainable solutions and innovation, helping to propel Singapore forward as the region’s Green Finance Hub,” said Teo.
“We look forward to introducing more sustainable businesses and green products across Singapore and Australia – inspiring more stakeholders to play their part in progressing an economy in a sustainable manner.”
Thomas said the MOU also demonstrates GECA and SEC’s commitment to researching crucial sustainability drivers, impacts and solutions.
“There has never been a better time to work collaboratively in driving sustainable manufacturing and trade that will significantly benefit the Australian and Singaporean economies, people and environment,” said Thomas.
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