The spread of Covid-19 due to poor ventilation has led the Government and many businesses to tackle the issue. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BUSINESS FEDERATION
Ang Qing
SINGAPORE – The Government will consider recommendations by industry leaders to set formaldehyde emission limits in building products and household furnishings “very seriously”, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Wednesday.
The pungent pollutant, commonly found in these products, releases particles that are hazardous to health at high levels of exposure and can result in cancer after long periods of time.
Ms Fu was speaking at the official launch of guidelines and recommendations by the Alliance for Action on Sustainable Spaces to ensure that air breathed indoors is cleaner and greener.
They were developed in consultation with industry stakeholders by the alliance, which was initiated by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and Singapore Green Building Council in November 2021.
Under the alliance’s proposal for regulation, companies will have to submit test reports for all products for certification before sale and provide proof that the goods sold meet emissions limits.
These guidelines come as the spread of Covid-19 due to poor ventilation and poor air quality have led the Government and many businesses to tackle the issue.
Among these firms is C&W Services, where the official launch was held, and which remodelled its office in Chai Chee between October 2021 and March 2022 to monitor and maintain good indoor air quality.
Said Ms Fu: “It is through Covid-19 that we realised how to deal with ventilation, what’s the right spacing… What’s the right rate of exchange of the air?”
The alliance said on Wednesday that as people spend about 90 per cent of time indoors, poor indoor air quality places them at health risk.
But before accepting the alliance’s recommendation to regulate, the Government will need to consider criteria including the appropriate level where emissions are considered harmful and which parties should be regulated.
Said Ms Fu: “Regulation doesn’t ensure that standards are followed all the time, we need to follow up with inspection and enforcement.
“So we have to think through all levers for policymaking before we can arrive to a decision, but this is something we are seriously looking at.”
She was responding to concerns that these guidelines are voluntary and lack regulatory teeth during a fireside chat session with more than 40 members of the alliance and industry stakeholders.
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The guidelines comprise adopting emission limits for products and indoor furnishings, keeping local standards for good indoor air quality, acquiring certifications that recognise efforts to maintain good indoor air quality, implementing workplace safety and health guidelines, and monitoring indoor air quality.
Other recommendations are incentivising the industry to create and adopt low emitting products, as well as foster greater industry-public collaboration.
Supported by the Building and Construction Authority and National Environment Agency, the alliance also aims to help the industry seize opportunities in the green economy and support the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
SBF chairman Lim Ming Yan said the new guidelines will help fill the gap in existing guidelines for air quality in buildings, which might not cover situations where tenants conduct their own renovation after a building is constructed.
Citing his experience as the former president and group chief officer of CapitaLand, he added: “In that process of additional renovation, sometimes if the users or tenants are not aware of the type of materials that they are using, it may compromise the indoor air quality.”
President of SFIC Phua Boon Huat said the council has already committed in April to supply or adopt low or no formaldehyde products and solutions.
“These new industry guidelines would mean the public and consumers will be able to enjoy cleaner and greener urban indoor spaces in future,” he noted.
“Moving forward, we would like to advocate for industry players to opt for cleaner, safer materials in their offerings and designs.”
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SINGAPORE – The Government will consider recommendations by industry leaders to set formaldehyde emission limits in building products and household furnishings “very seriously”, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Wednesday.
The pungent pollutant, commonly found in these products, releases particles that are hazardous to health at high levels of exposure and can result in cancer after long periods of time.
Ms Fu was speaking at the official launch of guidelines and recommendations by the Alliance for Action on Sustainable Spaces to ensure that air breathed indoors is cleaner and greener.
They were developed in consultation with industry stakeholders by the alliance, which was initiated by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and Singapore Green Building Council in November 2021.
Under the alliance’s proposal for regulation, companies will have to submit test reports for all products for certification before sale and provide proof that the goods sold meet emissions limits.
These guidelines come as the spread of Covid-19 due to poor ventilation and poor air quality have led the Government and many businesses to tackle the issue.
Among these firms is C&W Services, where the official launch was held, and which remodelled its office in Chai Chee between October 2021 and March 2022 to monitor and maintain good indoor air quality.
Said Ms Fu: “It is through Covid-19 that we realised how to deal with ventilation, what’s the right spacing… What’s the right rate of exchange of the air?”
The alliance said on Wednesday that as people spend about 90 per cent of time indoors, poor indoor air quality places them at health risk.
But before accepting the alliance’s recommendation to regulate, the Government will need to consider criteria including the appropriate level where emissions are considered harmful and which parties should be regulated.
Said Ms Fu: “Regulation doesn’t ensure that standards are followed all the time, we need to follow up with inspection and enforcement.
“So we have to think through all levers for policymaking before we can arrive to a decision, but this is something we are seriously looking at.”
She was responding to concerns that these guidelines are voluntary and lack regulatory teeth during a fireside chat session with more than 40 members of the alliance and industry stakeholders.
Experts urge ventilation in public spaces in war against Covid-19
Study to look at reducing disease spread in Singapore buildings
The guidelines comprise adopting emission limits for products and indoor furnishings, keeping local standards for good indoor air quality, acquiring certifications that recognise efforts to maintain good indoor air quality, implementing workplace safety and health guidelines, and monitoring indoor air quality.
Other recommendations are incentivising the industry to create and adopt low emitting products, as well as foster greater industry-public collaboration.
Supported by the Building and Construction Authority and National Environment Agency, the alliance also aims to help the industry seize opportunities in the green economy and support the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
SBF chairman Lim Ming Yan said the new guidelines will help fill the gap in existing guidelines for air quality in buildings, which might not cover situations where tenants conduct their own renovation after a building is constructed.
Citing his experience as the former president and group chief officer of CapitaLand, he added: “In that process of additional renovation, sometimes if the users or tenants are not aware of the type of materials that they are using, it may compromise the indoor air quality.”
President of SFIC Phua Boon Huat said the council has already committed in April to supply or adopt low or no formaldehyde products and solutions.
“These new industry guidelines would mean the public and consumers will be able to enjoy cleaner and greener urban indoor spaces in future,” he noted.
“Moving forward, we would like to advocate for industry players to opt for cleaner, safer materials in their offerings and designs.”
Pledge to spur use of low-emitting formaldehyde solutions for indoor spaces
Singapore’s new climate targets still ‘critically insufficient’, says research group
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