ASSESSMENT OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY POTENTIAL FOR E-COMMERCE PACKAGING WASTE IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Singapore has signalled its transition to a circular economy (CE). Packaging waste is one of the three waste streams of focus under the Zero Waste Masterplan launched on 30 Aug 2019. With the parabolic growth of e-Commerce, associated packaging waste is a cause for concern. At present, such waste has not been quantified. Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) has been implemented for specified producers and importers with the first reports expected in 2022. The information from the MPR would form the basis for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Framework for packaging planned to be launched by 2025.

While the MPR efforts are underway, policy makers and stakeholders would need to be equipped with relevant information on the drivers and trends shaping the e-Commerce industry in Singapore and provided with an account of the types of packaging used in e-Commerce and the estimated volume of e-Commerce packaging waste currently being generated in Singapore, in the interim. This study hopes to provide the above through extensive secondary data gathering and literature review.

Going a step further, with the help of an online survey, this study would aim to decipher the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of consumers in Singapore with regards to e-Commerce packaging waste. Through a stocktake of the current regulatory environment and recycling ecosystem, this study would also attempt to assess the circular economy potential for e-Commerce packaging waste in Singapore using established guidance underpinned by circular economy principles.