Green Lab, Singapore’s first eco-solution manufacturing plant, has joined forces with Ninja Van Singapore, a tech-enabled express logistics company, in a collaborative effort to help companies achieve their sustainability goals while optimising their storage and delivery needs. Green Lab CEO and Co-Founder Muralikrishnan Rangan and Ninja Van Group CEO and Co-Founder Lai Chang Wen both signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Green Lab’s Tuas production facility, witnessed by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Ministry of Transport, Dr Amy Khor.
The partnership between the two Singapore-born firms seeks to enhance the accessibility and affordability of eco-solutions for local businesses. The shared objective is to contribute to the achievement of Singapore’s sustainability goals.
Green Lab manufactures 100% compostable and biodegradable solutions, enabling local businesses to find the right eco-friendly packaging solutions to meet their business needs regardless of requirement or budget. The 200,000-square-foot plant in Tuas can cater to larger corporations and SMEs alike and can provide just-in-time delivery.
The plant has also been equipped with solar panels which cover almost the entire rooftop and is able to generate 1596 MWh of electricity annually at present. The annual CO2 abatement or annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction would equate to 668 tCO2e. Green Lab itself has ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030.
With expertise from Ninja Van Singapore, businesses will be provided with improved logistics support, reducing the need for on-site and off-site storage, associated costs, or just-in-time complexities. In an effort to manage its carbon footprint, Ninja Van Singapore launched 10 electric vehicles (EVs) in October 2022, steadily expanding the EV fleet a year later, with the goal set to have 30% of its in-house fleet transitioned to EVs before Q2 2024.
The partnership between the two parties will help address the pain points faced by many Singapore businesses, including the perception that most sustainable products are often perceived as niche items. This often leads to businesses having difficulty meeting the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) requirements while spending a significant amount of money on logistical and storage requirements.
Among the partnership offerings, Green Lab and Ninja Van Singapore will provide free delivery and storage as a one-stop eco-friendly solution for businesses needing more space or looking to free up areas to aid in business expansion and diversification. There is also no MOQ requirement for Green Lab products.
This seamless integration between Green Lab and Ninja Van Singapore will simplify the process and efforts required for local SMEs to adopt eco-friendly practices. This will help them improve their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and impact reports.
Chief Executive Officer Mr Muralikrishnan Rangan of Green Lab, a fully-owned subsidiary of Print Lab, a member of F&N’s Times Publishing Group, said, “This is a gamechanger for businesses in Singapore. Through our partnership, Green Lab and Ninja Van Singapore will help businesses take steps towards making sustainable choices, and also help them alleviate business pain points, with space being one of them. With Green Lab producing 100% compostable, biodegradable or recyclable products in a Singapore facility, Green Lab and Ninja Van coming together will help walk on their green paths as they green their supply chains along with last mile deliveries being done in electric vans. In essence, renewable energy in the production mix, sustainable products and last mile using electric vans will mean a greener platform for our clients’ supply chains. In addition, there is free storage and delivery with no conditions attached, definitely a first in Singapore.”
The collaboration between both parties is also part of Ninja Van Singapore’s sustainability efforts, at which the logistics company will provide last-mile deliveries using their EVs for customers when they purchase eco-friendly packaging products from Green Lab. Their support will also help businesses walk towards their green journey from material sourcing to production, supported by a low-carbon last-mile delivery. Among these are businesses in the food and beverage industry, and fast food restaurants.
“Sustainability is part of Ninja Van’s long-term goals, and we are committed to growing our initiatives at a responsible and sustainable pace. Since we began our EV pilot trial in October 2022, we are on track to have 30 percent of our in-house fleet transitioned to EVs before Q2 2024. We are also cutting down single-use plastics in our warehouse operations and recycling waste materials where viable,” said Mr Lai Chang Wen, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ninja Van Group.
He added: “As our business scales and we expand into other express verticals like Ninja B2B and Ninja Cold, we recognise the opportunity and responsibility to do our part for the environment. This partnership with Green Lab isn’t our first collaboration together as we have relaunched Ninja Van’s Eco Ninja Packs, designed to minimise our environmental footprint beyond our last-mile operations. Our Eco Ninja Packs, tailored to local requirements with Green Lab’s expertise, were well-received by our customers. As we come together again, I am delighted that we can leverage our collective strengths to make a meaningful difference in the environment.”
In recent years, various industries have found ways to promote sustainable practices that benefit the environment and provide a better experience for their end customers. Accor Group, a hospitality company, has pioneered sustainable development in the industry for more than 30 years and is now accelerating its global transformation by building a model that contributes more and collaborating closely with hotel owners and teams.
Said Mark Gaynor, Director, F&B, and Operating Supplies & Equipment Procurement (South East Asia, Japan, and South Korea) of Accor Group, “At Accor, we believe it’s our role to shape a more sustainable future of travel. Amongst our initiatives and actions, we committed to joining the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and to removing all single-use plastic items from our hotels in 2020. Today, our partnership with Green Lab is a key ally in our mission to remove single-use plastic across all areas of our hotel operations.
He added, “With our Asia Pacific regional office based in Singapore and key distribution partners in Asia, this partnership’s impact can be felt both within and beyond Singapore’s borders. Accor is the biggest hospitality company in the region and will continue to engage with and drive change in this critical area. We are excited to be partnering with Green Lab to help drive this change.”
