SMRT, SEC Sign MoU for Singapore's Eco-Shop Project

SINGAPORE, July 1 (Bernama) -- SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) and Singapore Environment Council (SEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create Project: Eco-Shop, Singapore’s first comprehensive Eco-Certification programme for shop owners. Eco-Shop is a certification programme aimed at guiding and encouraging shop owners to fit out their shops in an environmentally sustainable manner, as well as adopt eco-friendly habits in their daily operations. These include, for instance, turning off the electrical equipment when not in use, and using energy efficient lighting to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use. Shop owners will be awarded the Eco-Shop Label upon successful completion of an audit that assesses the performance of their shops in the areas of environmental management and awareness, purchasing and operations, air quality, energy conservation, waste management and water conservation. SMRT and SEC will debut the programme with all 32 tenants at Woodlands Xchange, which is due to launch in the second half of 2013. They will guide these tenants to qualify for the Eco-Shop Label certification in time for the launch of Woodlands Xchange. "Project: Eco-Shop is an extension of SMRT's commitment to environmental sustainability, and we are excited to take the lead in driving awareness among shop owners in Singapore," said Desmond Kuek, president and chief excecutive officer of SMRT Corporation. "Consumers who are environmentally conscious are also likely to make discerning shopping choices based on their eco-friendly predispositions. Shops that are certified with the Eco-Shop Label will appeal to such consumers, and thereby gain a competitive advantage," he said at the launch. SEC chairman, Isabella Loh, said the birth of Project: Eco-Shop embodies the Council’s push to inculcate eco-friendly habits among shop owners. "Our aim is to help shop owners start small, in light of their need to delicately juggle business and the bottom line," she added. In the second phase of the programme following the opening of Woodlands Xchange, all shop owners in Singapore will be invited to be Eco-Shop Label certified, with a target of 600 shop owners certified in three years. -- BERNAMA