GreenGov.SG, the public sector’s new sustainability movement, was officially launched today by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), at the Partners for the Environment (PFE) Forum held during Climate Action Week 2021. This movement is a key enabler of the national sustainability agenda mapped out in the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
Under GreenGov.SG, the public sector will strive to attain ambitious sustainability targets in carbon abatement and resource efficiency, and be a positive influence and enabler of green efforts. Every public officer will be encouraged and supported to embrace sustainable practices.
GreenGov.SG has three pillars:
a) Excel with new and more ambitious targets:
- The public sector aims to peak its carbon emissions around 2025, ahead of the national target.
- By 2030, the public sector aims to reduce energy1 and water2 use by 10 per cent from the average of 2018 – 2020 levels, and to reduce the amount of waste disposed3 by 30 per cent from 2022 levels.4
- The public sector will set targets for buildings, information technology, transport, and solar deployment that are more ambitious than the national targets.
- For all the above, the scope of GreenGov.SG will be expanded to include public sector infrastructure and operations, such as public transport infrastructure and healthcare facilities.
b) Enable a sustainable economy and green citizenry, by embedding sustainability in our core business:
- We will require Government agencies to purchase products that meet high efficiency or sustainability standards. This will apply to electrical appliances, as well as water fittings, building materials for interior use, and electric vehicles.
- We will factor in companies’ sustainability-related policies and practices when evaluating government tenders, starting with event venue and accommodation, and public waste collection contracts. We will work towards incorporating sustainability as a consideration in our procurement decisions.
- We will incorporate sustainability features at public spaces such as hawker centres and community clubs to raise public awareness. We will also educate our community on sustainability issues through our school curriculum and community programmes.
c) Excite public officers to contribute actively to sustainability in Singapore:
- There will be regular sharing sessions organised within the public sector to promote the exchange of ideas, best practices, and the latest technological solutions, so as to inspire and support public officers to champion ground-up initiatives.
- We will organise campaigns to raise awareness and encourage public officers to take simple steps to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
As we embark on GreenGov.SG, the public sector will look to private sector leaders in the sustainability space, for innovations, best practices, and partnerships. Please refer to Annex A for more details on the targets and measures.
Record Number of Activities at Climate Action Week
While the public sector is taking the lead by setting new targets and measures, achieving Singapore’s sustainability goals is a whole-of-nation endeavour. This year’s PFE Forum, themed “Realising the Green Plan Together”, brings together the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE)’s partners from the Private, People and Public (3P) sectors and members of public to discuss key environmental issues, and explore how everyone can play a part to support the Green Plan.
The PFE Forum kicks off the annual Climate Action Week organised by MSE. This year’s Climate Action Week takes place from 12 to 18 July and features a record number of activities aimed at increasing awareness and action on climate change. Over 60 partners from the 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors have organised more than 130 wide-ranging activities, which include conversations, webinars, workshops, exhibitions, competitions, social media outreach, and even a concert. Please refer to Annex B for a list of Climate Action Week activities.
Climate Action Week supports the Singapore Together movement, and is part of the MSE Family’s efforts to: (i) raise awareness of climate action efforts by the 3P sectors in support of the Green Plan; (ii) partner communities and organisations to realise Singapore’s net-zero emissions aspirations; (iii) rally citizens to adopt a sustainable lifestyle and be environmental stewards; and (iv) co-create sustainable solutions with public and stakeholders. Recent partnership and engagement initiatives include the Citizens’ Workgroup on reducing the excessive consumption of disposables from September 2020 to March 2021, and the inaugural Green Plan Conversation in April 2021.
1 Energy used per unit area.
2 Water used per person per day.
3 Waste disposed of per person per day.
4 The baseline for energy and water takes into account operations under pandemic circumstances, while the baseline for waste is aligned with the timeline to implement standardised waste measurement for all public waste collection contracts.
