Press Releases Bandar-bandar

Eighth Eco-products International Fair to be held in Singapore in March 2013

Diterbitkan oleh Enterprise Promotion Centres Pte Ltd

Jan. 30, 2013

The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS), supported by SPRING Singapore, would like to announce the eighth Eco-products International Fair (EPIF ). The three-day fair and conference will be held in Singapore from 14—to 16 March 2013 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, and will be graced by Ms Grace Fu, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Themed “One Environment, One Future: Towards a Sustainable and Greener Asia” the event will showcase all that Asia has to offer in terms of environmental sustainability in the urban context. In the past, this event has been held in other parts of Asia. Singapore is proud to host this event for the second time in its history since 2004. The fair will bring together participants from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, aimed at generating a wide range of exciting new business opportunities in this arena.

Environmental degradation is a constraint on future growth within the Asia-Pacific region and a barrier to efforts to eradicate poverty. By approximately 2020, over half of Asia’s population will live in cities. The speed of population growth in urban areas has outpaced the development of environmental infrastructure in many large cities. Problems range from lack of access to clean water to poor air quality, inability to manage solid wastes and transportation. Urban societies are becoming conscious of environmental problems and keen to learn more about the best practices, eco-products and technologies.

Eco-Products International Fair 2013 aims to exhibit these eco-products, services, technologies, materials, and components from around the world including Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The exhibition will feature two sections: Eco Business & Green Personal Lifestyle.

In parallel with and further enhancing the value of the fair, an International Conference on “Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Urban Living” will be organised to address issues, opportunities, and challenges relating to sustainable urban living. The conference will feature international speakers who are experts in their specific areas and will incorporate exchanges of the most up-to-date information on topics such as eco-practices, eco-innovations, eco-technologies, sustainable consumption and production, green procurement, eco-lifestyle, and policy interventions to achieve sustainable urban living.

The three-day event will also feature a business forum, technical exchanges, business networking events and site visits. The event will target a total of 12,550 sqm of exhibition space and feature 150 international and local exhibitors.

As stated by Mr. Kazuyuki Sakai, Chairman of the EPIF Preparatory Committee of the APO Green Productivity Advisory Committee, “In this day and age when we are affected by serious global climate change, strong initiatives through private–public-sector cooperation such as the EPIF 2013 help steer us in the right direction of balancing consumerism with deliberate environmental consciousness and achieving ‘compassionate productivity’ that is not only profitable but also sustainable.

Jerome Baco, Chairman, WMRAS stated, “ “EPIF 2013 will be an excellent opportunity to have dialogue on various opinions and business opportunities identification amongst the Key players of Sustainable development in the region”.

Simon Lim, Group Director, Industry Development, SPRING Singapore said, “The cleantech industry has been identified as a strategic growth area for Singapore’s economy. SMEs play an important role in adding diversity and innovation to the industry, from both the solutions provider and leading adopter perspectives. EPIF 2013 will be a key opportunity for local and international players to showcase their know-how, understand the latest developments and discuss collaborations within the cleantech industry. ”

Issued by Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) on 25 January 2013.

For media information please contact:

Ms. Uma Sachi

EPIF 2013 Secretariat

1003 Bukit Merah Central

#02-10 Inno.Centre, S 159836

Singapore

Email: umasachi@epc.com.sg

Mobile: +65 97902350

About the Organisers

APO

The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) is the sole nonprofit international organization in the Asia–Pacific devoted to productivity. Established in 1961 as a regional intergovernmental organization, the APO contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the Asia–Pacific through productivity enhancement. Three strategic directions guide the APO: strengthen NPOs and promote the development of SMEs and communities; catalyze innovation-led productivity growth; and promote Green Productivity.

Website: http://www.apo-tokyo.org/

Email: mabdaziz@apo-tokyo.org

Establishment of the GP Advisory Committee

In 2003, the APO established the GP Advisory Committee (GPAC) to receive advice and assistance from successful Japanese corporations with excellent environmental track records. The GPAC is composed of high-level corporate representatives responsible for environmental and/or economic affairs. As of January 2013, GPAC membership comprised more than 60. The committee is chaired by Mr. Teisuke Kitayama (Chairman of the Board, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), and the five vice-chairpersons are Mr. Yukio Yanase (Senior Advisor, ORIX Corporation), Mr. Hajime Bada (President and Chief Executive Officer, JFE Holdings, Inc.), Mr. Kazuyuki Sakai (Senior Advisor for Technology, Teijin Limited), Prof. Ryoichi Yamamoto (Emeritus Professor, University of Tokyo), and Mr. Tsuneaki Taniguchi (Special Adviser, Japan Productivity Center). Furthermore, most of the past executive members voluntarily accepted their advisory roles and provide continuous guidance.

Website: http://www.apo-tokyo.org/

Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS)

Established on 8th of August 2001, the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) aims to professionalise and develop a leading waste management and recycling industry in Asia. With the aim to promote business networking opportunities and best practices amongst members, the Association has been organising activities such as talks, mission trips, conferences, exhibitions and members get together sessions etc. To foster information exchange, the Association has organised regular dialogue sessions with relevant authorities to keep members updated on the regulatory and policies developments. Meetings with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, National Environment Agency, Economic Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore and SPRING Singapore, have allowed members to feedback their concerns and discuss how the public and private sectors could work together to address these needs.

Website: http://www.wmras.org.sg/

ABOUT EPIF

Eco-products International Fairs (EPIF)

With the full cooperation of the GPAC, the APO initiated the Eco-products International Fair (EPIF) in 2004. Through fairs designed to strengthen international cooperation in greening supply chains in the Asia-Pacific region, and through international conferences held concurrently, consumers are made aware of the importance of green purchasing, enterprises are provided opportunities to expand their eco-businesses, and governments can investigate methods for greening their policies. The EPIFs are held in a different APO member country each year. The first was in Malaysia in 2004, followed by Thailand in 2005, Singapore in 2006, Vietnam in 2008, the Philippines in 2009, Indonesia in 2010 and India in 2011. [SC1] Each fair has seen an increase in both scale and international attention. EPIF is now firmly established as the largest environmental exhibition in Asia.

Website: http://www.epif2013.com/

Annex A

Exhibitor Profile

Government, Trade Associations & Institutes

• Boards, ministries and municipalities in charge of environmental, energy, infrastructure and public works

• Infrastructure financers

• Sustainable development agencies

• R&D Institutions

Green Buildings

• Architects

• Construction businesses

• Green Label product manufacturers